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TV Series

Squid Game

2021–2025 22 episodes Netflix Thriller television series Action television series Mystery television series Drama television series Survival film

Squid Game is a 2021 Netflix TV series created by Hwang Dong-hyeok, directed by Hwang Dong-hyeok. It stars Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-yeon and others.

Synopsis

Squid Game is a South Korean thriller series created and directed by Hwang Dong-hyeok for Netflix. It debuted in 2021 and ran through 2025 with 22 episodes, combining survival drama, mystery and action.

The story begins with Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father who lives with his elderly mother and is deeply in debt because of gambling. He receives an unusual invitation to compete in a series of children's games for a very large cash prize. Desperate for money, he accepts, and he is taken to a remote island where hundreds of other contestants, all facing serious financial trouble, have been gathered.

The players are dressed in identical green tracksuits, stripped of their belongings and watched constantly by masked guards in pink uniforms. The competition is run by a figure known as the Front Man. It becomes clear that the games are far more dangerous than their playground origins suggest, and that the rules carry real consequences. Gi-hun forms bonds with other players, including his childhood friend Cho Sang-woo and a North Korean defector, and learns how far people will go when money is at stake. The cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-yeon, Oh Yeong-su and Anupam Tripathi. The first season sets out the rules, the setting and the shifting loyalties among the players.

Crew & production

Screenwriter
Hwang Dong-hyeok
Producer
Kim Ji-yeon
Composer
Jung Jae-il
Production company
Siren Pictures
Original language
Korean
Filming locations
Daejeon, Seongap-do, Seoul

Trailer

The video loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play.

Top cast

17 people

Lee Jung-jae

Role not listed

Park Hae-soo

Role not listed

Jung Ho-yeon

Role not listed

Oh Yeong-su

Role not listed

Anupam Tripathi

Role not listed

Kim Joo-ryoung

Role not listed

Wi Ha-jun

Role not listed
Heo Sung-tae

Heo Sung-tae

Role not listed

Kim Young-ok

Role not listed

Lee Ji-ha

Role not listed

Heo Dong-won

Role not listed

Lee Du-seok

Role not listed

More cast

  • Lee You-mi
  • Lee Byung-hun
  • Gong Yoo
  • Kang Mal-Geum
  • You Seong-joo

Sources

  • Wikidata (Q106582931), accessed October 2026
  • Cast photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each profile

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