Netflix’s The 8 Show K-drama will be a must-watch for Squid Game fans

A fresh new arrival coming to Netflix for 2024 is The 8 Show, a K-drama featuring themes that are sure to captivate Squid Game enthusiasts.

Netflix just announced a plethora of upcoming installments to popular K-dramas. Everything from Sweet Home Season 3 to Hellbound Season 2, and an official first teaser to Squid Game Season 2. But the year will also bring a newcomer, The 8 Show.

Netflix released an official teaser with a date announcement. The K-drama will be an enticing thriller that has a similar quest for money in a high-stakes environment to Squid Game, as well as a star-studded cast.

With Squid Game returning late in 2024, The 8 Show may be exactly what you need to watch to tide you over.

What is The 8 Show About?

A group of contestants desperate for money are invited to a reality show. They must survive their new living situation even if it means madness.

The 8 Show’s storyline reads, “Eight people in need of money are invited to appear on reality variety show Money Game. The eight people are to stay at the studio that consists of nothing but concrete walls. If they are able to hang in there for 100 days, they can divide the winning prize of 44.8 billion won equally. But, everything they spend for, including necessities like food, water, electricity, costs 1,000 times more than normal prices and are deducted from the winning prize.”

Sound familiar? The Netflix K-drama is originally based on a webtoon titled Money Game by Bae Jin-soo. You may see the similarities between The 8 Show and what enthralled you about Squid Game. Both K-dramas focus on people who are likely at a low in their lives and money is the only solution. While a group of contestants take part in the Games, The 8 Show focuses on a reality series where the stakes are high and mental fortitude is a must.

Squid Game focuses on the total cash prize accumulated after every death of a player. The 8 Show instead reduces the total prize depending on how much the players spend. Both are all about the amusement of the watchers who relish seeing these contestants fall apart.

The teaser for the K-drama introduces the main characters who walk onto a stage and are enticed by “easy money’ before disappearing behind the curtain. All laughs, is the series conductor.

The 8 Show stars Ryu Joon-yeol as Jin-soo, Chun Woo-hee as Se-ra, Park Jung-min as Philip, Bae Sung-woo as Sang-gook, and Park Hae-joon. Moon Jung-hee also joins as Moon-jung, Lee Yeol-eum, and Lee Joo-young as Chun-ja. The K-drama will have eight episodes.

The 8 Show will be released on Netflix on May 17, 2024, and you can check out the other K-dramas coming to Netflix.