Netflix Finally Serves Up the Squid Game Knock-off You Didn't Know You Needed

Remember when the whole world went crazy over South Korea's Squid Game? Forget about it. Today, everyone is watching The 8 Show, eight episodes of which were released on Netflix on May 17.

The creators of Squid Game explained the phenomenon of their show simply: people like to watch desperate adults risking their lives to compete in children's games.

Netflix, which has shown Squid Game to the whole world, has understood that there is a lot of money to be made in K-dramas. Since 2016, the platform has been investing in the creation of original content in South Korea, and it has borne fruit. In 2020, the revenue of Netflix's South Korean division amounted to $356 million – 123.5% more than the previous year.

Therefore, it's not surprising that Korean dramas are regularly released on the platform, and the latest release is even too similar to Netflix's biggest hit ever.

What is The 8 Show About?

The 8 Show starts with Jin-su, who has a lot of debts and wants to commit suicide. Only notifications about money being credited to his account and strange messages stop him from doing it. These messages offer Jin-su to come to an unknown address and get acquainted with a certain offer.

Jin-su is brought to a certain building in a luxurious limousine, where he is given a choice: either he participates in a game and can earn much more money, or he takes 20 million won and returns to his former life. Of course, Jin-su decides to take the risk.

In addition to him, seven other people take part in the game. When the game begins, everyone lives in their own room on their own floor and for the time they spend in the game, money is credited to their account.

The 8 Show, Like Many Other K-Dramas, Has an Obvious Social Undertone

However, it quickly becomes known that those who have rooms on higher floors receive more payments, and the distribution of food begins from the eighth, the highest floor (which is a clear reference to another Netflix hit, The Platform).

Players can buy anything they need with their own money, but it will cost 100 times more than usual.

Each episode has its own twist, an idea that the participants of the show play out: voting, money, revolution, hunger, justice, the importance of work. In particular, The 8 Show demonstrates that often those who work more earn less, thereby criticizing the structure of modern society with a dose of sharp and black humor.