The 8 Show – Picture: Netflix
Since The 8 Show was announced, we’ve held a burning suspicion that the K-drama might/could be Netflix’s next Squid Game. After binging the series for ourselves, we’re even more convinced. Could and should The 8 Show be Netflix’s Squid Game?
What made Squid Game a viral sensation? The story? Concept? Costumes? Sets or its characters? We won’t ever know for sure what made Squid Game the viral sensation it became. But one thing is certain: audiences are attracted to a straightforward concept: what lengths is a person willing to go to become rich?
Over the decades, this lingering question has fueled hundreds, if not thousands, of game shows, where regular people can change their lives in a game of chance. The question has even been the foundation behind recent popular television shows, such as Breaking Bad, Squid Game, Ozarks, Money Heist, and many more.
The 8 Show follows the core principle of the shows as mentioned above. This is, among other reasons, why we believe Netflix has another viral sensation on its hands.
A long summary of the plot is as follows;
“Eight contestants are confined to an eight-story structure with limited space and resources. Contestants earn prize money hourly, and the longer they stay, the more they can earn. However, with the exception of food and water, all other resources cost 1000 times more than regular prices.
To earn more time and money, the contestants must earn more hours by pleasing the unseen audience hiding behind the cameras. However, if a contestant perishes, then everyone loses. When the contestants learn that some earn more than others, a social hierarchy is established, creating unrest among them.”
Picture: Lee Joo Young as Chun Ja aka 2nd Floor – Netflix
The themes of The 8 Show are very much in your face, but that’s the beauty of the story as it doesn’t seek to insult the intelligence of its audience but to entertain and leave you in shock and awe at the possibilities of what a person or group of people would do for money or power. It’s a brutal take on the class system and the breakdown of social hierarchy, but at the end of each episode, you can’t wait to find out what’s in store next.
At its core, The 8 Show seeks to expose the darkness in a person’s soul when they are confronted with not only the opportunity to earn riches beyond their wildest dreams but also confronted with the chance to control the social order.
Will The 8 Show reach the popularity of Squid Game?
We hope and think that The 8 Show has the ability to fly as high as Squid Game, but then again, that show came at the right place and hit the zeitgeist like nothing ever has for Netflix. Can this show gain the momentum needed to match or better it? A lot has to go right, and most of it is out of Netflix’s hands.
But if we’re being realistic, then no, it definitely won’t reach the level of popularity of Squid Game. With billions of hours watched, hundreds of millions of views, and an audience of tens of millions, Squid Game is a monster of a series that very few saw coming and is in a class of its own.
However, The 8 Show has all the potential to be another viral hit for Netflix. Even if the series were to reach a quarter of the success of Squid Game, it would be another monumental success for K-dramas on Netflix.
What are your thoughts on The 8 Show? Let us know in the comments below!
Netflix Synopsis: "Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits -- with deadly high stakes."
