Netflix’s hit South Korean series Squid Game could possibly be in the running to win an Emmy Award.
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This is according to a spokesperson from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS, also known colloquially as the Television Academy), which presents the Primetime Emmy Awards. Talking to Variety, the ATAS representative shared that the South Korean is eligible for a Primetime Emmy consideration.
They noted that this is because Squid Game was produced under guidance from Netflix, an American company, and had always been intended to be distributed in the US. The series is also eligible to enter the International Emmys as it was produced overseas, in South Korea. However, Squid Game can only be submitted for consideration for one of the ceremonies, and not both.
The ATAS rules, according to Variety, state that co-productions between US and foreign partners, such as Squid Game, “shall have the discretion to enter the production and its individual achievements in any category where they are eligible in the Primetime Emmy Awards competition or in the awards competition of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, but not both”.
Last month, Netflix’s co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos shared that the South Korean series might soon become the streaming platform’s most popular show ever. “Squid Game will definitely be our biggest non-English language show in the world, for sure,” said Sarandos during an appearance at the Code 2021 conference, per CNET. He then added there was “a very good chance it’s going to be our biggest show ever.”
Earlier this week, Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk said that he would be open to reprising the story for a second season, but with a new focus. “One [idea] would be the story of the Front Man,” Hwang told The Times. The character in question was the elusive boss who ran the deadly tournament in the show in the first season.