‘Squid Game’ Lands 3 Nominations At 27th Critics Choice Awards

The runaway hit Korean drama Squid Game has landed nominations in three categories at the 27th Critics Choice Awards.

When the Critics Choice Association announced its nominations on Dec. 6, Squid Game was nominated for best drama series, best actor in drama series and best foreign language series. The Netflix series will compete with HBO’s Succession, NBC’s This Is Us and Showtime’s Yellowjackets.

Korean actor Lee Jung-jae was nominated for best actor in a drama series, as the only non-English language performer. He will compete with Sterling K. Brown of This Is Us, Mike Colter of Evil, Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong of Succession and Billy Porter of Pose.

With its nomination for best foreign language series, Squid Game became the first South Korean TV show to be nominated at the Critics Choice Awards. The winners will be announced on Jan. 9 2022.

Squid Game, starring Lee, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-jun and Jung Ho-yeon, is a story about desperate people who take part in potentially fatal children’s games for the chance to win a life-changing cash prize. The series previously won an award at the 2021 Gotham Awards, taking home the trophy for Breakthrough Series-Long Format, which was accepted by creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk. Lee and Jung also attended the awards ceremony.

Lee was up for an outstanding performance award, but lost to a tie between Ethan Hawke for his performance in The Good Lord Bird and Thuso Mbedu for her performance in The Underground Railroad. 

The Gotham Awards were the first major US award that the series won, but it’s also eligible for Bingeworthy Show of the Year at the People’s Choice Awards, as well as a prize for Drama Program at the 2021 Rose d’or Awards. 

Squid Game will also be eligible for Primetime Emmy Awards in Sept. 2022.