Just as Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Emmy-winning series “Squid Game” captivated audiences and became Netflix’s No. 1 show in 2021, its spin-off reality competition series, “Squid Game: The Challenge,” sent viewers right back to the edge of their seats. In this version, exec-produced by Tim Harcourt and Nicola Brown, 456 players from around the world compete for $4.56 million through nonlethal renditions of some of the original’s most notorious challenges, including Red Light Green Light, one-on-one marbles and hopscotching across a glass bridge.
Critical reception was mixed and some players complained of inhumane working conditions during the 17-day production in Britain, but viewers showed up en masse: The Challenge racked up 224 million total hours watched in the first 21 days following its debut last November.