After three long years of waiting, Netflix’s internationally acclaimed dystopian thriller series, Squid Game, has officially returned with its long-awaited second season.
A chilling addition to the overall universe of South Korea’s breakout TV series, Squid Game Season 2 delivers the same larger-than-life punch as its inaugural season, leaving viewers just as tense and shell-shocked as they were in late 2021. An intelligent blend between science fiction, social thrillers, and a harrowing analysis of the wealth gap within South Korea’s economic classes, Squid Game has more than justified its status as the most-watched Netflix series of all time.
As viewers catch up on Squid Game’s newest season, we thought it might be helpful to come up with a list of similarly-veined dystopian TV series to watch after the series’ latest installment. From nightmarish social satires to first-rate anime thrillers, here are seven amazing TV series to binge after Squid Game Season 2.
In many ways, Alice in Borderland bears an uncanny resemblance to Squid Game’s narrative premise. Just as Squid Game forces its desperate contestants to compete in potentially lethal children’s games, Alice in Borderland finds a group of disparate individuals engaging in overwhelmingly dangerous games of chance. Taking ample inspiration from 2000’s Battle Royale and 1997’s Cube, Alice in Borderland is a claustrophobic survival thriller as nerve-wracking and consistently chilling as its thematic Netflix counterpart.
On the surface, Black Mirror seems as drastically different from Squid Game as a brand-new iPhone is to a game of Red Light, Green Light. In spite of each show’s stylistic differences, however, Black Mirror ultimately succeeds as a roving study of contemporary culture every bit as intense and thought-provoking as Squid Game. Whereas Squid Game provides a stunning meditation on the widening gap between economic classes in modern society, Black Mirror offers a similarly in-depth reflection on technology and our growing obsession with industrial innovation, be it social media, A.I., or virtual reality.
While Academy Award winner Bong Joon-ho’s 2013 film might surpass the quality of its TV reboot, TNT’s Snowpiercer still offers an enlightening look at the contrasting social distinctions that characterize a post-apocalyptic society. Hurtling through the frozen remains of Earth onboard a heavily-equipped passenger train, Snowpiercer may not focus as much on material wealth as Squid Game, but its illustration of class and privilege make it a sci-fi thriller well worth watching.
Fortune may favor the bold when it comes to underground gambling – but it also preys on the desperate, the disillusioned, and the most downtrodden members of contemporary society. Drawing on these ideas for its main narrative, Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor starts off with an overwhelmingly similar plotline as Squid Game’s first season. Out of funds and out of luck, the distraught gambler Kaiji reluctantly agrees to compete in a mysterious gambling event involving hundreds of other down-on-their-luck players. Unfolding with break-neck speed over the course of its single season length, Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor conjures up an unforgettably suspenseful atmosphere reminiscent of the best anime thrillers out there.
An ideal companion piece to Squid Game, 3% delivers yet another unnerving illustration of just how difficult it is to climb the modern world’s increasingly steep social ladder. Set amidst a terrifying near future where society is divided between two succinct groups (those who live in the impoverished Inland and those in the affluent Offshore), 3% follows several less-fortunate individuals attempting to advance their social and economic status. A noted improvement over most other teen-oriented survival thrillers, 3% leaves a lasting impression on most audience members fortunate enough to see it, capturing viewers’ attention with its thematic subjects, gripping action, and disturbing dystopian settings.
Based on Margaret Atwood’s award-winning novel of the same name, The Handmaid’s Tale meticulously recreates its literary predecessor’s nightmarish vision for the future. Set in a theocratic, patriarchal, inherently misogynistic future, The Handmaid’s Tale poses crucial questions about power and its weaponization by autocratic rulers (as well as the toll such oppressive authoritarianism has on the disenfranchised members of a community). Spanning an impressive five seasons, each installment of The Handmaid’s Tale remains worthy of attention and celebration, paving the way to a dystopian thriller series equal parts 1984 as it is Brave New World.
When it first premiered in 2022, Severance quickly became one of the most talked-about shows to ever premiere on Apple TV+, elevating the streaming platform to the same celebrated heights as Max, Netflix, or Hulu within the entertainment industry. Led by a dazzling Adam Scott, Severance delivers a palpitating mystery centered around corporate greed, unethical business practices, and the role technology can play in the average office workspace. Smart, funny, and thoroughly engrossing in terms of its plot, thematic discussions, and ensemble cast of characters, it’s a sci-fi series we simply can’t wait to see more of in the immediate years ahead.
