After becoming first Korean series to win Critics Choice in 2022, second season clinches second honor
The second season of "Squid Game" nabbed recognition for best foreign language series at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, held Friday evening in Los Angeles.
Considered a reliable indicator of Academy Award nominees in the film segment, the event is evaluated by more than 600 critics from the US and Canada, recognizing outstanding achievements in film and television. This year’s ceremony was twice postponed due to the Los Angeles wildfires.
In the best foreign language series category, "Squid Game" triumphed over eight contenders, including Apple TV+'s "Acapulco" and "Pachinko," Amazon Prime Video's "Citadel: Honey Bunny," Hulu's "La Maquina," Netflix's "The Law According to Lidia Poet," HBO's "My Brilliant Friend" and Brazilian miniseries "Senna."
This marks a second win for "Squid Game" at the Critics Choice Awards. The series' first season became the first Korean TV drama to win recognition in 2022, securing best foreign language series along with best actor for Lee Jung-jae's portrayal of protagonist Gi-hun.
At the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, comedy romance "Anora" won best picture while Demi Moore won best actress for "The Substance." Best actor went to Adrien Brody for "The Brutalist." In the TV category, FX's "Shogun" swept the awards, clinching best drama series along with best actor (Hiroyuki Sanada), best supporting actor (Tadanobu Asano) and best supporting actress (Moeka Hoshi).
In January, "Squid Game" failed to secure a win at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, where it was nominated for best television series.
Currently, "Squid Game" has been nominated for the upcoming Art Directors Guild Awards, with art director Chae Kyoung-sun nominated for excellence in production design under the one-hour contemporary single-camera series category for her work on the "Six Legs" and "O X" episodes. The 29th ADG Awards take place Saturday.
The third and final season of "Squid Game" is scheduled to premiere June 27.
yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com
