The 8 Show – A 2024 Netflix Original Series

““The 8 Show” is a Netflix Original Series released in 2024 with 8 episodes. It is YAKDPSGS. Yet another Korean drama hoping to piggyback off of the success of Squid Game. If you became a loyal Squid Game fan, after the Season 1 release in 2021 AND you’re still waiting for Season 2 which will be released in December 2024, then add this K-drama series to your watch list.

Also, if you like Kdramas based on webtoons, add this to your list. It’s based on two different webtoons: Money Game and Pi Game. It is categorized as a Dark Comedy, Mystery and Psychological Thriller.

• SUMMARY: Eight people must stay in an eight-story building for 100 days to win prize money.

♦ Only 100 Days? Let’s Do This!

In “The 8 Show”, it’s a game of survival via a reality TV show. Survival of the fittest. That means you don’t need a lot to live. Do you? If you don’t, that’s good because you’re not going to get a lot. You’re going to be stuck in a building that pretty much only has walls and a roof. Don’t even think about sleeping on a bed. Oh! If you get hungry, or you want to buy some hygiene products or any of the things you think are “life necessities”, you have to pay for them.

Where does the money come from? The money will be deducted from your prize money. So before you think: ‘Eh! Toothpaste and soap isn’t that expensive.’ THINK AGAIN!! You won’t be shopping at the local grocery store or pharmacy on the corner. Items you always had at home that you took for granted now cost 1,000 times more than what you would normally pay for them. If you have bad habits like smoking or drinking alcohol. You might think about breaking those habits, at least until you win the money. Oh! Did the person running the game mention that you have pay for electricity? VERY EXPENSIVE ELECTRICITY!

Here’s the most important thing. Will the players help each other or become hostile towards each other? At any rate, it’s only for 100 days. Just pretend you’re Rambo and you will survive. Have fun!

Main Characters:

• 1F (Bae Sung-Woo, “The Swindlers”)
• 2F (Lee Joo-Young “Believer 1 and 2”)
• 3F (Ryu Jun-Yeol, “The Night Owl”)
• 4F (Lee Yul-Eum, “Queen: Love and War”)
• 5F (Moon Jeong-Hee, “Search”)
• 6F (Park Hae-Joon, “Arthdal Chronicles 1 and 2”)
• 7F (Park Jeong-Min, “Time to Hunt”)
• 8F (Chun Woo-Hee, “Unlocked”, “Love, Lies”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7.2 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.7 out of 10 stars
• Common Sense Media: 4 out of 5 stars
• Rotten Tomatoes: 4 out of 5 stars
• NME: 3 out of 5 stars

My personal rating is the same as My Drama List.

I confess that I am not riding the “Squid Game wave”. But since I like webtoon adaptations, and was curious to know which actors accepted roles as contestants, “The 8 Show” ended up on my watch list. Also, since it’s a Netflix Original, I wanted to know if Netflix was getting better with its original Korean content. My curiosty didn’t kill me. But then … I’m not cat. LOL. This series wasn’t too shabby, if you like dark comedy.

• For the record, the director says it’s not like Squid Game:  “Director Han Jae Rim drew a line at the comparison of The 8 Show to Squid Game, stating that while the two dramas may seem similar, they are quite different.” (SOURCE: “The 8 Show” Is Not the Same as ‘Squid Game'”, Says Director Han | MyDramaList)

OK! I won’t argue.  He’s the director. 

FINAL NOTE: I also like to share new things I learn by watching K-dramas. Have you heard of the Fibonacci sequence? One of the players figured out how to use that to calculate the prize money.

• “The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers in which each number is the sum of the two that precede it. Starting at 0 and 1, the first 10 numbers of the sequence look like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so on forever. The Fibonacci sequence can be described using a mathematical equation: Xn+2= Xn+1 + Xn.” (QUOTE SOURCE: What is the Fibonacci sequence? | Live Science)

LINKS OF INTEREST:

‘The 8 Show’ Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It? | Decider.com

‘The 8 Show’ review: Netflix can’t escape the shadow of ‘Squid Game’ | NME

K-Dramas Like The 8 Show: Squid Game, Pyramid Game & More | YAHOO! Entertainment

New K-dramas to watch in 2024 | Tatler Asia

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Netflix. “The 8 Show | Official Trailer | Netflix.” YouTube Video. YouTube, May 2, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvowLTLYJN0.‌