Netflix's most underrated show is renewed for a second season

Slammed by critics but loved by Netflix viewers, the first series of Squid Game: The Challenge has now ended, with the final episode airing on 6 December. Fans will be thrilled to learn that it is also returning – likely next year – with the streaming service announcing a second season has been commissioned.

It posted the news on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube just as the winner of season 1 was revealed. We won't spoil it for you, though.

Netflix has also put out a call for prospective contestants for the second season. $4.56 million is again up for grabs and casting is now open on a dedicated website for those in the US, UK or elsewhere.

Do you want to be one of the 456 players in the next round?

"We're so excited to continue the franchise of Squid Game with our team in Korea, and producers at Studio Lambert and The Garden for this epic competition series," said Netflix's vice president of nonfiction series, Brandon Riegg.

The new season is likely to follow the same format as the first, and therefore be set over 10 episodes. The games contestants undertake ape those from the cult hit Korean drama Squid Game, albeit without fatal outcomes.

The show also has a distinctly Big Brother feel to it, as we get to know some of those competing for the main prize, especially as they progress.

If you've not seen it yet, we thoroughly recommend you check out season 1 of Squid Game: The Challenge, which is now available in its entirety on Netflix. It may have only scored 45% with the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score hits 82%.

Our own tech editor, Mike Lowe, also loved it: "The original games from the series are well reproduced in the gameshow (with a few big changes, likely on health and safety grounds) and tastefully shot and edited. I know from the production team that it was a mammoth task tracking and capturing those 456 players, and it plays out well on screen," he wrote in a piece about the show.

If you haven't seen the original Squid Games though, we recommend you do that first. The reality show won't make as much sense if you don't.

And, now we come to think about, where's Squid Game Season 2? We're still awaiting news on when that might come to the streaming platform.