If you are like most students in Yorba Linda High School or rather most of the people in the world you have probably seen or heard of the hit show Squid Game that is currently streaming on Netflix. If you happen to not be a part of this majority here is a little bit of background on the show; The basic plot of the show is that a bunch of very wealthy people recruit a group of desperate people to participate in these games and each contestant is worth $1000000. While in the games the contestants are pitted against each other in deadly games and one by one killed off until they’re left with one single survivor.  The survivor will go on to become extremely rich and famous while everyone else that had been a part of the games is deceased.

This show is in Korean but this language barrier has not stopped people from avidly watching. It’s been about a month or so since the release of the show and now that most of the world has seen it there ready to move on to the next big thing. Because of the intense popularity of the show, Netflix has a number of similar shows that they have announced to release but also a number of shows that were already on the platform that are just now getting new attention because of interest in the genre. 

The first show I would like to mention is a show called Sweet Home, which is a Korean drama and horror series about a troubled teenager and his neighbours as they fight to survive and to hold onto their humanity as the humans turn into savage mosters. This show has extremely high ratings with and 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and 96% on the Google Play Store, It was released on December 18th, 2020. 

The next thing I recommend is a movie called #Alive which is a Korean zombie thriller.  While a grisly virus ravages a Korean city, Joon-woo the main character tries to stay safe by locking himself inside his apartment, just as he loses hope, he discovers another survivor. This movie has an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes as well as a 88% on the Google Play Store and was released on June 24th, 2020. 

The last show I would like to mention is a newer one that was released on October 15th, 2021 nearly a month after the Squid Game was released. This show is called My Name and it follows a girl who puts her trust in a powerful crime boss – and enters the force under his direction with intents of revenge after her father’s untimely murder. The show has been called “binge-worthy” and is relatively short at only 8 episodes, It also has a 97% rating from Google users. 

When asking a YLHS student we asked Adil Ismail (10) who says “Personally I really enjoyed the squid game series and it really got me interested into a genre of TV so I am excited to watch the new shows that Netflix is releasing and putting out”.