Among the premieres of Netflix in May 2024, was “The 8 Show”, a title that perhaps did not create many expectations, but now that it has landed on the streaming platform, it is gaining many fans and becoming one of the most popular of the service.
“The 8 Show”, what is the Korean series that triumphs on Netflix?
The series tells the story of eight people who agree to participate in a mysterious television competition that seems to be a chance to solve their financial problems.
The challenge is to stay as long as possible in a mysterious 8-story building, since they earn money simply as time passes. However, they must cooperate and compete with each other to overcome the challenge.
What seemed like a simple solution to their problems quickly turns into a nightmare when they discover that the price of victory is much higher than they imagined.
The series is an adaptation of Bae Jin-soo’s webtoons ‘Money Game’ and ‘Pie Game’, published on Naver in 2018 and 2020 respectively.
Cast of “The 8 Show”
The cast of “The 8 Show” includes several well-known actors from South Korea, but with less fame in the West.
A strange fact about the series is that the names of its characters are not revealed, but we only know them by the floor number given to them.
Ryu Jun-yeol plays the role of the third floor, Chun Woo-hee the role of the eighth floor, Park Jung-min the role of the seventh floor, Lee Yul-eum plays the fourth floor, Park Hae-joon plays on the sixth floor, Lee Joo-young brings the second floor to life, Moon Jeong-hee takes on the role of the 5th floor, and Bae Seong-woo takes on the role of the first floor.
‘The 8 Show’ director responds to ‘The Squid Game’ comparisons
Since its release on May 17, ‘The 8 Show’ has been compared to ‘The Squid Game’, the South Korean TV series that became a global phenomenon in 2021. As noted, both the theme and some visual elements are very similar.
However, in an interview with ‘The Korea Times’ in late May 2024, ‘The 8 Show’ director Han Jae-rim put an end to these comparisons. He said he “understands” that this series “started developing earlier” than the other, although it was the success of ‘The Squig Game’ that encouraged him to take on this project.
“Our series is different from ‘The Squid Game’ in terms of rules and conflicts. In ‘The Squid Game’ someone else has to die so I can live and the protagonist feels satisfied when others are eliminated. But in our work no one dies and everyone survives together, which is the opposite,” he stressed.
Do you have ‘The 8 Show’ on your list of series to watch? Let us know in the comments if it catches your eye.
Source: univision
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
