Netflix's “Squid Game” is already well-versed in shaking up Hollywood: with over 2.2 billion hours watched as of 2024, the dystopian drama is the most-watched Netflix series ever, and lead actor Lee Jung-jae and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk made history as the first Asian to win a category at this year's Emmy Awards.

And the love affair with the awards continues in surprising ways. Season 2 of “Squid Game” hasn't even premiered for streaming yet (new episodes will be available on Thursday, December 26), and already it has been nominated for a Golden Globe.

On Monday, this popular Korean drama joined Peacock's “Day of the Jackal,” Netflix's “The Diplomat,” Prime Video's “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” FX/Hulu's “Shogun” and Apple TV Plus' “Slow Horses” as this year's Golden Globe Award nominee for Best Drama Series, which was announced as one of the nominees. (Hwang and Co. apparently submitted new episodes to the awards organization before the November 4, 2024 deadline.)

And while the public has yet to see the seven episodes that comprise the second season, early critical response seems to suggest that they are worthy of awards recognition.

Critic Ashley Wurst wrote that Season 2 is “a stunning return of Netflix's most popular show,” calling the new cast “gorgeous” (featuring Im Siwan, Kang Ha Neul, Park Kyu Young, Lee Jin-wook, Park Sung-hoon, and Yang Dong-geun, among others), especially the lead Wurst praised Lee Jung-jae for “another brilliant performance,” while Wurst exclaimed that the “great action sequences” were “well worth the wait. Get excited!”

Rama Tampubolon of Rama's Screen said the second season is “much crazier than the first” and has “moments like 'The Deer Hunter. He said the second season is “more retribution-based & action-packed” than its predecessor, but “Lee Jung-jae once again delivers a ferocious performance.”

Game Rant's Aayush Sharma also described “Squid Game” Season 2 as “a masterpiece that escalated the stakes while delving deeper into human psychology. Calling it “bigger and better” than the first season, he added that it “seamlessly intertwines high-octane action and psychological warfare.”

When new episodes are finally released on December 26, this time we can expect even more engaging games and an exciting setting for the show's grand finale. To review, the official synopsis for the second season reads: “Three years after winning the squid game, player 456 is determined to find the mastermind behind the squid game and put an end to the vicious squid game. Song Ki-hoon uses this large sum of money to fund his search, starting with the most obvious: finding a man in a sharp suit playing dakjis on the subway. But when his efforts finally bear fruit, the path to destroying the organization proves more dangerous than he had imagined.

Tom's Guide will keep you updated with new information about “Squid Game” Season 2. Fresh plot, character details, behind-the-scenes information, insights and information from creator Dong-Hyuk Hwang, and more. In the meantime, watch the official trailer for the highly anticipated second season below: