Will “Squid Game 2” Do Well When OTT Seasonal Dramas Are Losing Appeal To Viewers?

In the first half of this year, dramas on terrestrial channels were more successful than OTT programs. As such, OTT is planning to counterattack by introducing masterpieces in the second half of this year. Targeting not only Korean fans but also global viewers, OTT works are lining up for release on holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

The most anticipated drama is Season 2 of Netflix’s “Squid Game”. As Season 1 created a syndrome worldwide, viewers are expecting Season 2, which will premiere around Christmas, to also be successful.

Sequels of successful dramas are being released consecutively. Starting with “Sweet Home 2”, Netflix is planning to expand the worldviews of projects that gained keen attention in their first seasons, such as “Gyeongseong Creature 2” and “Hellbound 2”. These works are produced by famous studios such as Studio Dragon, Kakao Entertainment, SLL, etc. and share the common features of the creature genre that Netflix is confident in.

Disney+ also aims to turn the table with dramas from trustworthy studios and production teams. Similar to Netflix, Disney+ also needs a hit drama like “Moving”. Therefore, in the second half of this year, Disney+ will continue to make good use of its strength in action and noir genres through “The Worst of Evi”, “Vigilante”, etc.

“Gangnam B-side” by Kakao Entertainment and Sanai Pictures and “Tyrant”, the spin-off drama of “The Witch” series, are on the lineup for new releases on Disney+. Both are highly anticipated projects as they feature splendid producers, actors, and directors specializing in the action and noir genres. The mystery horror drama “Light Shop”, written by “Moving” writer Kang Full is also waiting to greet the audience.

However, there are also concerns over whether follow-up seasons will help the series become better known or hinder its viewers’ immersion. Reactions to “Sweet Home 3”, which premiered on July 19th, were not as positive as expected. Although the drama performed better than Season 2, the majority of viewers still expressed disappointment. As such, concerns over the downsides of seasonal dramas, which aim to expand worldviews. The following season can benefit from the popularity of the previous one, but on the contrary, it may also face greater disappointment if the content fails to meet viewers’ high expectations. As such, people in the drama industry consider the upcoming release of “Squid Game 2” at the end of this year a significant turning point.

Drama critic Yoon Seok-jin said on July 23rd, “It is true that viewers are losing their interest in seasonal dramas as OTTs have continuously released provocative projects with similar vibes to maintain its subscribers”, adding “I think OTTs have not looked back on its problems. They shouldn’t make projects with the length of movies into a series”.