Dark Comedy ‘The 8 Show’ Tops Netflix’s Non-English TV List

The 8 Show premiered on Netflix on May 17, and in its second week, the dark comedy thriller series ranked first on the platform’s “Non-English TV List” with 4.8 million views.

The series is one-of-a-kind via humor, suspense, and unexpected plot developments. The unique juxtaposition of dark and humorous facets specifically makes for an attractive and intellectually stimulating experience. 

While The 8 Show rings a bell about Squid Game in its players’ bids for survival and lump sum prize money, it’s refreshing how they waver between what they have and what they can have, providing a fresh perspective on the human condition through improbable circumstances, compulsion, and being tempted. The bizarre things that happen—as the drama navigates complex moral dilemmas and explores the depths of the human psyche—hook you into its clever and subversive nature.

The 8 Show’s appeal is rooted in unpredictability and unconventionality. In a game under rigid camera surveillance where participants must remain within a building and stay alive for however long the game lasts to make a substantial sum of money, eight strangers—starring Ryu Jun-yeol, Chun Woo-hee, Park Jeong-min, Lee Yul-eum, Park Hae-joon, Lee Zoo-young, Moon Jeong-hee, and Bae Seong-woo—join in.

On eight different floors, they are locked in separate rooms at night. They may spend part of their time off during the day shopping for the group, but at night they may spend on themselves for basic supplies, which are a hundred times more expensive than usual. The individuals begin collaborating to live well while optimizing their earnings. But seeking a way to extend the play, an internal conflict erupts upon discovering that those on the upper floors have bigger living spaces and are earning far more money than those on the lower floors. 

The 8 Show is a literal dark satire that targets the inside of you. It’s triggering and cruel. Intriguingly, nonetheless, it digs into the intricacies of capitalism’s conflict with humanity, class differences and wealth, unfair treatment, and exploitation. The game grows filthy, murky, and more sinister as it rolls on, but when you analyze it any longer, you realize that The 8 Show is an image of life, where many may lose their minds when put to the test by a harsh, materialistic world. 

One is starkly reminded of the toll that obligations and pressures may have on individuals by the show’s unflinching depiction of a character’s state of mind. It vividly exposes the raw, unfiltered experiences of those thrust upon the brutalities of capitalist culture, exposing selfishness, greed, and materialism, as well as the inner conflicts and battles for survival that unfold within its characters.

Filmmaker Han Jae-rim, acclaimed for directing hits like Rules of Dating (2005), The Show Must Go On (2007), The Face Reader (2013), The King (2017), and Emergency Declaration (2021), teamed up with Studio N for The 8 Show, based on Bae Jin-soo’s Naver Webtoon Money Game and its sequel, Pie Game.

In an earlier press statement, Han expressed his happiness over the series’ tremendous international reception. Netflix states that since its release, The 8 Show has gained 4.8 million views in its second week (and a total of 6.5 million views), thus far grabbing the top spot on its “Non-English TV list.” Following it is The Atypical Family, a time-travel fantasy romance series that came in sixth place with 1.6 million views, and the romantic comedy Queen of Tears landed in seventh place in its 12th week on the rankings with 1.3 million views, thus occupying the first three places on the list.