Streaming Sneaks: Squid Game 2 and other December shows end 2024 with a bang

SINGAPORE – In this monthly column, The Straits Times’ streaming picks for December include the long-awaited second season of the survivalist hit Squid Game (2021 to present) and its non-lethal reality television equivalent.

Also on the watch list are the newest Star Wars series and Thailand’s answer to the science-fiction anthology Black Mirror (2011 to present).

Squid Game 2

Premieres on Netflix on Dec 26

Three years after it debuted and became Netflix’s most-watched show, the South Korean drama Squid Game is finally unveiling its long-awaited second chapter.

In Season 1, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) joined an underground world where hundreds of contestants who were struggling financially competed to the death for a giant cash prize, pitted against one another in a string of perverse children’s games.

Now, he has asked to be put back in the contest, and this time, his goal is not to win the money but to end the cruel tournament and bring its mysterious masterminds to justice.

Also reprising their roles are Lee Byung-hun as the Front Man overseeing the game, Wi Ha-joon as a policeman trying to find his missing brother and Gong Yoo as the recruiter.

Why watch it: Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk promises bigger games, more intrigue and a darker tone. New cast members include popular actor Kang Ha-neul and K-pop star Choi Seung-hyun (better known as T.O.P, a former member of BigBang).

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

Now streaming on Disney+

Set a few years after the events of the 1983 film Return Of The Jedi, this new entry in the Star Wars science-fiction universe follows four young protagonists who discover an abandoned spaceship on their home planet.

After taking it on a joyride to the other side of the galaxy, the friends – played by Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter and Robert Timothy Smith – find themselves stranded.

To get home, they reluctantly team up with a man named Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) and his cranky old droid, SM-33 (voiced by Nick Frost).

But the children are not sure whether to believe his claims of being a Jedi, a member of a mystical order able to harness the supernatural energy known as The Force.

Why watch it: For Star Wars enthusiasts, this is a fresh perspective on the post-Return Of The Jedi era, which is also the timeline for other live-action shows in the franchise such as The Mandalorian (2019 to present).

For newcomers, it promises a coming-of-age adventure filled with friendship and discovery, and is reminiscent of science-fiction hits such as the film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and series Stranger Things (2016 to present).

Beast Games

Premieres on Prime Video on Dec 20

If you are older than 25, you may have no clue who MrBeast is. But the 26-year-old American, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, is the king of YouTube, where he has 334 million subscribers – more than anyone else.

And he has single-handedly revolutionised online content creation by staging elaborate stunts, competitions and over-the-top challenges, often involving generous giveaways or acts of philanthropy.

So he was the obvious choice to host this new reality show, in which 1,000 players will face off in weekly physical, mental and social challenges for a US$5 million (S$6.72 million) cash prize.

Think of it as a non-deadly version of Squid Game, although MrBeast has already been there and done that. He recreated the challenges and sets from the K-drama in 2021, awarded the winner US$456,000 and racked up more than 670 million YouTube views for it.

Beast Games will have 10 times the prize money and more bells and whistles, with challenges that involve a pirate ship and jumping out of a helicopter. The contestants will also wear Squid Game-style tracksuits.

Why watch it: In a social media post, MrBeast says he spent a year working on the 10-episode show, which he promises will “break 40 world records” and involve “the craziest sets in entertainment history”.

For those unfamiliar with his YouTube channel, here is a chance to experience the viral sensation’s singular brand of entertainment and cheer for a real person to win it all.

Tomorrow And I

Now streaming on Netflix

Each of the four standalone episodes in this anthology –  which stars prominent Thai actors such as Treechada Hongsyok and Pakorn Chatborirak – imagines the impact of a futuristic technology on Thai culture and morality.

Cloning is used to bring a Thai astronaut back to life; intelligent sex robots are trained to fulfil a nation’s desires; artificial intelligence is unleashed on Buddhism; and a water-borne pandemic threatens to leave the poorest behind.

Why watch it: Although clearly modelled after the acclaimed British science-fiction anthology Black Mirror, this is a rare South-east Asian spin on some of the biggest anxieties of the modern era.