American ‘Squid Game’? Creator says the game is global and universe expansion talks are ‘ongoing’

How ‘Never Have I Ever’ Gave Us 2 Wonderfully Different South Asian Moms

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🏆 The Headlines

American ‘Squid Game’? Creator says the game is global and universe expansion talks are ‘ongoing’ — In an interview with Deadline, the South Korean director Hwang Dong-hyuk said he wanted to expand the “Squid Game” universe for possible international versions of the titular series.

• In an interview with Deadline, the South Korean director said he wanted to expand the “Squid Game” universe for possible international versions of the titular series.

• “That was actually part of my intentions from the outset,” Hwang told Deadline. “I wrote the script in a way to hint that the ‘Squid Game’ was happening in other parts of the world.”

• The Netflix series, which alludes to the world’s issues of inequalities in income and living conditions, follows 456 debt-ridden contestants who risk their lives to play in a variety of survival games in hopes of winning the 45.6 billion won (approximately $38.6 million) prize. 

• “As you can see from the conversations that the VIPs are having, they say the Korean game this year is spectacular, which means that there are other games as well,” Hwang told Deadline. “I thought that if the show did well, I wanted to expand the universe further, so that other countries could have their own version of the ‘Squid Game.’”

• “Talks regarding this are ongoing,” Hwang added, without specifying whether this refers to a possible “Squid Game” spin-off in another country or a new plot direction for the next season. 

How ‘Never Have I Ever’ Gave Us 2 Wonderfully Different South Asian Moms — Actors Poorna Jagannathan and Sarayu Blue discuss the rarity of getting to see two distinct depictions of South Asian mothers existing on the same show.

• Among the many joys of watching “Never Have I Ever” is the breadth and depth of its characters, including its multiple generations of South Asian women. The show is primarily a coming-of-age comedy about high schooler Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) dealing with the death of her father, the social pressures of adolescence, and the excitement (and humiliation) of teenage crushes. At the same time, many of the show’s supporting characters get wonderfully rich arcs of their own, such as Devi’s mom Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan).

• On a lesser show, Nalini easily could have been a stereotype: a one-dimensional stern, domineering immigrant mother — the kind we’ve seen a lot on screen. But in the hands of Jagannathan and “Never Have I Ever” co-creators Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, she’s so much more than that. Over the course of the show, Nalini has gone on her own journey of growth alongside Devi, juggling her job as a dermatologist with being a single parent to a hormonal teenager, and learning to become a more affectionate and patient presence in Devi’s life.

• During the show’s third season, which premiered Friday on Netflix, Nalini gets both a friend and a foil in Rhyah (Sarayu Blue), the mother of Devi’s new love interest, Des. It’s rare to see two very different South Asian mothers on the same show. Rarer is seeing both characters handled with complexity and nuance.

• “For so long, we’ve seen a very specific version of the South Asian mom,” Blue said in an interview. “What Mindy and Lang have created is a world where everyone is so believable. It just makes it so much more rich and fun to watch.”

See below for more entertainment headlines, casting calls, and entertainment-related job opportunities from Nickelodeon, Amazon and more ⬇️