logo
Lee Jung Jae's Squid Game 2 gets snubbed at Emmy Awards 2025 with ZERO nominations, fans call it 'brutal'

Lee Jung Jae's Squid Game 2 gets snubbed at Emmy Awards 2025 with ZERO nominations, fans call it 'brutal'

Pink Villa16-07-2025
Netflix's Squid Game once made history at the Emmys, but its second season failed to even get a foot in the door. Despite racking up over 192 million views worldwide, the global hit was completely excluded from the 2025 Emmy nominations. This marks a dramatic fall from its six-award haul in 2022.
Back then, Squid Game made headlines for being the first non-English drama to be nominated for Best Drama Series. It swept categories including Best Actor for Lee Jung Jae and Best Directing for the unforgettable 'Red Light, Green Light' episode. Fast-forward three years, and not a single category featured Squid Game Season 2, shocking fans and industry watchers alike.
Squid Game shut out of Best Drama, Lee Jung Jae snubbed
Even with eight nomination slots open, Squid Game couldn't break into the Best Drama Series race this year. According to prediction platform Gold Derby, the show barely held onto the eighth spot heading into voting.
While still popular with viewers, Season 2's critical reception dipped slightly. It earned an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, down from Season 1's 95%. Ultimately, it lost out to The Last of Us, Severance, The White Lotus, Andor, The Diplomat, Slow Horses, Paradise, and The Pitt.
The snub continued across acting categories. Lee Jung Jae, who once made Emmy history as the first Asian actor to win Best Drama Actor, didn't make the ballot this year. His omission, while surprising, highlights the overall drop in Emmy enthusiasm for the series.
T.O.P, Park Sung Hoon, Lee Byung Hun and more snubbed in supporting categories
Among supporting roles, fans were particularly dismayed by the absence of Choi Seung Hyun (T.O.P.). His role as Player 230, a failed crypto investor-turned-desperate contestant, garnered widespread attention online. Park Sung Hoon, who played a transgender ex-soldier, and veteran actor Lee Byung Hun, reprising his role as the Front Man, also failed to secure nominations.
Meanwhile, actresses Kang Ae Shim and Park Gyu Young were also left out. Their emotionally charged portrayals of a devoted mother and a defiant North Korean defector didn't gain enough awards traction.
Hwang Dong Hyuk snubbed despite strategic submissions
Hwang Dong Hyuk is the creator behind Squid Game. He had submitted only one episode for consideration in both writing and directing categories to avoid vote splitting. The chosen scripts, 'Bread and Lottery' for writing and 'O X' for directing, showcased pivotal moments from season 2.
Despite Hwang's previous wins in both categories, Emmy voters passed on his work this year. His previous win for directing 'Red Light, Green Light' was a milestone in 2022. But in 2025, even with full creative control over Season 2, Hwang walked away with zero nods.
Gong Yoo's return fails to make the cut
Fan favorite Gong Yoo, who briefly returned as the mysterious Recruiter, was considered a contender for Best Guest Actor in a Drama. Though he ranked among the predicted nominees leading up to the announcement, he ultimately didn't make the shortlist.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

This 8-episode crime thriller series will leave you stunned, currently trending at No. 1 on OTT, Its name is…, lead actress is…
This 8-episode crime thriller series will leave you stunned, currently trending at No. 1 on OTT, Its name is…, lead actress is…

India.com

time14 minutes ago

  • India.com

This 8-episode crime thriller series will leave you stunned, currently trending at No. 1 on OTT, Its name is…, lead actress is…

Home Entertainment This 8-episode crime thriller series will leave you stunned, currently trending at No. 1 on OTT, Its name is…, lead actress is… This 8-episode crime thriller series will leave you stunned, currently trending at No. 1 on OTT, Its name is…, lead actress is… This 8 episode thriller is making noise on OTT platform Netflix. It is currently trending on number 1. Scroll down to read the name. OTT is a place where every weekend a new series or movie is released. While many are hits, others are misses. This week too, a new series has been released, which is a thriller but with a twist. The show is about how murders take place in the most mysterious ways. With 8 episodes, this series is winning the hearts of the audience. Crime Thriller With a Mysterious Twist As soon as this series was released, it topped the charts and became number 1. If you are wondering which series we are talking about, then it is none other than Mandala Murders. It was released on Friday (July 25), and the story is about how a mandala is connected to mysterious deaths in Charandaspur. The show features Vaani Kapoor in the lead role, where she essays a CBI officer who has been sent to Charandaspur to investigate the matter. This series, based on a murder mystery between superstition and the system, is also considered to be full of suspense, which makes it special. Let us tell you that here the web series Mandala Murders is being mentioned. Trending at Number 1 Due to its great content and the amazing acting of the star cast, Mandala Murders remains number 1 in trending on the OTT platform Netflix. This series is receiving a positive response from the audience and critics, which is becoming the reason for its success. If you have not seen it yet, you can enjoy it on Netflix. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest Entertainment News on

Meet actress who allegedly dated star cricketer, later married into a royal family, sparked controversy due to..., she is...
Meet actress who allegedly dated star cricketer, later married into a royal family, sparked controversy due to..., she is...

India.com

time44 minutes ago

  • India.com

Meet actress who allegedly dated star cricketer, later married into a royal family, sparked controversy due to..., she is...

While most heroines were told their careers ended with motherhood, Moon Moon Sen did the exact opposite. She married into royalty, had two daughters, and then made her big-screen debut at 30. With her first film Andar Baahar in 1984, she raised eyebrows. But it wasn't just her looks that made headlines; it was her confidence and bold choices, both onscreen and off. She later shared screen space with Madhuri Dixit in 100 Days and acted in a string of notable films like Kuch Toh Hai, Zakhmi Dil, Mohabbat Ki Kasam, and Sheesha opposite Mithun Chakraborty. Across Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada films, she appeared in over 60 films and 40+ TV shows. Where did she come from? Born into privilege, Moon Moon was the daughter of Bengali legend Suchitra Sen and granddaughter of a wealthy businessman, Adinath Sen. She was an English literature teacher in Kolkata and studied at Oxford before Bollywood found her. She married Bharat Dev Varma, from a royal lineage, in 1978. The couple has two daughters, Riya and Raima, both of whom tried their hand at acting. What about the Imran Khan connection? The buzz around Moon Moon wasn't limited to her films. Over the years, she was linked to several high-profile names, from Saif Ali Khan and Romu Sippy to Victor Banerjee. But the most talked-about was her alleged affair with former Pakistani cricketer and PM, Imran Khan. The media claimed the two dated and even shot for a magazine together, while Moon Moon was married. In a 2019 interview with PTI, she addressed it, 'I like spending time with Imran. If my husband doesn't have a problem, why should others?' She added that they were just friends. But the buzz never quite died down. Did she stop at films? Nope. Moon Moon later joined politics, becoming a member of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and winning a Lok Sabha seat. Politics, like cinema, welcomed her late, but she made it count. Moon Moon Sen's story is one of charm, controversy, and breaking conventions. From teaching English to starring in 6 languages and facing political elections, her script was anything but ordinary.

Thammudu OTT Release: When and where to watch Nithiin starrer action drama online
Thammudu OTT Release: When and where to watch Nithiin starrer action drama online

Pink Villa

time44 minutes ago

  • Pink Villa

Thammudu OTT Release: When and where to watch Nithiin starrer action drama online

Nithiin starrer Thammudu released in theaters on July 4, 2025. The action drama film is now all set to make its debut online after becoming a box office debacle with mixed-to-negative reviews. When and where to watch Thammudu Thammudu is slated to begin streaming on the OTT platform, Netflix, from August 1, 2025. The official confirmation about the film's digital streaming was made by the platform through a post on their social media handle. Sharing the post, the handle Netflix India South said, 'Thana lakshyanni, akkani thirigi thevadaniki ee thammudu is on a mission! Watch Thammudu on Netflix, out 1 August in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada.' Here's the official post for Thammudu: Official trailer and plot of Thammudu Thammudu is an action drama film following the life of Jai, a skilled archer who is in search of his sister Jhansi, who got separated from him as a child. As years progress, Jhansi has become a government officer with ideals, leading a happy life with her family. However, being a woman of principles, Jhansi refuses to sign a report that contains false details related to a chemical factory explosion in Vizag, making her and her family face the wrath of a corrupt industrialist. As all seems to end, Jai reunites with Jhansi, deciding to save her. How he takes on the responsibility of protecting her and her family, using archery skills, forms the rest of the story. Cast and crew of Thammudu Thammudu features Nithiin in the lead role with actress Laya making a return to Telugu cinema after making a cameo appearance in Amar Akbar Anthony (2018). Apart from the leading actors, the movie features an ensemble cast of actors like Kantara fame Sapthami Gowda, Varsha Bollamma, Saurabh Sachdeva, Hari Teja, Swasika, Temper Vamsi, Chammak Chandra, and many more in key roles. Thammudu is written and directed by Venu Sriram, marking his first collaboration with Nithiin. The film was musically crafted by B. Ajaneesh Loknath. Moreover, cinematographers like KV Guhan, Sameer Reddy, and Satyajit Pande (Setu) handled the visuals of the film. Prawin Pudi edited the cinematic venture.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store