Squid Game Nabs Historic Victories at 2022 Emmys

Squid Game made history tonight when it took home awards across multiple categories at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Last week, Lee You-mi took home the Outstanding Guest Actress trophy at the Creative Arts Emmys, kicking things off for the hit Netflix original. The South Korean drama started this evening on a high note, having already made a name for itself as the first non-English language series to be nominated for Outstanding Drama.

Up for 14 awards (the most of any Netflix series this year), Squid Game was also nominated across four of the major acting categories. The series took home its first Emmy of the evening in the drama directing category when Hwang Dong-hyuk won for "Red Light, Green Light", and the second when Lee Jung-jae nabbed Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Lee is the first Asian actor to win Lead Actor in a Drama Series; he is also the first actor in a non-English language series to win an Emmy. 

Lee beat out Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Jason Bateman (Ozark), Jeremy Strong (Succession), Adam Scott (Severance), and Brian Cox (Succession) for the coveted award, thanking "God above", the Television Academy, Netflix, and "the director for making realistic problems we all face come to life so creatively on the screen with a great script and amazing visuals."

Squid Game is streaming on Netflix.

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Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.