Culture | Red light, green light

What “Squid Game: The Challenge” reveals about the state of TV

Reality television is more important than you might think

Contestants line up on Squid Game: The Challenge.
It’s all on the linePhotograph: Courtesy of Netflix

CONTESTANT 299 sobs and retches; his face turns crimson as he focuses on the fiendish task at hand. Using a needle, he and his fellow players must try to extricate an umbrella shape stamped into a circular piece of honeycomb. If it snaps, they are eliminated from the contest.

This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Red light, green light”

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