Getting physical gets macabre

By Nick OVERALL

WHAT if we did “Squid Game”, but in real life?

One can just imagine the dollar signs in the Netflix executive’s eyes when they heard the idea.

It’s pretty much what “Physical 100” is – a new South Korean reality show where 100 people compete in gruelling physical and mental challenges in order to be the last one standing and claim a huge cash prize.

And no, unlike the show that inspired it, the sin bin is not in a coffin.

For latecomers, “Squid Game” was the South-Korean series that came storming on to the streaming market in late 2021 and quickly became the world’s most popular show.

The bizarre premise saw the story’s characters plucked off the streets by mysterious figures and pitted against each other in increasingly macabre children’s games on a remote island.

Win, and the cash-strapped contestants kept their chance alive at taking home millions of dollars; lose, however, and the penalty was death.

Fast forward 17 months, and “Physical 100” hits Netflix, a show that takes the same general idea of a single victor who outlasts 99 others in a series of extreme challenges.

They know it, too. In the first episode, two of the contestants themselves say they feel like they’re in “Squid Game”.

It’s proven a hit. In its first three weeks of streaming the show has already clocked up more than 100 million hours of watch time.

It’s a bizarre, but admittedly addictive watch. The coterie of ripped athletes all take the competition they’ve signed up for incredibly seriously.

In one game, they fiercely wrestle one another for control of a ball. In another, they hang for as long as they can on metal bars suspended above a gigantic pool of water.

We’ve seen this premise prove popular before. Think all 44 seasons of “Survivor” – and that’s just the American product.

Netflix has taken this winning formula and packaged it in a bingeable format that’s not interrupted by ads (for now, anyway). It’s also worth noting that the competition is actually a whole lot more sportsmanlike than the show that inspired it.

For those who want their television darker though, season two of “Squid Game” is rumoured to be getting a release date soon.

Like many, I was surprised by just how compelling season one was. Though I was a little disappointed when I discovered it wasn’t about sporting cephalopods.

JUMPING over to the side of streaming that doesn’t ask for your credit card, SBS On Demand has a new true-crime thriller this month well worth checking out.

Across five expertly crafted episodes, “The Walk-In” tells the true story of a neo-nazi plot to assassinate a British MP in 2018. For those who didn’t catch it at the time, 23-year-old Jack Renshaw made headlines around the world when he disturbingly bought a machete with the intent to murder Labour politician Rosie Collins. It came at the height of tensions that were supercharged by a looming Brexit vote – a moment which deeply fractured the British political landscape.

The show stars Stephen Graham as Matthew Collins, an activist who gathers intelligence for anti-fascism organisation Hope Not Hate. The series charts his trials to take down the far-right extremist group National Action, who at the time were feared to be devising terrorist activities.

Needless to say, “The Walk-In” doesn’t exactly make for easy viewing, but if a contemporary and political true-crime thriller raises your eyebrows this is one not to miss.

TOUCHING down at home, Australia’s newest streaming drama show is turning some heads. Streaming on Stan, “Bad Behaviour” takes viewers to the horrifying world that is an all-girls boarding school.

Based on the book of the same name by Rebecca Starford, the coming-of-age tale follows 15-year-old Jo and her attempts to navigate the politics of her dormitory.

As many will know first hand, it’s no easy feat. The show is unflinching in its exploration of the cruelty of high school.

From “The Getting of Wisdom” to “Puberty Blues”, the Aussie teen drama has had plenty of screen time but “Bad Behaviour” still manages to carve itself out as a poignant coming-of-age tale that makes for an uncomfortable but addictive piece of streaming.

These teenage girls are frightening enough to give the monsters in “The Last Of Us” a run for their money.