Has Bargain been renewed for Season 2? Here’s what we know:

Renewed Or Cancelled?

Bargain is a new, exciting Korean thriller television show that drew instant comparisons with Netflix’s much-acclaimed Squid Game when it was released back in 2022. Ever since its initial release American streamers and networks have been vying to get the licensing rights. Paramount finally won the battle, and the show was released in October 2023.

Spanning six episodes, Bargain is fashioned in the form of a one-take storytelling effort, although it is the seamless editing which gives that impression. Not only does it have a riveting storyline, but Bargain also boasts of complex and confronting themes that evolve around individualism, social divide, and the true extent of inherent human darkness. While it is not a character assassination of our species, the show definitely tests our frailties to the self quite often. 

If you’ve finished watching this one, you may be wondering if this has been renewed or cancelled. Here’s what we know so far:

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What is Bargain Season 1 about?

Season 1 of Bargain is set entirely in a dingy motel where Detective Hyeong-su meets Joo-young for an intimate session. Although Hyeong-su thinks she is an ordinary prostitute looking to make ends meet, he does not have any inkling of what is about to happen to him.

Joo-young works for an organ trafficking ring, led by Hee-sook on the floor and coordinated overall by Director Kwak. Hyeong-su is soon put up for eager bidders in an auction. But before it can successfully happen, a devastating earthquake wreaks havoc. It almost destroys the building, which hangs by a thread. The resultant damage to the building and the loss of life turns the situation into a game of life and death.

Joo-young and Hyeong-su are forced to work together. Along with them, Geuk-ryeol, “the good son” who just about won the bid for one of Hyeong’s kidneys for his ailing father, also looks to make it out. The trio finds themselves against the odds as Hee-sook takes over the operation with the remaining henchmen. 

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Has Bargain been renewed for Season 2?

At the time of writing, Bargain has not been renewed for a second season. Given how things are set up, this might very well change in the coming weeks. 

Generally Paramount, like other networks and streaming platforms, gauges numerous metrics before renewing a show, including how many people initially watch it and then looking at the drop-off rate. With some shows, cancellations or renewals happen quickly (ala. Squid Game, Bridgerton etc). Other times, it can take months before they make a decision about a show’s future.

In this case, the Korean entertainment company CJ ENM will call the shots. They have the creative rights to the story and any subsequent IP from its cinematic universe. The Korean company is in a strategic relationship with Paramount for the distribution of its content outside the country. 

“Bargain is an incredible example of the phenomenal creative, compelling stories coming out of Korea, and out of our strategic partnership with CJ ENM and Tving. We are confident our audiences will love this and ‘Yonder’ (which is also set to release on Paramount soon) when the two titles debut on our platform next year,” said Catherine Park, senior VP, head of streaming & office Asia, Paramount.

Jun Woo-sung, who adapted the show from a short story of the same name, has indicated that discussions are in place to bring back the show for a second season. Given its quality, the popularity of Korean content in global audiences, and CJ ENM’s intentions, we predict that Bargain will be renewed for a second season. 

We will update this page with more information as it becomes available. 

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What we know about season 2 so far:

Not much, as CJ ENM has not given Bargain Season 2 the greenlight, yet. If the show is to be renewed, we will likely see the plot picking up right from where the first season finishes.

We saw in the final moments that Hyeong, Joo, and Geuk had made it out of the building safely through the fish tank in the basement. They had beaten all odds to have another go at life. But to their utter surprise, the rest of Seoul – and possibly most of South Korea – was reduced to ruins due to the earthquake. The scene was right from an apocalyptic movie.

The trio met a desperate woman looking for medicine to help her injured husband. But we do not see much more than that. Season 2 might pick up right from that moment and focus on the trio’s journey deep into Seoul as Joo-young looks for revenge against the reverend who sold her to Kwak.

If the show is renewed by the end of this year, expect the new season to release sometime in the fall of 2024. We do not have much more to go on right now but we’ll update this page when more is known.

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Would you like to see season 2 of Bargain? Let us know in the comments below.