In 2023, Beef premiered on Netflix to wide acclaim — in fact, the show was so buzzy that what appeared to be a 10-part limited series will soon be returning for a second season. In the first installment, Steven Yeun cemented his status as a leading man, and Ali Wong revealed her dramatic acting chops as a traffic conflict between their characters escalated into a massive feud. The show went on to win multiple Emmys, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, and awards for both leads.
Beyond career-best performances from Beef’s main cast, the Netflix series was impressive for a few reasons. It was praised for its authentic and multifaceted portrayal of Asian Americans, and its final episode successfully veered into a surreal style as Amy and Danny achieved satisfying character growth. Yet fans of season 1 will need to go into the second installment with an open mind.
Beef Is Now An Anthology
Beef was originally posited as a Netflix limited series. After its success, the streamer then announced that Beef will be returning, and rebranded the show’s format as an anthology. Season 2 will feature an entirely new cast and story, though the series’ titular theme of emotional ‘beef‘ will tie the isolated stories together.
This change has the potential to give Beef new longevity. Amy and Danny’s story reached a complete and satisfying conclusion in Beef season 1, but the show now has the opportunity to continue exploring its thematic ideas through fresh eyes.
How Beef Season 2 Will Be Different
Steven Yeun and Ali Wong will be replaced by a somewhat larger cast in Beef season 2, led by Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, and Cailee Spaeny. Yuh-Jung Youn and Song Kang-ho will also play key roles in the new story, which focuses on two couples feuding in a country club owned by a Korean billionaire.
Beef season 1 was largely comparable to Everything Everywhere All at Once with its cultural focus and experimental style as a mundane situation escalated beyond comprehension. Given season 2’s setting and premise, the limited series-turned-anthology is now sounding more like The White Lotus than anything else.
Beef Season 2 Continues A Weird Trend
In today’s streaming era, it’s often unclear when a show is “over.” Rather than getting formally canceled, many series sit in limbo with streamers not wanting to fully close the door on a project’s potential. Similarly, the line is blurrier than ever as to what constitutes a “limited series“. Beef is far from the first show to break its promise of being a limited series after garnering success.
Big Little Lies, whose story was fully contained within its first season, is now in development for its third at HBO. Impressively, the second season maintained the quality of the first, but this isn’t always the case. Nine Perfect Strangers went a quasi-anthology route with new cast members joining the returning Nicole Kidman for a subpar second season.
When done well, the adaptability of the streaming structure can be rewarding. Getting more of a good thing can be a gift to both a show and its audience — Bad Sisters went from a fun show to a must-watch with its tacked-on second season. Yet the reverse can also be true when it feels like a money grab forces a show to overstay its welcome.
Luckily, there will be consistency behind the scenes with creator Lee Sung Jin showrunning Beef season 2, and Yeun and Wong staying on as executive producers. This bodes well for an intentional, quality installment that will hopefully meet the high bar set by the first season.
- Release Date
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April 6, 2023
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Hikari
- Writers
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Alice Ju
