It’s a little embarrassing for me to admit that I never finished the critically acclaimed Netflix anthology series Beef, which was one of our 34 best shows of 2023, but now that we have news of what to expect from Beef season two I’m prepared to be roped back in. With creator Lee Sung Jin returning as showrunner alongside executive producers Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, who starred in the first season, Beef’s second installment will feature a brand new cast and, more importantly, another drama-riddled incident.
A few months back, rumors that Netflix was eyeing up Oscar Issac (Dune, Ex Machina) and Carey Mulligan (Maestro, Promising Young Woman) to be the feuding pair in Beef season 2 surfaced, and it’s been confirmed that the two will in fact be leading the cast for the show’s next installment. Joining them will be Charles Melton (May December) and Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla, Civil War), who will also have their share of the beef in the next season of the A24-produced show on one of the best streaming services.
How will Beef season 2 follow its very successful first season (trailer below) you ask? Despite leaving out details of an official release date, Netflix has given us a taste of how season 2 will play out. Spanning over eight 30-minute episodes, the next season is set in the backdrop of an elitist country club owned by a Korean billionaire where “a young couple witnesses an alarming fight between their boss and his wife, triggering chess moves of favors and coercion,” Netflix revealed.
The first season of Beef followed characters Danny Cho (Yeun) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong) whose tension rose following a road rage incident that escalates into a feud where neither of them express the desire to back down. Show creator Lee Sung Jin came up with the idea for the plot following his own experiences with a road rage incident, which he shared during the South by Southwest Festival at the time of the show’s season one launch: “It honked at me, cursed at me and drove away.”
Netflix, you had me at Carey Mulligan
I’ve recently voiced my feelings on the best Netflix shows and how I’ve felt rather let down when I think I’ve found the one for me, only for it to be canceled after one season. So when I discovered recently that two of Netflix’s biggest shows had been renewed, it started to restore my faith.
Despite never completing the first season of Beef, that doesn’t mean I haven’t recognized its successful run with audiences (the Emmys speak for themselves). And with Carey Mulligan’s name among the cast alone, I feel my conscience bias kicking in as I was a big fan of her performance in Maestro (2023) and of course not forgetting her small, but humorous role in Saltburn (2023).