We love a good anthology series, and whether it's Fargo, American Horror Story, or True Detective, there are plenty out there to binge. Alongside Black Mirror, Netflix boasts the likes of Mike Flanagan's various shows, Love, Death & Robots, and Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. Taking things in a decidedly less spooky direction, there's also Lee Sung Jin's Beef, which soared to the top of the charts when it was first released in April 2023.
Season 1 starred The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun and comedian Ali Wong as a pair whose lives intersect far more than they expected after a road-rage incident. As well as earning critical acclaim, Beef swept the awards board for Netflix and was quickly comissioned for season 2.
Promising to be our next TV binge, all eight episodes of the shortened season 2 are now on the streaming giant. This time, Star Wars' Oscar Isaac and Promising Young Woman's Carey Mulligan are taking over as the leads. Playing a husband-and-wife duo who have 'beef' with another couple at an exclusive country club, both Isaac and Mulligan are said to be on top form, with some claiming Beef season 2 is worth keeping your subscription for.
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With Stranger Things season 5 having bowed out in a cloud of controversy, and no signs of Wednesday season 3, the streaming giant needs something to keep viewers hooked.
At a time when people are complaining about even the slightest Netflix UI change and continue to throw their arms up about price rises amid claims they're canceling their subscription, it's refreshing to see a little positivity.
Singing Beef season 2’s praises, /Film's Jeremy Mathai wrote: "A cavalcade of hilarious celebrity cameos too good to spoil, recurring gags and in-jokes that only get better as the season goes on, and a thrilling plot that takes a small narrative to some seriously outsized (if outlandish) places are just a few morsels I'm comfortable teasing.
“As for the rest, believe me when I say that the destination is well worth the journey. ‘Beef’ was a can't-miss prospect when it first arrives and it remains one in its darker, more ambitious, and impressively mature second season.
There was similar praise from The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg, adding: "As was the case in the first season as well, the finale escalates to a place of thrilling zaniness, with a little less ultimate emotional gravitas this time around.
“The concluding punch isn’t as potent, but the show left me with so much to think about and so many details to be amused by that I hope Lee Sung Jin has the opportunity to show us what else Beef can be."
As for Metro's Rebecca Cook, Beef season 2 is worth the price of admission to Netflix alone: "With this many characters and storylines to unspool, credit must go to creator Lee for keeping this narrative on track. Beef is on its way to being Netflix’s very own version of The White Lotus...
"The ending is a reverse deus ex machina that will no doubt infuriate viewers. It kept popping into my mind in the days after watching and underlines that season-long drumbeat that, alas, life is unfair."
Not everyone was sold, as Inverse's Hoai-Tran Bui concluded: "Sadly, even the most titillating conspiracy can’t make the half-hearted social satire feel any sharper or more cogent. It’s a disappointing step down from the brilliance of Season 1, and a disappointingly undercooked effort from Lee."
With Beef season 2 only just arriving, it's still too soon for Rotten Tomatoes scores, although the early indications are that this slab of meat has been cooked to exactly the right temperature…for most.