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ReviewBeef season 2 review – Netflix’s chaotic follow-up is more overcooked than well done
Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton star as two feuding couples in a follow-up lacking what made season one great
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3.5/5 stars
When it premiered in April 2023, the first season of Netflix’s Beef helped solidify an unprecedented moment for Asian-American representation on screen, arriving hot on the heels of Everything Everywhere All at Once’s historic night at the 95th Academy Awards and just weeks after the premiere of Celine Song’s Past Lives at the Sundance Film Festival.
Incidentally, but perhaps not coincidentally, all three of those projects were produced by the pioneering New York-based outfit A24.
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Beef season one charted the escalating feud between two strangers – Oscar nominee Steven Yeun and celebrated comedienne Ali Wong – following a seemingly innocuous road rage incident.
By turns hilarious, shocking, tragic and surreal, the limited series pulled back the blinds on California’s huge yet criminally under-represented Asian-American community. The show’s authenticity struck a chord and it went on to sweep awards season, winning top accolades at the Emmys, SAG Awards, Golden Globes and more.
Following such overwhelming success, a second season was inevitable – but picking up the story where it left off seemed impossible. Instead, creator Lee Sung-jin and executive producer/director Jake Schreier – both of whom delivered Thunderbolts* for Marvel in the interim and are now overseeing the studio’s forthcoming X-Men reboot – opted for an entirely new story and cast of characters.
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