No show has captured what following your deepest, darkest desires leads you to like Beef.
While it was initially conceived as a limited series on Netflix, the show was renewed for a second season after its immense popularity.
Instead of continuing the original story, in true anthology fashion, Beef Season 2 offers an entirely new tale.
Additionally, we’re getting an entirely new cast as Ali Wong and Steven Yeun are nowhere to be seen.
To be fair, adding Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan to the cast isn’t the worst move to make.
However, all these changes have raised valid concerns among fans about whether the new season will preserve the spirit of the original show.
So, let’s take a look at what points Beef Season 2 has to hit to justify sharing a name with the first season.
The Cast Chemistry
One of the main reasons Beef Season 1 worked so well was that Wong and Yeun’s chemistry was unmatched.
They walked the perfect line between obsession with each other, equally fueled by admiration for power and hatred.
Their characters essentially went to the ends of the earth to destroy each other and other people in the process.
Beef Season 2 apparently follows a young couple witnessing a fight between their boss and his wife, which leads them down a rabbit hole.
Assuming that Isaac and Mulligan play the roles of boss and wife, they are likely to deliver on the chemistry.
However, it will also depend on the rest of the cast, as this new season seems to focus on a wider range of characters rather than just two central ones.
Beef Season 1 also had a great ensemble, but the feud between the two main characters is what really sold it.
Additionally, there was an element of spectacle and catharsis that came with watching two horrible people treat each other with increasing awfulness.
If this season can capture even a fraction of the series’ spirit that made it so enticing, then it will have succeeded.
The Psychedelic Weirdness
Beef Season 1 was full of unpredictable turns that kept audiences guessing as to what might happen next.
Even with a relatively simple premise, the way the story spiraled is what made the show so special.
So for its sophomore season, the show needs to find a way to keep us on our toes and lead us in completely new directions.
Additionally, the finale of Beef, a drug-fueled survivalist adventure in the desert, explored the idea of testing the bounds of reality.
The series’s outlandish plot twists helped it walk the line between comedy and drama, as it tried to avoid staying in either lane.
Hopefully, this new season will also deliver strange, psychedelic situations that will have us asking, “Wait, is this actually happening?”
The main reason Beef succeeded is that it pushed the boundaries and completely broke everyone’s expectations.
That kind of magic is lightning in a bottle, and the show has set high standards that it has to live up to with this second installment.
We’ll have to see what Season 2 offers before we can judge whether it accurately captures the earlier season’s creativity.
But given that showrunner Lee Sung Jin seems to have a clear vision for where he wants the show to go, maybe we can hold out hope that it’ll be an entertaining watch.
Are you excited about the upcoming season of Beef on Netflix?
What are you hoping to see from this show?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and come back to our site after Beef Season 2 drops to see our thoughts!
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