The following story contains spoilers for Netflix’s Beef.
SOMETIMES, THE smallest things can go the longest way. When we meet Danny (Steven Yeun) at the start of Beef, the new dark comedy ride from Netflix and A24, he’s returning a number of Hibachi grills to a hardware store (grills that bought with the intent of being used to end his own life). This, naturally, gets a lot of the emotional juices going—emotional juices that led him into a rage-fueled car chase that became a neighborhood-alarming road rage incident.
He didn’t even know who the other driver—who flipped him off and fully matched his energy through every step of the affair—was. But we did, when we met Amy (Ali Wong). And in meeting Amy after meeting Danny, we see the real set-up and conflict of Beef: two people who come from very different ways of life (Danny is a working class handyman; Amy is a wealthy/soon-to-be hyper wealthy creative) who, at their core, have the same problem. They can’t let their ego go. They have to win. They have to finish on top.
Through ten episodes, each ranging between 30 and 35 minutes, Beef takes viewers on a high-tension ride of anger, revenge, laughs, drama and soul-searching, all soundtracked by some of the best ’90s and 2000s songs you can think of. Smashing Pumpkins? Yes please. Tori Amos? Yup.
By the end of the series, you’ll have been through the ringer along with Danny and Amy—and you’ll be glad you did. But will there be more Beef where that came from?
Will there be a Season 2 of Netflix and A24’s Beef?
Season 2 of Beef would seem to be extremely unlikely. The 10 episodes of the show take both Danny (Steven Yeun) and Amy (Ali Wong) through a full and complete arc, starting at rage and ending with forgiveness and even a sort of love.
By the end of the season, the story would seem to be completely told, culminating with a final episode that’s surprising and a final shot in that episode (and incredible musical accompaniment) that gives some really great closure.
That said, we can never say never. Shows that have seemed complete have gotten second seasons before, including Big Little Lies on HBO and even Russian Doll on Netflix. If people watch the show, and the stars and creators are game to make more, there’s always a chance that we could see more Beef.
There’s also the possibility that Beef could become an anthology show; perhaps each season follows a new pair of stars who get into—and work their ways out of—a new kind of petty beef.
Steven Yeun, Lee Sung Jin, and Jake Schreier will reunite for Marvel’s Thunderbolts.
If you enjoyed Beef, and have any sort of affinity for superheroes or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we have good news: three of the show’s key players will be reuniting for Thunderbolts, which is due to hit theaters in July 2024.
Jake Schreier, who directed six of Beef‘s 10 episodes, was announced last year as the Thunderbolts director, while Steven Yeun was revealed to have joined the cast last month. Lee Sung Jin was announced to have taken over writing duties on the script just a week and change before Beef was released into the world.
Which is all to say: Beef fans have something to look forward to, and Marvel fans can be excited that Thunderbolts—a movie about a team-up of the universe’s anti-heroes—is in good hands.
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.
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