Beef
Series, 2023, The 2020s, Set in A road-rage feud
Beef is #28 of 37 in release order and #28 of 37 in chronological order in the A24.
The story
A road rage incident between two strangers — a failing contractor and an unfulfilled entrepreneur — sparks a feud that brings out their darkest impulses.
Beef recap
Beef (2023) is a Netflix anthology series in which a small grudge between strangers escalates into a feud that swallows their lives. Lee Sung Jin created it, and the first season, directed by Hikari, Jake Schreier and Lee, released all ten episodes on April 6, 2023, and won eight Emmys. Season one starts with a road rage chase out of a store parking lot between Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), a struggling contractor who wants to bring his parents back from Korea, and Amy Lau (Ali Wong), a plant shop owner trying to sell her business to the wealthy Jordan (Maria Bello). Danny tracks Amy down and vandalizes her bathroom; she floods his business with bad reviews and, under a fake identity, gets close to his younger brother Paul (Young Mazino). Her husband George (Joseph Lee) and Danny's criminal cousin Isaac (David Choe) are dragged in. Season two, eight episodes released April 16, 2026, starts over at a California country club. Ashley Miller (Cailee Spaeny) and her fiancé Austin Davis (Charles Melton) film a fight between general manager Josh Martín (Oscar Isaac) and his wife Lindsay Crane-Martín (Carey Mulligan) and use it to blackmail them, while the club's new billionaire owner, Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh-jung), hides her husband's fatal malpractice. The show has 18 episodes over two seasons; each season stands alone.
Beef ending explained
Beef ends, in the season two finale It Will Stay This Way and You Will Obey, with the two couples captured in Seoul by Chairwoman Park's men. Josh and Lindsay reconcile, Austin escapes with evidence but trades it to Park, and Park walks free while Josh goes to prison for embezzlement. Eight years later Ashley runs the club and is married to Austin, still uneasy, and Lindsay has remarried. Season one's finale, Figures of Light, strands Danny and Amy in the wilderness, where poisoned berries make them open up to each other before George shoots Danny and Amy holds him in the hospital.
Where to watch Beef
Beef is streaming on Netflix in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 8.0/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Whale, before Past Lives.
- Chronological order: after The Whale, before Past Lives.
Cast
- Steven Yeun as Danny Cho
- Ali Wong as Amy Lau
- Joseph Lee as George Nakai
- Young Mazino as Paul Cho
- David Choe as Isaac Cho
- Patti Yasutake as Fumi Nakai
- Remy Holt as June
- Oscar Isaac as Joshua Martín
- Carey Mulligan as Lindsay Crane-Martín
- Cailee Spaeny as Ashley Miller
- Charles Melton as Austin Davis
- Youn Yuh-jung as Chairwoman Park
Created by Lee Sung Jin.