BEEF is a meaty and prime-cut revenge-driven dark comedy, according to critics who gave the Netflix and A24 series a rare 100% grade on Rotten Tomatoes. The first BEEF reactions call the revenge dramedy — about the “beef” between L.A. strangers Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong) — a biting social satire and “the best new show of the year so far.” The series, pitting the Oscar-nominated Yeun (Minari) against Emmy-nominated actor-comedian Wong (Always Be My Maybe), hails from creator and showrunner Lee Sung Jin and studios Netflix (Stranger Things) and A24 (Euphoria, Everything Everywhere All at Once).
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“There are surprisingly few catchy words or idioms that sell the feud aspect of the show, and the few that exist have been done before,” Lee told Netflix’s Tudum of BEEF. “If Netflix had seen the list of potential names, there might not be a show today. They were aggressively bad.” Rejecting suggested titles like Eye for an Eye, Lee went for the leaner BEEF and the “aesthetic appeal of a punchy one-word title.”
Below, read what critics are saying about BEEF, and find out everything else you need to know about the Netflix series.
BEEF Reviews
Entertainment Weekly: “The trailer for Beef … makes it look like a darkly comic road-rage revenge caper. That’s accurate — up to a point. What begins as a manic vengeance adventure veers sharply into an intense, philosophical, and at times meandering exploration of generational trauma, the Asian immigrant experience, and the fathomless mystery of our inner selves.”
The Hollywood Reporter: “[Danny and Amy’s] encounter precipitates an endless cycle of revenge, during whichthey deface each other’s property, sabotage each other’s careers,undermine each other’s families. It’s a hilarious premise on its face,and the half-hours fly by as wild twists twists pile up. What’s lessexpected, however — and what really lingers once the dust has settled —is the series’ emphasis on the characters’ flawed humanity, and itsdisarming sense of empathy for their existential despair.”
Vulture: “Beef’sinitial setup is deceptively simple for a series that, over the courseof ten episodes, takes a wide turn into harrowing, almost Lynchianterritory … Watching Beef is like picking at a scab or pushing on the edge of a bruise —a paradoxically pleasurable sensation of anxiety and satisfaction — and Yeun and Wong’s vibrating, hostile chemistry makes for engaging feel-bad TV that critiques the very notion of inner peace.”
Slant Magazine: “The hilarious but gut-wrenching dramedy begins with the opposite of a meet-cute—an unmistakable instance of hate at first sight … The stakes get higher and higher with each episode until it’s genuinelyhard to believe that all this drama was sparked by a little bit ofinconsiderate driving. But while Beef is a bitingly funnycomedy about what might happen if we just absolutely refused to letsomething go, it also deftly switches gears into a sincerely movingstory about two people in immense emotional pain.”
IndieWire: “Along the way, their grudges prompt shocking choices — some justified bycharacter and circumstance, others that feel forced in to raise thestakes — but even when Beef goes too far, it’s held together by Wong,Yeun, and the understanding that this kind of rage doesn’t always makesense.”
Financial Times: “If there’s a rubbernecking thrill in watching how low and how far Amyand Danny are willing to go, Beef is more psychologically andemotionally eloquent than the Looney Tunes set-up might suggest.”
What Is BEEF About?
Per the official logline: “The central feud of BEEF stems from a road rage incident betweenDanny Cho (Yeun) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong), two strangers in Los Angeles.Danny is a blue-collar worker struggling to find his footing, while Amyis a self-made woman with a picturesque family. Everyone has a bad day,but few let a car honk turn into a high-speed chase. Throughout the10-episode series, Danny and Amy’s feud spirals into an obsession withrevenge that not only consumes each of them, but also takes over thelives of their loved ones.”
Watch the BEEF Trailer
BEEF Netflix Show Cast
Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Invincible) and Ali Wong (Big Mouth, Paper Girls) lead a cast that includes Joseph Lee (Star Trek: Picard), Young Mazino (Drama High), David Choe (Star Wars: The Mandalorian), and Patti Yasutake (The Closer), with Maria Bello (NCIS), Ashley Park (Emily in Paris), Justin H. Min (The Umbrella Academy), Mia Serafino (iCarly), and Remy Holt (The Afterparty) as recurring cast members.
BEEF Episodes
BEEF runs for 10 episodes.
When Is BEEF on Netflix?
All 10 episodes of BEEF are streaming Thursday, April 6th, only on Netflix.
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Image Courtesy of Netflix
