Beef

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 6, 2023
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 88 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 88
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 88
  3. Negative: 9 out of 88
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User Reviews

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  1. LISOCHIKOTOSA
    May 3, 2023
    10
    Everything is just so good. The characters are extremely well developed. The episodes are the perfect length. The plot is also very unique and interesting. Everything about it is great
  2. ig11
    Apr 15, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I've been reading a lot of the user reviews, a lot seem to lose interest after the 4th episode. Without the slow character exploration we don't get the rewarding final two episodes, not talking about the shootout necessarily, more about the earned pathos. We needed to be sold on the idea that two humans that have always wronged others could find some sense of peace in this world by liberating themselves with something as simple, yet seemingly impossible, as the truth, as painful as that may be. The acting complaints i imagine are directed towards david choe, young mazino, santino and rekstizzy, i would agree that they aren't the best, but they do bring some laughs. And steven youn/ali wong are so f'n amazing, you forgive the smaller things. Never thought a show with a premise as simple as this would move me this deeply on a spiritual sense.… Expand
  3. antelope123
    Apr 9, 2023
    10
    Great acting, great directing, a truly original piece of work. Many laugh out loud moments - yes over the top, but bring it on! More like this!
  4. blufnx
    Apr 10, 2023
    9
    Excellent characters, excellent plot. Good pacing through all ten episodes. Hope it wins some awards!
  5. DaveAus
    Apr 6, 2023
    5
    Nice idea, might have worked better as a short film. It really drags a thin premise out to long. Yeun is great as always but it does also suffer from some of its other casting.
  6. JLuis_001
    Apr 9, 2023
    6
    What can you know about the people you will encounter in your day-to-day driving? Honestly, nothing, but anyone who gets their hands on a steering wheel will sooner or later face a road rage incident, but what are the odds that in that encounter you will meet a person who seems to be as damaged as you are? That's Beef's premise and it sounded, to say the least, very interesting. EspeciallyWhat can you know about the people you will encounter in your day-to-day driving? Honestly, nothing, but anyone who gets their hands on a steering wheel will sooner or later face a road rage incident, but what are the odds that in that encounter you will meet a person who seems to be as damaged as you are? That's Beef's premise and it sounded, to say the least, very interesting. Especially since it didn't sound like it was going to use a simplistic comedic device. The first episode sets the tone and makes it quite funny; it invites you to keep going. Unfortunately for this series is that its screenwriters run out of avenues to explore when only in episode 3 it becomes clear that the development of the characters will stagnate, as it can be easily deduced and understood that both characters are unconsciously seeking self-destruction.
    Both have unresolved traumas and after that we do nothing but circle back to the same concept over and over again until they decide to address the confrontation in their last episode.

    Beef isn't a bad series per se, and Steven Yeun and Ali Wong's performances are what sell the concept impressively, but as I said, the concept only works up to a point and the plot never does anything to offer a game-changing narrative variety that would have made it a more proactive experience.

    A friend who was watching it at the same time told me it was from A24, so that meant it was automatically good and that I was putting too much thought into it and making too many demands of what was intended to be just a black comedy, but I don't know, I think more like some people were just impressed with too little.    … Expand
  7. jzathajenius
    Apr 7, 2023
    9
    Binged the first 4 eps last night, and unless they really drop the ball this might be my fave show of the years so far.

    Ali Wong is in BEAST MODE god damn.
  8. shekt
    Apr 9, 2023
    5
    There's no way the critics showering it with praise watched past episode 4 or so. It starts to fall apart and becomes almost incoherent and nonsensical by the middle to end of the season. Drama is more than one act -- critics do your job.
  9. panther49
    Apr 9, 2023
    7
    There's a lot to love with Beef, but it has its weak points.

    I wasn't completely sold by the ending and found it weak, some of the acting felt a little off, and a few characters lacked chemistry. That being said, Wong and Yeun are incredible as usual and really give life to the series. I was taken back by the emotional range of Wong in some scenes. It was great to see Lee onscreen    There's a lot to love with Beef, but it has its weak points.

    I wasn't completely sold by the ending and found it weak, some of the acting felt a little off, and a few characters lacked chemistry.

    That being said, Wong and Yeun are incredible as usual and really give life to the series. I was taken back by the emotional range of Wong in some scenes. It was great to see Lee onscreen again; his last notable work for me was Searching (2018). The presence of Yeun cannot be understated - his acting is just always on point and really gives many of the scenes weight.

    I found the story interesting, especially the church arc. Sometimes it was a bit difficult to follow, going for some non-linear approach, which didn't work well for me. It did seem to drag out a simple idea over a 10 episode series.

    The soundtrack is just phenomenal. All there is to say about that.

    It's tough to give this a 7 because I love both the main characters so much, but right now it's tougher to rate it any higher. Perhaps a rewatch in the future will shift my rating + or - 1.    … Expand
  10. desmukh
    Apr 8, 2023
    6
    weak characters, bad plotting and lame jokes. only good things are the music and direction.
  11. Slowave
    Apr 17, 2023
    6
    There's some good moments and some good acting and some good editing and some good this and that - but it's a bit of a mystery to more than some viewers as to why it has become such a critical darling. In that regard it seems like anything with Asians in it is having a moment and in many cases it is fully deserved - such as with The Glory. In my opinion - not this one. It's comes off as aThere's some good moments and some good acting and some good editing and some good this and that - but it's a bit of a mystery to more than some viewers as to why it has become such a critical darling. In that regard it seems like anything with Asians in it is having a moment and in many cases it is fully deserved - such as with The Glory. In my opinion - not this one. It's comes off as a hollow version of Big Little Lies. Heavy on premise but weak on execution. I found myself quite able to not focus on it while washing dishes or checking my phone and not finding a reason to hit pause. Dressed up to be something it really isn't and critics need to get off the bandwagon.… Expand
  12. erolsabadosh
    Apr 10, 2023
    1
    This is supposed to be funny? I watched this with two friends and we couldn't believe how bad it was, we like Ali Wong but this is awful.
  13. OlivierPiel
    Aug 11, 2023
    4
    Ep1 &2: intriguing and very well paced. As good as anything in TV
    Soon it devolves into a non-sensical and redundant plot (they make up then hate each other again, da capo). Secondary characters are NPC, dialogues dumb. Very disappointing end.
  14. bstrdbwn
    Jul 28, 2023
    9
    Amazingly human series. Starting with rage ended with love. Worth watching.
  15. MetacriticOnur
    Apr 23, 2023
    6
    admirable
    [ ad-mer-uh-buhl ]

    adjective
    worthy of admiration; inspiring approval, reverence, or affection.
  16. caitsolo
    Apr 9, 2023
    5
    Beef is a beautiful masterpiece that extracts the darkest feelings in us all and lays them on a platter served raw. A visceral journey through the depths of modern trial and tribulation that every human can connect to in some way or another. With phenomenal character development, pristine writing, directing, acting, and score, this series is without a doubt one of the best in history.
  17. SimboTheKing
    Aug 2, 2023
    7
    Beef feels like a show with a lot of promise and there are absolutely some scenes that stick out as being really fantastic to me. With that said, my gut feeling is that it doesn't quite reach the heights to be a super amazing show, it just feels like it lacks a certain edge. I can't lie I had quite large expectations going in and, whilst on occasion it did reach them, it just never quiteBeef feels like a show with a lot of promise and there are absolutely some scenes that stick out as being really fantastic to me. With that said, my gut feeling is that it doesn't quite reach the heights to be a super amazing show, it just feels like it lacks a certain edge. I can't lie I had quite large expectations going in and, whilst on occasion it did reach them, it just never quite came together for me. I will also honestly admit here that I don't particularly like the ending and, again with full disclosure, I am the type of person that things can really feel like a dud if I dislike the ending. I understand that it's the journey not the destination but hey I watch TV to emotionally connect and that's just how I feel. Beef has a weak ending long story short.

    However, I must give massive props to Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as the show would not be what it is without their amazing performances. They really go through a whole spectrum in this show and not once did I find either of their acting jarring or strange. So yeah credit where credit is due they're good.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best TV Season of 2023
22
#22 Most Discussed TV Season of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. The Observer (UK)
    Reviewed by: Barbara Ellen
    Sep 10, 2024
    80
    A sophisticated, tightly looping black comedy or just two immature fools apocalyptically trolling each other. It is both things at once and so much more.
    Read full review
  2. IGN
    Reviewed by: Tara Bennett
    Jun 1, 2023
    90
    With Beef, creator Lee Sung Jin and his stellar cast have crafted an almost operatic tale about the cost of unaddressed rage, narcissism, and trauma. It’s funny, it’s harrowing, and it’s exceptionally original in portraying two damaged people who find their mirror selves in a random parking lot dust-up.
    Read full review
  3. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Shirley Li
    Apr 14, 2023
    88
    Amy’s attempts to find catharsis lead her to make decisions that range from farcical to frightening, if not outright criminal. In her, Lee conveys the thrill and desperation of that never-ending search for release—a journey that pushes Beef forward, step by fascinating step. Wong sells each of them. She’s never been funnier, or more heartbreaking.
    Read full review
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