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. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. desmukh
    Apr 8, 2023
    6
    weak characters, bad plotting and lame jokes. only good things are the music and direction.
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. MetacriticOnur
    Apr 23, 2023
    6
    admirable
    [ ad-mer-uh-buhl ]

    adjective
    worthy of admiration; inspiring approval, reverence, or affection.
  8. 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.

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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