Beef

Netflix

Beef could be considered one of Netflix’s biggest successes ever, at least on the critical front, where the series won 8 out of its 13 Emmy nominations in 2024, including best limited series and both best actor and actress for Steven Yeun and Ali Wong.

But a limited series it did not remain. Beef was such a hit that Netflix wanted more, and now the series has become an anthology with new characters and a new heated conflict. This time, it’s not blowing critics away to quite the same degree.

We are up to two dozen reviews for Beef season 2, which premieres today, and the show has landed an 83% Rotten Tomatoes score. Positive? Sure. Pretty good? Yeah. But this is a far cry from the near-perfection of season 1, which had a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score from 125 critics. That many reviews producing that high a score practically never happens across the entire streaming industry.

The concept this time around is that it’s two couples going to war against each other, Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan versus Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny, a generational battle this time around. It’s a new cast but the same showrunner, Lee Sun Jin. Here’s the synopsisL

“Season 2 of BEEF is set up as a showdown between two couples in different phases of life: Ashley and Austin, the young go-getters trying to establish themselves, and Lindsay and Josh, the millennial married couple trying to keep what they’ve already built from crumbling entirely. After Ashley and Austin happen to catch (and film) Josh and Lindsay in a screaming match involving broken glass, cutting accusations, and a brandished golf club, the angst between the two sets of partners begins to ramp up.”

Beef season 2 seeing review score declines is not unusual for shows meant to be limited series that ended up living past that lifespan. I’m reminded of HBO’s Big Little Lies, which dropped season over season. The Monster serial killer series never reviewed great, but each subsequent season has been lower. Sometimes it works out just fine, however, as we’ve seen with The White Lotus, maintaining its status as an HBO megahit (season 2 is the best-reviewed). That also happened with FX’s Fargo, which went from a limited series to five seasons, up and down in its scores, but all of them good. Now, we’ll see what happens with Adolescence season 2 and Shogun seasons 2 and 3.

I’m not saying Beef season 2 isn’t worth watching. These are still good reviews. But if it’s trying to repeat the success of the first season flawlessly, it seems pretty clear that has not happened.

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