There’s no beef over how good Beef is. Netflix’s new dark-comedy series has been a major hit for the streaming service after all 10 episodes dropped on April 6, 2023. By January 15, 2024, the show was a verified awards hit as well, raking in eight Emmy Awards across categories at the annual event, including an honor for best limited series.
The show is about two strangers, played by Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, who become obsessed with destroying each other after they’re involved in a road rage incident. The Beef finale is jaw-dropping and fans are hoping this is only the beginning for the addictive series. Here’s all the updates on Beef season 2.
Will There Be a Beef Season 2?
Netflix has yet to renew Beef for season 2. However, the show’s success is a good sign that there will be more seasons. Creator Lee Sung Jin told Rolling Stone that he actually has “three seasons mapped out” in his head for Beef. Regarding the dramatic finale, Lee said, “I wanted it to have a conclusive feel just in case, but there are a lot of ideas on my end to keep this story going. I think should we be blessed with a Season Two, there’s a lot of ways for Danny and Amy to continue. I have one really big general idea that I can’t really say yet.”
Lee revealed to ELLE that he originally pitched Beef as a limited anthology, but he’d love to stick with the characters from the first season. “If given the opportunity, of course, I’d love to explore them further, because Danny and Amy, I love those characters,” he said. “But yeah, by design, though, this a close-ended narrative.”
Beef being a limited/anthology series is now the case, at least in terms of the Emmy Awards. On April 11, Variety reported that Netflix submitted Beef in the limited/anthology series categories for the Emmys, instead of the comedy series categories, where it was expected to compete. That means it’s likely the show will return with all new characters and a completely different story. For the upcoming Emmys, Beef will compete against other limited/anthology shows including Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Daisy Jones and the Six, and Fleishman Is In Trouble.
On January 15, 2024, after sweeping eight Emmy Awards, Lee again addressed the possibility. “I feel like there are so many paths,” he told reporters backstage at the show, per Variety. “It could stay limited — it was a very close-ended story for sure. But if Netflix wanted to continue, it could also be anthology. It could be many things. It’s up to the great algorithm. We’re all waiting to hear.”
The outlet also reported that they spoke to the show’s star Steven Yeun on the red carpet, who confessed he had “no clue” if the show would continue. “I defer to Sonny [Lee] on all fronts,” he added.
Beef Season 2 Cast
Sadly, we may not see the Beef season 1 cast again, if the show moves forwards as an anthology series. Ali Wong and Steven Yeun are the main stars of the first season. Ali plays Amy Lau, the business owner of a small plant store, who is married and has a daughter. Steven plays Danny Cho, a struggling contractor who lives with his brother, Paul. The season one cast also includes Joseph Lee as Amy’s husband George, Young Mazino as Danny’s brother Paul, David Choe as Danny’s cousin Isaac, Patti Yasutake as Amy’s mother-in-law Fumi, Remy Holt as Amy’s daughter June, Ashley Park as Amy’s neighbor Naomi, and Maria Bello as Amy’s boss Jordan.
What Happens at the End of Beef?
Beef has a shocking, and satisfying, ending. Amy and Danny’s revenge tour on each other takes a dangerous turn, as Danny kidnaps Amy’s daughter. To protect her child, Amy offers to let Danny’s cousin Isaac rob her boss Jordan’s house. That leads to a home invasion and hostage crisis where Jordan is graphically killed when she gets stuck in the electric door to her safe room. George takes June home and gets emergency custody. Amy goes after Danny and they wind up stranded on a cliff together. They take poisonous elderberries and bond over their respective sad lives. They escape the cliffs but George arrives and shoots Danny. The show ends with Danny in the hospital on life support, with Amy by his side. Danny is able to move his arm in the final moment.
Creator Lee Sung Jin told Rolling Stone he wanted Beef season 1 to “have a conclusive” ending, in case the show was one and done. He also revealed that there was a version of the finale that was “much darker” than the final cut. “To everyone’s credit, people walked me back. If you read the first outline, you’d be appalled,” Lee said. Stay tuned for more updates on Beef season 2.