Beef (TV series)
| Beef | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Promotional poster | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Lee Sung Jin |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Bobby Krlic |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Larkin Seiple |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 30–39 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Release | |
| Original network | Netflix |
| Original release | April 6, 2023 |
Beef is a 2023 American comedy drama miniseries created by Korean director Lee Sung Jin for Netflix. It stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as Danny Cho and Amy Lau, two people whose involvement in a road rage incident pits them against each other. Appearing in supporting roles are Joseph Lee, Young Mazino, David Choe, and Patti Yasutake.
All episodes for Beef were released on Netflix on April 6, 2023, to acclaim from critics who praised Yeun and Wong's performances, as well as the writing and directing.
Premise
A near accident in a parking lot turns two strangers into enemies. The tit-for-tat relationship that develops leads to escalating acts of revenge as Amy and Danny learn about each other's identities and families and become more and more involved in each other's lives.
Cast and characters
Main
- Steven Yeun as Danny Cho, a down-on-his-luck contractor who is involved in a road rage incident[2]
- Ali Wong as Amy Lau, a small business owner who operates a plant-selling business called Kōyōhaus. She is the other party in the road rage incident with Danny.
- Joseph Lee as Joji "George" Nakai, Amy's stay-at-home husband and sculptor who lives in the shadow of his late famous artist father
- Young Mazino as Paul Cho, Danny's younger brother who is suffering a quarter-life crisis and divides his time between gaming, crypto investing, and pumping iron
- David Choe as Isaac Cho, Danny's fun, but sketchy cousin who was recently released from incarceration
- Patti Yasutake as Fumi Nakai, Amy's mother-in-law and George's mother
Recurring
- Maria Bello as Jordana "Jordan" Forster, a wealthy woman who heads Forsters, a home improvement store
- Ashley Park as Naomi, Jordan's sister-in-law and stay-at-home mother in Amy's Calabasas neighborhood
- Mia Serafino as Mia, a woman who works alongside Amy at Koyohaus
- Remy Holt as June Nakai, Amy and George's only daughter
- Justin H. Min as Edwin, a leader in a Korean church in Orange County
- Alyssa Gihee Kim as Veronica, Danny's ex-girlfriend and Edwin's wife
- Andie Ju as Esther, a friend of Edwin and Veronica's
- Andrew Santino as Michael, one of Isaac's cronies
- Rek Lee as Bobby, another of Isaac's cronies
Guest
- Hong Dao as Hanh Trinh Lau,[3] Amy's mother who is a Vietnamese immigrant
- Kelvin Han Yee as Bruce Lau,[3] Amy's father who is a Chinese-American man who was raised in the Midwest
- Ione Skye[4] as Mysterious Woman
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Birds Don't Sing, They Screech in Pain" | Hikari | Lee Sung Jin | April 6, 2023 | |
| Danny Cho, a contractor struggling to maintain clients, nearly hits Amy in the parking lot of home improvement store Forsters, where Amy is finalizing a sale to the chain's owner, Jordan. The small traffic incident between Danny and Amy escalates to road rage and chase scene. Amy drives away, and Danny notes her license plate number. Both are struggling due to work and family tensions. Danny's lazy crypto brother has no sense of money or responsibility, and his parents moved back to Korea because their motel business failed. Amy stresses over work, and her family doesn't help her anxiety as much as she or they try, if not making it worse. Danny borrows money from his cousin Isaac, who was responsible for the loss of the motel, and later decides that carbon monoxide poisoning is not the way he should go. Danny tracks Amy down from the plate numbers, and creates a contracting-related ruse to get into her home to spy on her and take revenge by urinating all over her restroom. A furious Amy chases after him and obtains his plate number, but smiles softly as he drives away. | |||||
| 2 | "The Rapture of Being Alive" | Jake Schreier | Alice Ju | April 6, 2023 | |
| Amy and George agree to find Danny. Danny gets the idea from Isaac to start a new business under his brother Paul's name. While the brothers visit an ex-girlfriend, Veronica, and her husband Edwin, Isaac informs Danny that the Nakais were looking for him. Amy catfishes Paul on Instagram and clashes with George at a gallery opening. Amy vandalizes Danny's truck, after which he has a fight with Paul. Amy agrees to couples therapy with George. | |||||
| 3 | "I Am Inhabited by a Cry" | Jake Schreier | Carrie Kemper | April 6, 2023 | |
| Amy and George attend couples therapy as Danny tries to retaliate. Danny attends Edwin's church and is invited to do repair jobs around the building. During a stressful meeting with Jordan, who leaves her alone waiting in the backyard, Amy opens up to Paul over the phone. Amy admits to George that she feels blocked, but he does not address her concerns. Danny is rejected for a loan, but Isaac and Danny come up the idea of taking out a loan in the name of the church. Jordan brings Amy the term sheet, which involves Amy staying on for five more years, which causes her to hesitate. Paul shows up at Amy's store and Amy admits she has been catfishing him, but Paul kisses her. | |||||
| 4 | "Just Not All at the Same Time" | Hikari | Alex Russell | April 6, 2023 | |
| Upon dropping Paul off, Amy reveals that she is married and will be leaving for Vegas on a business trip. Isaac shows Danny the building materials he has procured and they load them onto his truck. Paul then steals Danny's van to drive to Vegas by pretending to drink with Danny and Isaac, who both pass out from the alcohol. Upon waking up the next morning, Danny notices several text messages from Paul telling him that he has taken his truck, prompting Danny and Isaac to hunt him down in Vegas. Meanwhile, Paul meets with Amy at her hotel room and they enjoy a night of food and fun, however Amy tells Paul that they cannot get physical. When Amy is presenting at the conference, Isaac spots Paul in the hotel restaurant and chases him to Amy's room, where Danny and Isaac aggressively confront him. Danny and Isaac spot Amy at the conference while leaving the hotel, and Danny heckles her about the road rage incident. After another chase, Danny and Isaac are apprehended as Amy watches, gloating. | |||||
| 5 | "Such Inward Secret Creatures" | Hikari | Marie Hanhnhon Nguyen & Niko Gutierrez-Kovner | April 6, 2023 | |
| As a result of being apprehended in the Vegas hotel, Isaac is now under house arrest due to his prior history of crimes. Danny visits and tells Isaac about Amy's famous late father-in-law, and that he has befriended George under an alias, which could enable them to steal the prized artwork in their home. However, Isaac lashes out at him for the events that led up to his arrest. Danny proceeds with his plan with the help of Michael and Bobby, but when George confides in him about his isolation, he calls Michael and Bobby to call it off out of guilt. Danny informs George of a "leak" in his bathroom and George decides that they should leave and rent a vacation home until it is fixed. It is also revealed that Fumi is running into financial trouble and requires a loan from Amy. Later, Amy returns to her house though she is supposed to join George and June at the vacation rental, Paul texts Amy asking to hang out at her house and she gives in; when he arrives, they have sex, but afterwards Paul suggests he could easily achieve what she has with a bit of money to start him off, which insults Amy, and she throws him out. Naomi' and Amy's friendship start to crumble, which spurs Naomi to dig into her suspicions about Amy's involvement in the road rage incident. Bobby and Michael break into Amy's house which Fumi is hiding in, and she intimidates them with Amy's gun, but trips and falls down the stairs. | |||||
| 6 | "We Draw a Magic Circle" | Jake Schreier | Joanna Calo | April 6, 2023 | |
| Isaac takes over running the renovation operations at the church, whereupon finding out about the church basketball tournament, he enters himself, Paul, Danny, Michael and Bobby as a team. Paul and Danny bond over playing indoor mini-basketball in their living room. Danny tries to get Paul to open up about his breakup with Amy, but Paul remains closed off. Naomi visits Amy to try and get details about the connection between the road rage incident and Bobby' and Michael's attempted robbery. Her attempt is thwarted by Amy who administers extra painkillers to Fumi so that she passes out and cannot talk. Amy meets with Danny to propose a deal to pay him to identify someone else in the road rage incident to deal with Naomi's suspicions. But when Fumi explains to Naomi there is no connection, Naomi stops investigating, which leads Amy to call off the deal with Danny. Danny, in desperation, decides to identify Isaac as the driver of the red truck in the road rage incident, which leads to Isaac's arrest. | |||||
| 7 | "I Am a Cage" | Jake Schreier | Lee Sung Jin & Kevin Rosen | April 6, 2023 | |
| The episode is set eight months later. Amy has finalized the Forsters' acquisition, she and George have bought a vacation home, and have hired a nanny to help care for June. Danny has become a praise leader at the church and built his parents a house. Edwin asks to be a part of the group's cons, but Danny denies any illicit activity. After George admits his emotional affair with Mia, Amy admits her doubts about her marriage to their couples counselor. George invites Danny to a party celebrating his art, where he recognizes Amy as "Kayla" and they argue about her affair with Paul. Amy asks George to move. Paul goes through Danny's accounts and becomes suspicious; Danny lies that Amy used Paul to further their feud. Paul tells George about his affair with Amy, who rushes home to find George and June gone. Danny picks his parents up from the airport, before meeting up with Paul to show their parents the house they'd built for them, but they find that the house has burned down. | |||||
| 8 | "The Drama of Original Choice" | Jake Schreier | Lee Sung Jin & Jean Kyoung Frazier | April 6, 2023 | |
| In a flashback, Amy has a one-night stand where she sees herself as a white-skinned, hook-nosed woman - a figure she associated with misbehavior as a child. Fumi offers to talk to George about their current situation; Amy visits her estranged parents. Amy admits the road rage-induced feud and the affair to George, who decides that he wants a divorce. Danny suspects Amy or Edwin of arson, and sneaks into the house of the latter. After a brief scuffle, Edwin admits he is jealous of Danny and had been ordering magazines to that address, but denies being the arsonist. Danny learns that the faulty wiring caused the fire, but lies to Paul that it was arson. Danny arrives at George's house, intending to frame them for the fire, and gets into an altercation with George, knocking him unconscious. Danny drives off but realizes that June and her dog are in the backseat. | |||||
| 9 | "The Great Fabricator" | Jake Schreier | Lee Sung Jin | April 6, 2023 | |
| Isaac is released from prison. Amy visits Jordan to ask for the Tamago chair back, only for George to call her that Danny has kidnapped June. Danny brings June back to the hotel, where Isaac assaults him and demands the money back. Upon getting an Amber Alert for June, Isaac demands a $500,000 ransom. Amy offers to let them rob Jordan's house instead. Michael and Isaac accost Jordan, Naomi and Amy; Amy offers to pin the robbery on Danny and Paul. Naomi and Jordan attempt to escape to the panic room but Naomi accidentally kills Jordan with the door. As gas from the security system is pumped into the house, Amy calls George. Danny convinces Paul to escape over a garden wall as the police get into a firefight with the others; Michael is killed and Isaac is arrested. The police inform Amy that George has taken June home without her. Danny escapes Jordan's house through a drain, Amy learns George has been granted emergency custody, and Danny escapes in a stolen vehicle. Upon encountering Amy pulled over on the side of the roadway, Danny takes off and Amy pursues him, resulting in the two of them driving off a cliff. | |||||
| 10 | "Figures of Light" | Lee Sung Jin | Lee Sung Jin | April 6, 2023 | |
| Amy and Danny attack each other on the cliffs, but reluctantly wind up relying on each other after they realize they are both injured and stranded with no cell phone reception. Amy forces Danny to forage for food, which leads to them consuming poisonous berries. Through hallucinations, they confide in each other and come to an understanding about their respective sadness. The two are eventually able to recover reception and make their way to a tunnel, where Amy offers to help Danny avoid jail time. He kindly refuses, telling her he'll deal with whatever happens. However, as they reach the end of the tunnel, George appears and shoots Danny, critically injuring him. Later at the hospital, Amy is seen spending her days sitting at Danny's bedside and hugging him in his bed as the series closes on this scene as his arm moves to hug her back. | |||||
Production
The project, created by Korean director Lee Sung Jin and set to star Steven Yeun and Ali Wong was first announced in March 2021, with a bidding war happening over the series rights.[5] Netflix would eventually win the rights.[6] In December, Lee Isaac Chung was reported to be directing the pilot episode.[7] In March 2022, additional castings were announced, including David Choe and Patti Yasutake,[8] and the pilot episode would instead be directed by Japanese director Hikari. She was also confirmed to direct several additional episodes.[9]
Filming had begun by April 2022.[10]
Lee Sung Jin has planned the show to last 3 seasons: “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, but I have three seasons mapped out in my head currently.”[11]
Release
Beef premiered at the 2023 SXSW Festival on March 18, 2023.[12] It premiered on Netflix on April 6, 2023.[13]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 90 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Ali Wong and Steven Yeun are a diabolically watchable pair of adversaries in Beef, a prime cut comedy that finds the pathos in pettiness."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 88 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]
References
- ^ Jones, Ellen E. (April 6, 2023). "Beef review – Ali Wong's dark, existential thriller is deliciously subversive". The Guardian.
- ^ Mooney, Jessie (April 3, 2023). "Here's Your Crash Course in the Characters of 'BEEF'". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ a b Odman, Sydney (March 31, 2023). "Ali Wong and Steven Yeun on Stepping into Executive Producer Roles for Road Rage Dramedy 'Beef'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (April 15, 2022). "Steven Yeun, Ali Wong Netflix Series Beef Casts Ione Skye in Guest Role (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 16, 2021). "Hot Package: A24 Teams Its Minari Oscar Nominee Steven Yeun With Ali Wong For 10-Episode Series; Lee Sung Jin Showrunner". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 24, 2021). "Netflix Wins A24 10-Ep Half Hour Series Package Beef With Minari Oscar Nominee Steven Yeun, Ali Wong & Creator Lee Sung Jin". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ Barfield, Charles (December 30, 2021). "Beef: Minari Director Lee Isaac Chung Will Reportedly Reteam With Steven Yeun For Netflix/A24's Series". The Playlist. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ White, Peter (March 10, 2022). "Beef: Netflix Dramedy Rounds Out Cast Including David Choe With Maria Bello Among Guest Stars". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
- ^ White, Peter (March 10, 2022). "37 Seconds Director Hikari To Helm Netflix's Beef". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
- ^ Lapid, Alyssa (April 15, 2022). "Everything To Know About Netflix's Beef". Bustle. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (April 10, 2023). "'Beef' Star Ali Wong and Creator Lee Sung Jin Break Down That Wild Finale". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Paris, Martine (March 6, 2023). "The Ultimate SXSW 2023 Guide: Hottest Panels, Parties And Popups". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ "'Beef' – Official Date Announcement and First Look". The Futon Critic. February 13, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ "Beef: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ "Beef: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
External links
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