{"id":378892,"date":"2026-04-07T03:09:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T03:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/378892\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T03:09:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T03:09:10","slug":"3-years-ago-today-netflix-debuted-a-near-perfect-series-that-took-everyone-by-surprise-its-back-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/378892\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Years Ago Today, Netflix Debuted a Near-Perfect Series That Took Everyone By Surprise (& It’s Back Soon)"},"content":{"rendered":"

No one expected this series to be as explosive as it was. It took over Netflix<\/a> nearly as soon as it debuted, and critics and audiences alike went crazy for it; it still sits at a 98% rating with critics. And while audiences rated it slightly lower, at 87%, it\u2019s still an impressive score, reminding us of what\u2019s possible when series creators take risks with the stories they choose to tell. And now that Season 2 is just around the corner, it\u2019s time to brace for more of the dark comedy that perfectly encapsulates the lingering, insidious discontent unique to the 2020s.<\/p>\n

The first season of Beef debuted to critical acclaim, centering on two strangers as a road-rage incident between them slowly consumes their every thought and action, becoming a bitter feud neither can hope to escape. The entire thing spirals out of control, threatening their lives and everything they hold dear. Honestly, it\u2019s like watching a car crash both in slow-mo and in real time, and you won\u2019t be able to stop yourself from screaming at Danny (Steven Yeun) and Amy (Ali Wong) to stop the nonsense. And the second season seems like it will be just as unhinged, focusing on a young couple who witness a shocking fight between their boss and his wife.<\/p>\n

Beef Shows Us How Successful Brave Television Can Be<\/p>\n

\t\t\tPlay video<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s a reason people loved the show so much. It was delightfully unhinged, both relatable and repulsive in its escalation, and at no point did the series play it safe. While not everyone\u2019s cup of tea, it\u2019s exactly what television should be\u2014art that entertains us while pulling no punches and making no excuses for how outlandish it is as it tackles issues few are willing to touch. \u201cNetflix\u2019s quirky, subversive series is life-affirming in the sort of way that makes more sense today than it might have done a decade ago,\u201d says critic Manik Sharma<\/a>. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> adds, \u201cNo show captured 2023\u2019s undercurrent of unfocused discontent with the intensity, empathy, and underlying humor of Lee Sung Jin\u2019s eight-episode Beef.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while it\u2019s easy to write Beef off as a wacky comedy, it\u2019s got more depth than that\u2014and a hell of a lot more darkness lurking beneath the surface, tackling what happens when seemingly normal people take things entirely too far. It\u2019s comedy gold, sure, but it\u2019s also focusing on characters that are genuinely the worst people in a way that doesn\u2019t immediately vilify them. Danny and Amy are both selfish, destructive, and willing to be dishonest, but their anger and their pain feel viscerally real. The second season is sure to be just as incredible as the first, but also potentially divisive, not only for the storyline it focuses on, but also because the cast is changing. The leads for Season 2 are Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, and Cailee Spaeny.<\/p>\n

Are you looking forward to Season 2 of Beef? Do you have a favorite moment from the first season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don\u2019t forget to check out the ComicBook forum<\/a> to keep the conversation going.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"No one expected this series to be as explosive as it was. It took over Netflix nearly as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378893,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[57781,3828,146,85,46,400,411],"class_list":{"0":"post-378892","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-answer-feature","9":"tag-beef","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-israel","13":"tag-netflix","14":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}