Director Lee Sung-jin expands the Emmy-winning anthology from road-rage drama to high-society tensions, Korean chaebol world
The critically acclaimed "Beef" is set to return, with director Lee Sung-jin describing its second installment as the first season's "natural spiritual sibling."
Created and showrun by Lee in partnership with A24, the anthology's sophomore season follows newly engaged Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton), who find themselves entangled in the fraught dynamics of their wealthy employers, Joshua (Oscar Isaac) and his wife Lindsay (Carey Mulligan).
A chance encounter sets off a chain reaction of escalating tensions that stretches far beyond the country club where they work. As alliances are forged through favors and coercion, both couples vie for the favor of the club's billionaire owner, Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh-jung), who is grappling with a scandal involving her second husband, Dr. Kim (Song Kang-ho).
Season 1, released in April 2023, centered on a road rage incident that spirals into beef between Danny (Steven Yeun) and Amy (Ali Wong). The darkly comedic drama drew widespread acclaim, becoming the most-awarded anthology series of the 2023-2024 season. It collected eight Emmy Awards, along with trophies from the Critics' Choice Awards, while earning a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The series was praised for its layered exploration of modern rage and existential anxiety, along with a nuanced portrayal of the Korean American experience: one which eschewed stereotypes in favor of flawed characters navigating life as descendants of Asian immigrants.
In Season 2, Lee shifts focus toward Korea's most elite circles, including the world of chaebol dynasties.
"We covered so much of the Korean American experience in Season 1, we wanted to showcase ... Charles' character and his tug of war identity-wise as he's being pulled by kind of the upper echelon societies of the Korean chaebol world," said Lee during an online press conference Tuesday.
"I think Season 1 was a story about two very lonely people, very isolated people who don't even want to participate in life. And by the end of the season there's a glimmer of hope that maybe they found someone that they want to participate with," he said.
He said Season 2 builds on Season 1 by shifting from isolated individuals to couples who have found connection, exploring what happens next as they try to sustain relationships under the pressures of modern capitalism. "I think the new season is a natural progression of where we ended Season 1, sort of spiritually," he said.
Meanwhile, Season 2 has generated considerable industry buzz for bringing together two of Korea's most revered performers, Song ("Parasite") and Youn ("Minari"). Securing both actors, however, proved challenging.
"I never thought that they would both say yes, and truthfully, Song actually said no. I sent him the scripts, and he said that he wasn't sure if this part fit him and he didn't know how to play it, so he respectfully declined. So then I had to call Youn and be like 'I'm sorry, Song said he wouldn't do it.' And so she ended up calling him directly and she was like, 'Hey. You're Song. You're the greatest actor alive. You know how to play any character; you'll figure it out. You have to do the show,'" Lee said.
"And so then Song agreed to do it — and I'm so thankful that, uh, Youn made that call, because I can't imagine anyone else playing that role."
Melton, the "Riverdale" star who brings a personal perspective as a Korean American actor, spoke about the resonance of his role in the new chapter of "Beef."
"I lived in Korea for six years, and my mom is from Korea. ... It was amazing for Lee to write for me based on our Korean American experience of me being half-Korean and half-white. We would have in-depth conversations of what that experience was like," he said.
"I have immense amount of gratitude for Lee. Not only being a singular artist but for giving me as an actor, as an individual, the space to exist in my Korean-ness on a television show," Melton added.
"Beef" Season 2 premieres on Netflix April 16.
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