Oscar Issac and Carey Mulligan Are in the Running for 'Beef' Season 2
Minor spoilers for Beef season 1 below.
Hungry for more Beef? You just might be in luck. The series, starring Ali Wong and Steven Yuen, premiered on Netflix last spring, but creator and showrunner Lee Sung Jin has a vision for the show to continue—just not in the way you might expect.
In its 10-episode first season, the dark comedy followed Amy Lau (Wong), a successful entrepreneur, and Danny Cho (Yuen), a contractor, after they face off in a tense road rage incident. In the aftermath of the confrontation, their anger continues to consume them both, taking over of their lives, families, and businesses in the process. But even with that particular beef resolved—sort of—we could always go for a second helping.
Will there be a season 2 of Beef?
At the time of writing, Netflix has not yet announced a renewal. But multiple outlets have reported that the streamer is pursuing a second chapter with new stars, and that the series would become an anthology. Unfortunately, that would mean saying goodbye to Yeun and Wong’s Danny and Amy, but who knows? Plans could always change.
“Cards on the table, we did pitch this show as a limited anthology, so there is sort of a close-ended-ness to the story [of Danny and Amy],” Lee told ELLE.com in 2023. “But, if given the opportunity, of course, I’d love to explore them further, because Danny and Amy, I love those characters. But yeah, by design, though, this a close-ended narrative.”
At the Golden Globe Awards on January 7, Jin spoke further with Deadline about a potential season 2.
“We always pitched the season to buyers as an anthology series. There was always going to be new characters,” he said. “Whether it stays limited or turns as an anthology or we continue existing, that’s really up to Netflix. But whatever they decide, I’m definitely ready.”
What would season 2 be about?
Lee previously told ELLE.com that, in his initial pitch for the show, there were “multiple other beefs and other character types to explore.”
Deadline reported on February 26 that a potential season 2 premise was already taking shape, focusing on “two feuding couples.” Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny would star as one pair, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in talks for the other. But a follow-up piece, also by Deadline and published on June 21, revealed that the Gyllenhaal and Hathaway plans “ultimately did not come to fruition.” Now, Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan are in negotiations for their roles.
Could the show run for even more seasons?
Lee told Rolling Stone that he has ideas cooking for up to a potential third season. Although Danny and Amy’s narrative is complete, “there are a lot of ideas on my end” for it to keep going, he explained. “I think, should we be blessed with a season 2, 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.”
On the Emmys red carpet in January 2024, Lee told Variety, “I feel like there are so many paths. 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,” he added.
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