Between Squid Game, Stranger Things, The Haunting of Hill House, and Adolescence, Netflix has continued to show its dominance as a streaming service that boasts riveting original TV shows and movies. For many subscribers’ money, though, the best series that the service has put out in a long while is the Netflix original series BEEF.

The award-winning TV show premiered its first season on April 6, 2023, with its second season being released only recently, three years later, on April 16, 2026. Fans will likely have their favorite of the two, seeing as they are relatively distinct, yet Season 2 is a testament to the fact that BEEF Season 1 was no mere stroke of luck.

BEEF Season 1 Gave Season 2 Big Shoes To Fill

The reason why BEEF is so popular is simple: it’s a well-written and intimate character study, underscored by unique yet relatable relationship drama, and peppered with magnetic A-list acting talent. BEEF doesn’t concern itself with the tired trope of having to make characters ‘likable,’ and instead depicts their complicatedness and perspectives with honesty.

It’s an unctuous premise because it lets audiences be flies on the wall in situations that would be nightmarish for anyone to be in themselves, but makes for excellent introspective drama while audiences watch as third-party observers. Perhaps you can see a little bit too much of yourself in one character or another, or maybe a couple that is portrayed in one season shares the same qualities as one you know in real-life social circles.

Fascinatingly, BEEF’s emotionality and tone is able to expertly and fluidly traverse a bounty of genres, including comedy, drama, mystery, and thriller, and even excels in brief bouts of action or horror. Both seasons so far are interesting because of how many protagonists are in each, as that’s their most substantial difference.

BEEF Season 1 stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, while BEEF Season 2 stars Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Cailee Spaeny, and Charles Melton. Whether Season 3 pares down its number of focal cast members, sticks to four main characters, or hikes its number of characters up further will surely be one of its most impactful decisions.

On the one hand, fewer characters is a risk because the ‘beef’ between them has to be that much more meaty, and a lot rides on them carrying the show alone. That said, on the other hand, more characters is a risk because there’s a greater chance that one or more characters won’t be as compelling or nuanced as the rest of them, and the narrative could feasibly buckle while trying to juggle them and their struggles all evenly.

BEEF Is Netflix’s Next Great Anthology Series

Whereas BEEF Season 1 only truly centered on Wong and Yeun’s characters, BEEF Season 2 introduced two separate couples for audiences to observe and potentially care about. Audiences could take sides in the ongoing beef between Yeun and Wong and its repercussions, and now they could take sides between not only the Mulligan/Isaac versus Spaeny/Melton couples but also between the partners in these relationships themselves.

The beauty of BEEF, then, is that it could theoretically go on for an infinite number of seasons as its core conceit is as adaptable as anything. Endless seasons could feature endless characters who’re enduring endless relationship woes, much less new and nerve-wracking grievances or hardships. If nothing else, it would be routinely fascinating to learn what popular actors are cast and paired together if or when new seasons are announced.

The success of the series’ future will now hinge on how well each subsequent season is written as well as how phenomenal its cast is. BEEF Season 3 has big shoes to fill just as Season 2 did, and the Netflix original series will have accomplished a tremendous achievement if its quality and consistency can be reinforced in every installment.

<em>BEEF</em> Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.