Odds are at least one of your friends texted you this weekend to gush over how you should watch the latest Netflix hit Beef (and if not, congrats, you get to be that friend!). The Netflix/A24 dramedy centers on a road rage incident that escalates into a fierce mutual obsession between contractor Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and entrepreneur Amy Lau (Ali Wong). Despite how simple that premise sounds, this show barrels through a truly surprising plot, as Danny and Amy's feud (a.k.a. the titular "beef") affects every corner of their lives with dire emotional, financial, and familial consequences.
The heartbreaking and hilarious series has already received widespread acclaim from critics and viewers since its premiere on April 6, which means it's time to speculate on when a second season could premiere (and also whether it should, based on how the show ends). Read on for everything we know about a possible Beef season 2.
Has 'Beef' been renewed for season 2?
It's been only days since the eight-episode series dropped on Netflix, and the streaming giant is known to wait for at least a moth of streaming numbers to make any renewal announcements (except for some runaway-hit situations a la The Night Agent). Beef has quickly risen up to the streamer's no. 1 spot over the weekend, and by the social media response, it's likely that the show will be a word-of-mouth hit.
When could 'Beef' season 2 come out?
There's several possibilities for where Beef could go next (which we'll explain below) so it's hard to guess a timeline as of now. If a renewal announcement comes through in the next month or two, new episodes could be out as soon as mid-to-late 2024.
What could 'Beef' season 2 be about?
Beef season 1 stands on its own as an excellent limited series. Amy and Danny's feud pretty much reaches its conclusion by the final episode, with the two coming to an understanding while they're stranded in the desert. Thanks to an hallucinogenic-berry-fueled trip, they finally look past their differences and share their respective lifelong feelings of self-loathing and misery. When they make it back to civilization the next morning, having become extremely close, Amy's husband Paul (Joseph Lee) finds them and shoots Danny, thinking that he's hurting Amy. The finale ends with Amy waiting by Danny's hospital bed to see if he pulls through.
Though season 1 is a close-ended story, creator and showrunner Lee Sung-jin revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he initially conceived the show as a "limited anthology series" following different beefs between characters, saying, "Fingers crossed. I hope people love the show and we get to make more."
Lee elaborated in an ELLE interview, explaining that his initial pitch for the show included "multiple other beefs and other character types to explore." He added," 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]. 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."
The creator also hinted to Rolling Stone that he already does have plans for how Danny and Amy's story could continue in future seasons, adding that he's even looking beyond a possible season 2.
"I wanted it to have a conclusive feel just in case," he told the outlet, "but 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."
