Culture Crash: A Review of “BEEF”

Netflix’s latest binge is the show BEEF, an A24 co-production starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, about two strangers at their wit’s end who first cross paths in a road rage incident. The initial road confrontation is something to behold, but it’s only the beginning of what becomes a bitter rivalry that sees both of their lives spin out of control.

Yeun plays Danny, a broke contractor with big dreams of wealth and status, while Wong plays Amy, a successful wife and mother who is about to sell her company for millions. What BEEF does so well is weave these very resonant and modern depictions of class, family life, and big aspirations into a seemingly simple story of two people lashing out after a tense meeting.

When I first saw the trailer for BEEF, I had my reservations. The story seemed cool and it had actors I really liked, but it seemed like a premise that would be best served as a feature film instead of an entire season of television. But I didn’t need to worry, because it turned out creator Lee Sung Jin knew much better than I did, and he and his writers managed to use that extended run time to take what seemed like a small story and turn it into a larger commentary on what success means in modern America.

At turns hilarious, tense, and truly insightful, BEEF was one of the best binge-watches I’ve had in a while… and it’s full of unexpected twists and turns that will keep you on your toes.

BEEF is now streaming on Netflix.