Why Beef season 2 is Netflix's answer to The White Lotus
The highly anticipated second season of Beef is officially here, three years after Ali Wong and Steven Yuen's hilarious feuding captured the attention of millions of Netflix viewers.
Rewind back to April 2023 and the brand new series, created by Lee Sung Jin, landed on Netflix. It looked unusual and quirky and, for many, curiosity got the better of them and they decided to give it a watch.
By the end of the week, Beef amassed 1.69 billion minutes of viewing time and sent TV fans into a frenzy as they branded the program as the 'most addictive new series' on Netflix.
13 Emmy nominations and eight wins later, it quickly became one of Netflix's biggest success stories.
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It was inevitable that Beef would get a second series with this in mind, but season two isn't in the way some people would have expected. Instead of Wong and Yuen reprising their roles, Beef has become an anthology series and boasts a whole new cast and storyline for the new season.
Who is in Beef season 2?
Beef's new season, which dropped on Netflix today (April 16), consists of Riverdale favorite Charles Melton, Priscilla actress Cailee Spaeny, The Great Gatsby's Carey Mulligan, and Oscar-nominated actor Oscar Isaac.
Melton and Spaeny play loved-up Gen Z pair Austin and Ashley, while Mulligan and Isaac's characters are married couple, Lindsay and Josh.
Lindsay and Josh have worked hard to work their way up the social ladder over the years and, while they put on a united front in public, they have issues back at home. Meanwhile Austin and Ashley are newly engaged and excitedly planning their future together.
There's also a handful of cameos in Beef season 2. Keep your eyes peeled for the likes of Michael Phelps, Finneas O'Connell, Suni Lee, Hot Chip, and Benny Blanco...
The White Lotus comparisons
In light of Beef becoming an anthology series, many people have compared it to The White Lotus.
Somebody tweeted: "BEEF 2 is looking a bit like Netflix's take on The White Lotus. idk if that's a bad thing yet. i'm gonna have to watch it first."
Another person who has already seen some of the new episodes of Beef penned: "Just saw the first two episodes and I’m in love already! Very WHITE LOTUS sense of dark humor and social commentary!"
Elsewhere it was suggested that Beef was trying to 'copy' The White Lotus.
There are indeed similarities between to the two shows. Both are anthologies and, like Mike White writing all series of The White Lotus, Lee Sung Jin (who also goes by Sonny Lee) has penned Beef's second season.
Both shows also boast star-studded casts — and the rather impeccable cast of The White Lotus' fourth season has now been revealed by HBO.
The new season has just started filming in France and will have Helena Bonham Carter, Vincent Cassel, Steve Coogan, Caleb Jonte Edwards, Dylan Ennis, Corentin Fila, Ari Graynor, Marissa Long, Alexander Ludwig, Chris Messina, AJ Michalka, Kumail Nanjiani, and Nadia Tereszkiewicz in it.
Chloe Bennet, Sandra Bernhard, Heather Graham, Max Greenfield, Frida Gustavsson, Charlie Hall, Jarrad Paul, Rosie Perez, Ben Schnetzer, and Laura Smet will also star.
What the Beef cast thinks of The White Lotus comparisons
Talking to UNILAD, Carey Mulligan shared her thoughts on the comparisons and believed it to be a compliment to Beef's screenwriter.
"I think it's a vision thing," she said. "It's about the creator, and I think Mike White has that reputation for just no one thinks or sees like Mike White does."
Mulligan continued: "That's the compliment that's implicitly paid to Sonny, which is like no one else could create something like Beef, therefore it probably has the capacity to become an ongoing anthology."
The Promising Young Woman actress concluded that there are 'not many people' who have 'such a clear and unique perspective' like White and Lee.
Beef season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
Topics: Netflix, Film and TV, News, Streaming, Entertainment, The White Lotus
Niamh Shackleton