After a successful first season, fans are now left wondering if Netflix's Beef will come back for a Season 2.
The hit black comedy from the streaming and production company A24 has been a bright spot in the streaming landscape, earning near-universal praise and currently sitting at a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The series was created by Korean director Lee Sung Jin and stars incoming MCU actor Steven Yeun and comedian Ali Wong as the pair become intertwined in a tale of revenge after something as simple as road rage.
Beef was originally pitched as a single-season mini-series, but after the first batch of episodes was as celebrated as they have been, audiences are craving more of Lee Sung Jin's Netflix hit.
The Chances of Beef Season 2
According to Beef creator Lee Sung Jin, Season 2 of the Netflix hit could very well be on the cards.
On the subject of a sophomore effort of the streaming comedy Jin told Rolling Stone he has "a lot of ideas" of where the series could go, revealing he has "three seasons mapped out in my head currently:"
"I wanted it to have a conclusive feel just in case, but there are a lot of ideas on my end to keep this story going. 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."
This comes despite the Beef showrunner telling Entertainment Weekly he "pitch this show as a limited anthology," so "there is sort of a close-ended-ness to the story:'
“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.”
Star Joseph Lee hinted at a second season of the series, seemingly teasing to Esquire that "I guess you'll just have to wait and see" when asked about where the story goes from the end of Season 1:
Esquire: "Was George looking for Amy? Or was he just totally done with her?"
Lee: "I think he gets this realization that he has to stick up for himself for the first time. He's been violated in this major way on all fronts. Also, he can't escape the reality of him being a father and having to protect June as well. I think his first priority is to be a father. Then after that, he does look for Amy. Not exactly with a plan. I don't think he's running around with a gun thinking that he's immediately going to find them. But I think in the end, when he sees Danny, he believes he sees Danny hurting Amy from far away. He has a very instinctual reaction to fire that gun. And then, I guess you'll just have to wait and see."
After the finale of Beef Season 1 it seems unlikely that, if a Season 2 were to happen, it would focus on the same two characters in Steven Yeun's Danny and Ali Wong's Amy.
Despite all the trials and tribulations the pair put each other through, the pair somewhat make up and put their differences aside by the time the Season 1 finale comes to an end.
However, just because Wong and Yeun are not as intrinsically involved does not mean a Season 2 could not happen. Lee Sung Jin's Netflix hit feels primed for the anthology treatment, perhaps with follow-up seasons focusing on new characters and, of course, new beef.
Will Beef Season 2 Happen?
Despite Beef being pitched as a single-season mini-series, it certainly seems as though a Season 2 is quite possible.
The further out from Season 1's release showrunner Lee Sung Jin gets, the more open to doing more he seems. That is what happens when something garners the acclaim that Beef has.
If Season 2 were to happen, it will be fascinating to see what direction Jin takes the series. Danny and Amy's story looked to have come to a pretty conclusive end at Season 1's close, with the pair finally squashing their beef.
This means that if Jin and the Beef creative team were to want to shift the focus to whole new characters in a second batch of episodes, it would not be all that surprising.
However, that is not to say there are no hanging threads left over from Season 1 that could be elaborated upon. One of the biggest moments of the show came when Yeun's Danny got shot at to basically close the first season.
While the beef at the center of Season 1 may be squashed, it remains unknown if Danny lives from the bullet wound. Audiences got a glimpse of him gingerly embracing Wong's Amy in a hospital bed to end the finale, but Danny's future still remains pretty ambiguous.
So, a Beef Season 2 centered on the pair of main characters from Season 1 also could be a very real possibility as well.
Beef Season 1 can be streamed now on Netflix.
