Warning: spoilers ahead for the Beef season 1 finale.
The hunger for Beef season 2, a follow-up to Netflix's 2023 hit starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, is truly ravenous. After earning a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score upon release and an array of Golden Globes and Emmys in the months since, the story of two people caught up in an ongoing and petty rivalry thanks to a bout of road rage achieved a rare thing: a breakout TV hit at a time when nobody could agree on what to watch.
Though initially billed as a limited series, there's the hope that more Beef could be served up to us in the future, especially now that some truly mind-blowing casting rumours have leaked. Here's everything we know about a potential season 2 of Beef.
Who will star in Beef season 2?
Beef's first season pretty much wrapped things up in the storyline department. That said, according to the show's creator Lee Sung Jin, brand-new seasons have always been on the cards.
“We always pitched the season to buyers as an anthology series. There was always going to be new characters,” Jin told reporters backstage at the Golden Globes. “Whether it stays limited or turns as an anthology or we continue existing, that’s really up to Netflix. But whatever they decide, I’m definitely ready.”
But while Netflix hasn't officially greenlit a second season yet, there have been some truly sensational – and A-list – casting rumours leaked that may force their hand. According to Deadline's The Dish, Lee is currently eyeing a second outing that will involve Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway, who would be reuniting for the third time after Brokeback Mountain and Love & Other Drugs, as well as man of the moment Charles Melton, coming off his (still painful) Oscars snub for May December and Priscilla's Cailee Spaeny.
The Dish stresses that nothing has been signed yet, but the prospect alone is enough to want us to get that grill fired up again.
There have been a few critical and commercial hits that have started their journeys as limited series but extended further with demand. Netflix's time-loop comedy Russian Doll, created by and starring Natasha Lyonne, is gearing up for a potential third season, while Mike White's The White Lotus became such a pandemic success that we're preparing for its third outing in Thailand. So yeah, there might still be some meat on these bones yet!
What would Beef season 2 be about?
The end of season one of Beef left just enough ambiguity to warrant a ‘maybe’ in the inevitable questions about a season 2. While the series finale effectively ended the rivalry propelling Wong's Amy and Yeun's Danny, there was still the case of all of the fallout in their own personal relationships due to their beef.
Speaking to Rolling Stone after season 1, Lee said “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"
He continued: "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.”
Now, with the potential of Gyllenhaal, Hathaway, Melton and Spaeny on board, it's looking likely that the events of season 1 could be staying there, although there could be some potential for a slight crossover a la Jennifer Coolidge straddling seasons 1 and 2 of The White Lotus.
As for the plot, according to The Dish, the foursome will be playing two couples, presumably Gyllenhaal and Hathaway and Melton and Spaeny, who end up feuding. It would be a departure from season 1, which focused on two people imploding their own lives solo for the sake of some beef.
When would Beef season 2 be out?
It’s unlikely a new season would air this year, but, if announced, we could may well expect something by the end of 2025. Again, according to The Dish, chatter this awards season, where Beef has been clearing up, has led insiders to believe season 2 could film sometime this autumn.
Prepare to get out your knives, forks and napkins.
