Beef season 2 gets mostly positive Netflix reviews

Netflix’s Beef season 2 has returned after three years with a new storyline and cast, earning mixed but mostly positive reviews. Critics praised the performances and tension, though some said it falls short of season one.

London: The second season of Beef has premiered on Netflix, drawing a mixed but largely favourable response from critics after returning three years after the first instalment.

The anthology series, created by Lee Sung Jin, moves away from the original season’s storyline and instead centres on a fresh dispute involving two couples from sharply different social backgrounds. The new season features Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac as one couple, while Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny play the other.

Reviewers broadly commended the cast’s performances and the tension built into the story, though some questioned whether the latest chapter reaches the same standard set by the first season.

USA Today gave the series a perfect score, calling it a propulsive hurricane of misery and cringe [...] unwrapping each episode like a Christmas present is one of the joys of watching the series, even as it ratchets up the tension and anxiety. Its themes are layered and thought-provoking.

The Telegraph also offered a strong assessment, stating" "It all makes for an exquisite melee, but one that's founded in our skewed notions of what's fair, what's right and how to deal with perceived wrongs.

Not all responses were equally enthusiastic. British Vogue said the series remained engaging, but suggested the new season did not carry the same depth as the first. "Beef' is still supremely watchable. And for anyone in the market for a good Netflix binge, it remains pleasing television. But if 'Beef' season one felt like a rare delicacy – nuanced, existential, tragic and comic in equal measure – this season feels more like a light-hearted, big-budget, Netflix-y caper," the publication wrote.

The Times gave a more moderate review, saying, "No, it's not as exquisite as The White Lotus, but when it's being funny, being perceptive about neediness and dissatisfaction within a long-term relationship, or being simply entertaining in the country club."

Overall, the critical response indicates that while Beef season two has not been universally seen as surpassing its predecessor, it has still earned recognition for its performances and its ability to sustain dramatic tension in a new storyline.