Netflix series Beef returns with Song Kang-ho, Youn Yuh-jung and the Korean chaebol world

SEOUL – The critically acclaimed Beef is set to return to Netflix on April 16, with Korean-American director Lee Sung Jin describing its second instalment as the first season’s “natural spiritual sibling”.

Created and showrun by the 44-year-old in partnership with American entertainment studio A24, the anthology’s sophomore season follows newly engaged Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton), who find themselves entangled in the fraught dynamics of their wealthy employers, Joshua (Oscar Isaac) and his wife Lindsay (Carey Mulligan).

A chance encounter sets off a chain reaction of escalating tensions that stretches far beyond the country club where they work. As alliances are forged through favours and coercion, both couples vie for the favour of the club’s billionaire owner, Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh-jung), who is grappling with a scandal involving her second husband, Dr Kim (Song Kang-ho).

Season 1, released in 2023, centred on a road rage incident that spirals into beef between Danny (Steven Yeun) and Amy (Ali Wong).

The darkly comedic drama drew widespread acclaim, becoming the most-awarded anthology series of the 2023-2024 season. It collected eight Emmy Awards, along with trophies from the Critics’ Choice Awards, while earning a near-perfect score on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.

The series was praised for its layered exploration of modern rage and existential anxiety, along with a nuanced portrayal of the Korean-American experience: one which eschewed stereotypes in favour of flawed characters navigating life as descendants of Asian immigrants.

In Season 2, Lee shifts focus towards South Korea’s most elite circles, including the world of chaebol dynasties.

“We covered so much of the Korean-American experience in Season 1, we wanted to showcase Charles’ character and his tug of war identity-wise as he’s being pulled by kind of the upper-echelon societies of the Korean chaebol world,” said Lee during an online press conference on April 7.

“I think Season 1 was a story about two very lonely and isolated people who don’t even want to participate in life. And by the end of the season, there’s a glimmer of hope that maybe they found someone whom they want to participate with,” he said.

He added that Season 2 builds on Season 1 by shifting from isolated individuals to couples who have found connection, exploring what happens next as they try to sustain relationships under the pressures of modern capitalism.

“I think the new season is a natural progression of where we ended Season 1, sort of spiritually,” he said.

Meanwhile, Season 2 has generated considerable industry buzz for bringing together two of South Korea’s most revered performers, 59-year-old Song (Parasite, 2019) and 78-year-old Youn (Minari, 2020).

Securing both actors, however, proved challenging.

Lee said: “I never thought that they would both say yes, and truthfully, Song actually said no. I sent him the scripts, and he said he wasn’t sure if this part fit him and he didn’t know how to play it, so he respectfully declined.

“So then I had to call Youn and be like, ‘I’m sorry, Song said he wouldn’t do it.’ She ended up calling him directly and she was like, ‘Hey, you’re Song. You’re the greatest actor alive. You know how to play any character; you’ll figure it out. You have to do the show.’

“And so then Song agreed to do it. And I’m so thankful that Youn made that call, because I can’t imagine anyone else playing that role.”

Melton, who starred in drama series Riverdale (2017 to 2023) and brings a personal perspective as a Korean-American actor, spoke about the resonance of his role in the new chapter of Beef.

“I lived in Korea for six years, and my mum is from Korea,” he said. “It was amazing for Lee to write for me based on our Korean-American experience of me being half-Korean and half-white. We would have in-depth conversations of what that experience was like.

“I have immense gratitude for Lee. Not only for being a singular artist, but also for giving me, as an actor, as an individual, the space to exist in my Korean-ness on a television show.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK