Beef has returned for its much-talked-about second season, arriving three years after Ali Wong and Steven Yuen’s onscreen feud became a breakout hit with Netflix audiences.
Back in April 2023, Lee Sung Jin’s offbeat new series premiered on Netflix and immediately stood out for its strange, darkly comic edge. Plenty of viewers pressed play out of sheer curiosity—and quickly got hooked.
Within a week, Beef had racked up 1.69 billion minutes watched, with fans hailing it as the ‘most addictive new series’ on the platform.
After landing 13 Emmy nominations and taking home eight wins, it cemented itself as one of Netflix’s major success stories.
With that momentum, a second season always felt likely—but the show has taken a different route than many expected. Rather than bringing Wong and Yuen back to continue the original story, Beef has shifted into anthology mode, resetting with a new cast and a fresh narrative.
The new season, which landed on Netflix today (April 16), features Riverdale star Charles Melton, Priscilla actor Cailee Spaeny, The Great Gatsby’s Carey Mulligan, and Oscar-nominated Oscar Isaac.
Melton and Spaeny play Gen Z couple Austin and Ashley, while Mulligan and Isaac portray Lindsay and Josh, a married pair with a carefully curated image.
Lindsay and Josh have spent years climbing the social ladder and present a polished front to the outside world, even as cracks show in private. Meanwhile, Austin and Ashley are newly engaged, swept up in the excitement of planning what comes next.
Season 2 also sprinkles in several notable cameos—so viewers may want to stay alert for familiar faces like Michael Phelps, Finneas O’Connell, Suni Lee, Hot Chip, and Benny Blanco.
Now that Beef is operating as an anthology, it hasn’t taken long for viewers to draw parallels with 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, a few viewers have gone further, suggesting the show is trying to ‘copy’ The White Lotus.
There are clear overlap points: both series tell self-contained seasonal stories with new characters, and just as Mike White writes every season of The White Lotus, Lee Sung Jin (also known as Sonny Lee) wrote Beef season two.
Both shows are also built around big-name ensembles—and HBO has now confirmed the cast for The White Lotus season four.
Production has begun in France, with 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 all set to appear.
Chloe Bennet, Sandra Bernhard, Heather Graham, Max Greenfield, Frida Gustavsson, Charlie Hall, Jarrad Paul, Rosie Perez, Ben Schnetzer, and Laura Smet have also been announced.
Asked about the comparisons, Carey Mulligan suggested the framing is ultimately flattering—especially for Beef’s writer and creator.
“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 actor also noted there are ‘not many people’ with ‘such a clear and unique perspective’ as White and Lee.
Beef season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.