Netflix’s "Beef", which swept top series honors at the Golden Globes and the Primetime Emmys, is gearing up for an even more polished Season 2, according to director Lee Sung-jin.
Speaking to Korean media over a video call on the morning of the 7th, Lee said he’s “very excited.” “We poured even more effort into Season 2. We prepared it with real ambition,” he shared.
“I like thinking about musicians I love,” he added. “When you think of Radiohead, the debut was massive, so people went, ‘Let’s see how great the second album is.’ And the second album was even better. That’s our goal, too. Season 2 came with risks, but we focused on what people loved about Season 1 and tried to bottle that.”
On what sets the seasons apart, Lee said, “Season 1 told stories of Korean actors and Korean Americans. Season 2 centers on a mixed-race character with roots in Korea. I wanted to capture that tug-of-war over identity.” He continued, “On one side, a chaebol is pulling. On the other, there’s the world this person already has a foot in. It’s the story of living between those forces. I also wanted to touch on things like trade between the West and the East.”
The themes, he noted, carry over. “Season 1 was about people living lonely, isolated lives―folks who’d lost the will to live―ending with the possibility that maybe they’d found someone to live alongside. Season 2 is like the present tense of that idea. If you do find someone you might be able to live with, then what? Living together isn’t easy. Especially in a system where capitalism is running wild in 2026. With society pressing down on the middle class, Season 2 naturally continues Season 1’s question: how do we live? It inherits that spirit.”
"Beef" Season 2 unfolds at an elite country club. After a young couple witnesses a shocking fight between their boss and his wife, a fierce game of persuasion and pressure erupts among the two couples and the club’s owner, a Korean billionaire. The cast includes Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, Cailee Spaeny, Jang Seo-yeon, Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho, William Fichtner, Mikaela Hoover, and BM.
Premieres April 16 on Netflix.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)