Beef
Overview
Beef is a 2023 comedy-drama television series created by Lee Sung-jin for Netflix. The series follows Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), a struggling contractor, and Amy Lau (Ali Wong), a successful entrepreneur, whose lives are consumed by a road rage incident. The series is a dark, funny, and emotionally complex exploration of anger, class, and the search for meaning. Danny is a frustrated, lonely, and desperate man. He is in debt, he is alienated from his family, and he feels invisible. Amy is a wealthy, successful, and seemingly happy woman, but she is also deeply unhappy. She feels trapped by her life. The road rage incident, a near-miss in a parking lot, becomes an obsession for both of them. They escalate their feud, committing acts of vandalism, property destruction, and even attempted murder. The series explores the question: what happens when we let our anger consume us? The series ends with Danny and Amy trapped in the desert, nearly dead. They finally talk to each other, and they realize that they are not so different. Beef was a critical and commercial success, winning eight Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actor for Steven Yeun, and Outstanding Lead Actress for Ali Wong.
