Beef season 2 review: Charles Melton is hilarious in another bloody, sizzling serving

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A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Netflix’s hit show, Beef, is trying to be considered for more awards by changing its category from ‘miniseries.’ However, creator Lee Sung Jin isn’t relying on its initial success and has big plans for a second season of the darkly comedic drama about revenge.

Instead of continuing with the same characters, the show’s creator is taking a bold new direction with this season. He’s introducing a completely fresh story centered around the lives of the extremely wealthy at a country club, and will be featuring a new cast instead of Steven Yeun and Ali Wong.

It’s pretty cool—and a little ironic—that they’ve cast Cailee Spaeny from Alien: Romulus. Her show, Beef, started as a really personal story about one intense feud, but it quickly blew up into something much bigger, almost like a full-on war. It reminds me of how the Alien movies themselves changed—the first one was all about surviving alone, and then the second one became this huge action-packed battle. It’s like Beef is following the same path!

The second season of ‘Beef’ could have easily been titled ‘Beefs,’ reflecting how the conflict expanded to involve two couples instead of just one. A single, unexpected meeting brought these two pairs into a tangled and escalating feud.

Oscar Isaac, known for his role in Dune, and Carey Mulligan, who starred in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, play Josh and Lindsay, a couple with successful careers at an exclusive leisure club. Membership costs a staggering $300,000.

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The resort’s employees include Ashley (Spaeny), who works on the refreshment cart, and personal trainer Austin (Charles Melton from ‘May December’). Their impulsive decision to get married is starting to fall apart as they struggle with the realities of adult life.

After seeing a seemingly perfect older couple have a frighteningly intense fight – bad enough to film – a younger couple decides to use the video to their advantage, giving in to the temptation to blackmail them.

Little do they know, it will be the first domino in a chain of increasingly dangerous events.

Season 2 of Beef feels different from the first, but the two seasons share enough common themes to feel like they belong together on Netflix.

Both observers noted that the current economic system often leaves those with fewer advantages feeling discouraged, as even diligent effort doesn’t seem to improve their financial situation or career prospects.

While Amy Lau in the first season was wealthy, the new couple, Josh and Lindsay, are struggling financially. They try to appear successful, but are actually under a lot of pressure.

Despite appearing different, the two couples have a lot in common, particularly their feelings of isolation within their difficult relationships – a similarity they don’t acknowledge, much like Amy and Danny before them.

What really struck me about ‘Beef’ is how frustratingly avoidable the whole thing was. If either Amy or Danny had just been able to show a little empathy or hold back just once, they could have broken the cycle of hurt they were both stuck in – and honestly, saved themselves a lot of trouble. It’s a tragedy because they essentially destroyed themselves when a little compassion could have changed everything.

Alas, in these cautionary tales, the irrationality of human behaviour always gets in the way.

Because we see the whole story, it’s hard to be too critical of these characters. The writer, Sung Jin, skillfully avoids creating a simple ‘good versus evil’ scenario, just like in the first season. Instead, we’re presented with complex people all struggling to get by.

While all four actors deliver solid performances, they feel somewhat predictable, especially considering how groundbreaking Yeun and Wong were in the first season.

Melton truly stands out, displaying great comedic skill as Austin, a somewhat naive character. Austin is surprisingly clever despite appearing gentle and innocent.

In a similar sense, the chaotic crescendo of this second chapter isn’t as memorable, either.

I still remember the terrifying scene with Jordan’s panic room door from three years ago, but the second season, while building to a more intense climax in the last two episodes, doesn’t have a similarly shocking moment.

The story reaches a satisfying conclusion that reinforces its main message, though some of the smaller storylines aren’t fully explored due to time constraints.

Since it was a second season, ‘Beef’ naturally couldn’t have the same shocking impact as its original debut. However, it would have been great to see the show take some bolder risks this time around.

Ultimately, Lee Sung Jin has clearly demonstrated that ‘Beef’ succeeds as an anthology series, and hopefully we’ll see more intense and dramatic seasons in the future.

Beef season 2 premieres on Netflix on Thursday 16th April 2026.

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Authors

David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig writes about television and streaming drama and comedy for TopMob. Before joining them, he worked at Starburst Magazine and hosted The Winter King Podcast on ITVX. He’s a journalism graduate from the University of Sheffield.

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2026-04-16 11:05