Netflix’s Beef Is Out Now, Here’s Why Critics Say Steven Yeun And Ali Wong’s ‘Feel-Bad’ Dark Comedy Series Is A Must-Watch
What do the reviews say?
There’s likely a part of us all that wonders what would happen if we indulged our pettiest desires, and Netflix’s Beef is an exploration of just that. Lee Sun Jin, who’s written on the FX comedies Dave and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, has created a dark comedy series starring The Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun and Always Be My Maybe star Ali Wong, as two people unwilling and unable to let a near-miss in a parking go. The series is a must-watch, according to critics, and the reviews are in to tell you why.
Beef is inspiring alternate takes on some of our favorite TV and movie themes. One critic calls the series “engaging feel-bad TV,” while another recognizes Danny (Steven Yeun) and Amy’s (Ali Wong) first encounter as “the opposite of a meet-cute” and “hate at first sight.” But it takes a capable duo to pull off such a dynamic in a way that will keep audiences engaged for 10 half-hour episodes, and many of the critics are sharing praise for the leading actors’ work. Let’s take a look at the reviews.
Kristen Baldwin of EW grades the series a B, and while admitting it suffers from “Netflix Bloat,” with middle episodes that tend to drag, she notes that beyond the revenge story is an exploration into generational trauma and the Asian experience in America. The critic praises Ali Wong and Steven Yeun for what they are able to achieve, saying:
Roxana Hadadi of Vulture also makes note of the performances, calling Steven Yeun and Ali Wong’s characters “often hilariously mean.” Despite some repetition in how the rivals keep digging themselves deeper into resentment, Beef is rarely better than when its two stars are sneering insults at one another, the review states:
Ross McIndoe of Slant Magazine rates Beef 3.5 stars out of 4, using a number of contradictions for the dark comedy and its ultra-petty characters, including “hilarious but gut-wrenching,” and the aforementioned description of their “opposite of a meet-cute” being “hate at first sight.” The critic says it goes deeper than that, though, and is sincere in its depiction of two people who are in immense emotional pain. Regarding the performances, he says:
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com also gives the series 3.5 out of 4 stars, calling Steven Yeun one of the best actors of his generation, and saying that Ali Wong matches his every step in the best performance of her career in their portrayals of two people who feel they’ve had to take the high road too many times in their lives. The review continues:
The series garners a perfect 4 out of 4 stars from USA TODAY’s Kelly Lawler, who agrees with the above critic that Beef has succeeded in capturing the anxiety-ridden, anger-inducing world we live in. The review goes on:
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In fact, all of the critics who rated the series on Rotten Tomatoes have similar positive takeaways. Beef currently holds a 100% Fresh critical rating from 49 contributors so far, with more to come now that the series has been released to those with a Netflix subscription.
In addition to this series, you can also take a look at Netflix’s upcoming movie and TV releases, and check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what other premieres are coming soon.
Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.