Two people become embroiled in a traffic dispute after a near-collision. Tempers run so high that they proceed to bizarre acts of revenge. See here the basis of the new series ‘Beef’, which is widely praised and viewed.
The first episode starts with the traffic rage, with a middle finger sticking the fuse in the powder keg from the window. Lee Sung Jin, the creator of Beef , drew on his own experience for the series. “The idea was loosely based on an incident I experienced myself with the car. Someone was mad at me for some reason, and I decided to follow that person. It was an impulsive action, without a clear plan. I wanted to scare him and make my point that he shouldn’t treat people like that. That afternoon the inspiration for this series arose”, the maker notes.
Characters
The lives of Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong) become intertwined in the ten episodes of the series. They are both angry, sad and frustrated characters. “There is a lot going on in their existence that the incident unravels,” says Sung Jin.
Leading actress Wong: “What I find very interesting is the anger that Amy has in her. Her life is so perfect from the outside. You never know what’s going on in someone’s personal life or what’s going on in their mind. It’s something completely different from what I’ve done in the past. I am truly convinced that this is the best role I have ever played.”
Top 10
The black-comedic, unpredictable series is a resounding success. A week after appearing on the American streaming service Netflix Beef worldwide, including in the Netherlands, high in the top 10 of best viewed series. On international, well-regarded review websites such as Rotten Tomatoes and Imdb it mainly rains resounding scores and words of praise. Praises such as ‘original’, ‘extraordinary’ and ‘maniacal’ alternate. Calling it “the most goofy and chaotic TV I’ve ever seen” by surprised viewers is also meant as a compliment.
Breakpoint
It could have turned out even crazier, the creator said News week . “I wanted it to get completely out of hand towards the final episode. The characters were at a breaking point. The original story was even crazier, with even more casualties. But Netflix and the production company found it too much . So then I scaled back the event a bit.”
As with all instant hits on the American streaming service, the question has already arisen: will there be a second season? There is no official answer yet, although there is a lot of speculation. The series could continue with stories about other ‘beefs’ (quarrels), with new main characters. Netflix is on the move.
On demand, Netflix