Given how The White Lotus has significantly influenced modern television, it should not be surprising that many shows are trying to emulate its storytelling formula or at least draw from it in one way or another. However, the hit comedy drama on Netflix in question also proved to be a unique addition to the genre in season 1 and even landed a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
Despite being incredible in the first installment, it seems like the Netflix comedy is trying to switch things up a little, which will make it less like its predecessor and more like The White Lotus.
Beef Season 2 Feels Like A New White Lotus Installment
Beef season 1 unfolded more as a suburban crawl in which Steven Yeun and Ali Wong’s characters found themselves at odds with one another after a road rage incident. In season 2, however, it looks like the show has graduated to become more of a White Lotus-esque portrayal of the conflicts in the world of elites.
Instead of continuing season 1’s story, the Netflix comedy series is going down the anthology route, with Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan as its new leads. As its storyline and trailer suggest, its narrative will begin with a young couple witnessing a fight between their elite boss and his wife.
With this, the show will unfold more of a generational beef between a millennial and Gen Z couple, which will seemingly mirror the tension between the guests and the hotel employees in The White Lotus. Like The White Lotus, Beef season 2 will also seemingly be filled with sequences showing how “wealthy people behave badly,” which is another major narrative hallmark of The White Lotus.
Just like The White Lotus, Beef season 2 also features a roster full of A-listers, including Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Song Kang-ho (Parasite), and Youn Yuh-jung (Minari). While only time will tell whether this change in format will work well for the series, its inclination towards being in line with the HBO comedy-drama suggests it could capture the same biting social satire and ensemble-driven chaos.
Beef Season 2’s Departure From Season 1’s Narrative Strengths Is Risky But Ambitious
Beef established itself as a prestige drama from its opening season itself. Its big wins at the Emmy Awards further cemented its potential as a series with the perfect balance of biting social commentary and hard-hitting personal character drama. After setting itself as one of the best black comedy shows of recent years, Beef could not have risked diluting its first season’s impact by unnecessarily stretching its story.
Owing to this, it makes sense that it is taking the anthology route. Even as an anthology, Beef cannot emulate season 1’s narrative formula in season 2 as that would make the show feel repetitive and creatively stagnant. Therefore, it makes sense that Beef season 2 is trying to bring something new to the table while expanding its overarching vision with a new setting and cast.
It must be noted, though, that Beef season 1’s appeal also came from its grounded approach towards everyday frustrations and personal conflicts. After initially being driven by all the comical ways in which its two leads keep fighting against one another, the show effectively became an introspective character study that allowed viewers to emphasize on its flawed but deeply human characters.
If Beef season 2 tries too hard to drift away from season 1’s formula and etch its own identity, it could end up losing everything that made the Netflix series compelling in the first place. At the same time, it could become another series altogether and even end up getting compared to The White Lotus. Hopefully, though, Beef season 2 will not disappoint and prove to be as good as its predecessor.