'Beef': It's what's for [streaming]

Fire up the hibachi and savor the deliciousness of Ali Wong and Steven Yeun absolutely ruining each other's lives

Apr 18, 2023

Is “there’s too much TV” an overused sentiment at this point? Sure, but that doesn’t make it any less true! There is too much TV on too many services and the ability to sift through what often feels like a metric-ton of Kroger quality #content just to find something worth your time and streaming dollars can feel like a Herculean task. The job of entertainment critics used to be providing analysis, context for works of art; today the job is as much just helping us separate good from bad in an environment where the former (say ‘This Fool’) is all too often swallowed up by the latter (say ‘The Rings of Power’).

Which is why THIS armchair critic feels the need to sing the praises of BEEF: a 10-episode Netflix comedy-drama starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun as two hair-trigger Angelenos — one poor and angry, one wealthy and angry — who can’t help but turn an inconsequential automotive run-in into, charitably, all-out interpersonal war. It’s twisted and funny and uncomfortable and heart-rending all at once.

“I don’t know, Henning of Lifting Fog,” a straw-man reader is saying right now. “I’m a vegetarian, first of all, but problematic title aside… how will I know if I’m going to like ‘Beef’? It’s not based on existing IP, like a Marvel show or Anne Rice. And color me confused, are the main characters hot dogs? They look like hot dogs on the poster.”

I get it, you’re skeptical. You’re hesitant. You’ve been burned so many times before — in every aspect of your life but, for the purposes of this specific Substack post, mostly your TV viewing — that you don’t know WHO or WHAT to trust. Which is why rather than bombard you with some overlong, spoiler-heavy essay about the show (as is my usual speed), I’m just going to answer some simple questions and acclimatize us all to ‘Beef’ the way you would a wild animal: gently, slowly, with exaggerated hand gestures.

What’s the elevator pitch?

Okay, Robert Evans! Think of ‘Beef’ as, like, the 2002 Ben Affleck-Samuel L. Jackson movie ‘Changing Lanes’ by way of ‘Breaking Bad’. Or ‘Falling Down’ as filtered through Ali Wong’s comedic observations on Asian-American identity. Or Spy vs. Spy meets the first Koreatown episode of Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Parts Unknown’. Basically: two (seemingly!) opposite people brought together by mutual hatred, hurting each other in increasingly dangerous but amusing ways. (Please email me directly if you would like more examples.)

Is ‘Beef’ about cattle meat?

Great question. Not really, though it is depicted on-screen at various points in the series. This “beef” is more the figurative kind — you know, like a mutual dislike, an ongoing point of contention between two or more people.

How long is ‘Beef’? I’m a busy person in my chosen field

Dude, I get it, time is money. Without crunching the specific runtimes of these ten episodes, I still feel confident telling you the whole series runs about five hours. That’s an easy hour per night, if you wanted to do a Monday-Friday sort of thing. Or make it a Netflix Weekend™️ with two 2.5 hour sessions and a pint of Jenni’s ice cream (not a sponsor). Either way, ‘Beef’’s entire run should still take less time than your average season three episode of ‘Ted Lasso’, which are clocking in at anywhere from 3-5 hours each.

Who wins the titular “beef”?

I could tell you who fares worse, in the end, between Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, but you’re already sort of missing the point! Did anyone truly “win” the ‘Game of Thrones’? Is someone going to “win” ‘Succession’? This is a simplistic way to think about rich character dramas! I’m starting to think this show might not be for you.

🎉 Bonus Question 🎁: So what’s all this stuff about David Choe?

Umm. One of ‘Beef’’s supporting actors, street artist David Choe, is coming under fire for some comments he made on a podcast in 2014 where he implied — actually, just flat-out stated — that he sexually assaulted a masseuse. Later he claimed the story was fiction. Okay! This past week, he’s apparently filed copyright claims against videos of that same 2014 podcast appearance, which have been reappearing on social media.

Is David Choe good on the show? Yes. He plays “dirtbag cousin” with the authenticity of someone who has, in fact, been a dirtbag cousin. His casting is perfect. Should you skip ‘Beef’ on the grounds of his best case shitty, worst case jail-worthy behavior? 🤷🏼

So there you go! I hope I’ve encouraged at least one new person on this mailing list to try ‘Beef’ (the show), which next to the aforementioned ‘Succession’ is probably my favorite 2023 release so far. And if you do try it and hate it, then guess what? Now you’ve got your very own real-life beef, with me. Life imitates art.

Lifting Fog