BEEF
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Screen for YOUR familyParent's Guide to BEEF
BEEF (2023) is a dark comedy-drama anthology series created by Lee Sung Jin for Netflix, following the intense aftermath of a road rage incident. The first season stars Steven Yeun as Danny Cho, a struggling contractor, and Ali Wong as Amy Lau, an unfulfilled entrepreneur, whose minor altercation spirals into a destructive and all-consuming feud. The series explores themes of rage, mental health, societal pressures, and the human condition, often through exaggerated and darkly comedic scenarios. It has garnered critical acclaim for its writing, directing, and the performances of its lead actors. The show's premise involves two strangers whose lives become intricately and dangerously intertwined as they seek revenge on each other, leading to increasingly chaotic and often violent outcomes. The series is intended for mature audiences due to its explicit content and complex themes.
Things to Consider
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
The series features openly queer women, including a prominent character in a same-sex relationship. Naomi, a supporting character, reveals her bisexuality, and Jordan, an entrepreneur interested in Amy's company, is explicitly described as a lesbian. Their relationship contributes to narrative arcs involving personal insecurities and plot developments.
Naomi (Ashley Park), Amy's frenemy, mentions her bisexuality late in Season 1, adding a layer to her character as she grapples with insecurities and her relationships. Jordan (Maria Bello), the CEO interested in acquiring Amy's company, is depicted as an openly lesbian character and enters into a relationship with Naomi. The dynamic of this relationship intensifies Naomi's existing insecurities and plays a role in the unfolding events of the series.
Violence
BEEF features extensive and escalating violence, ranging from intense road rage and dangerous car chases to physical assaults, gun violence, and implied deaths. The violence is often graphic or psychologically disturbing, depicting characters engaging in destructive and retaliatory acts against each other and others.
Romance and Sexual Content
The show includes graphic and explicit sexual content. This ranges from implied and depicted masturbation to explicit sexual encounters, including oral sex and extramarital affairs. Nudity is also present, with mentions of a glimpse of a penis and graphic thrusting.
Profanity
BEEF contains a high frequency of strong and offensive language throughout its episodes. Various expletives are used consistently, reflecting the characters' intense emotions and stress.
Scary & Intense Content
BEEF consistently features scary and intense content, driven by psychological suspense and escalating conflict. This includes prolonged scenes of distress, life-threatening situations, and emotionally disturbing themes such as suicidal ideation, rage, and profound loneliness.
Disrespect & Rebellion
The core narrative of BEEF is centered on extreme disrespect and rebellion, as the protagonists engage in a prolonged and escalating feud. Their actions consistently defy social norms, familial expectations, and legal boundaries in their quest for revenge and self-validation.
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Substance Use
The series depicts characters engaging in various forms of substance use, including smoking cannabis, drinking alcohol, and discussing microdosing drugs. There are also instances where characters are involuntarily exposed to substances leading to hallucinations.
Anti-Christian Themes
The series presents a 'mixed pagan worldview' and explores the struggles of Christian faith, rather than explicitly promoting anti-Christian themes. While a main character engages with the church, he ultimately admits to losing his faith, which could be concerning for Christian viewers.
Witchcraft & Occult
Occult content is minimal and primarily metaphorical. There is a single reference to a 'witch character' in a flashback related to Amy's childhood feelings of inadequacy, but no active practice of witchcraft, magic rituals, or supernatural elements are central to the plot.
BEEF offers a raw and often uncomfortable reflection on the human condition, grappling with themes of unfulfilled desires, suppressed rage, and existential angst. From a Christian worldview, the series highlights the consequences of unbridled sin, particularly wrath, envy, and pride, as Danny and Amy become consumed by their feud. While the show occasionally touches upon Christian faith, with Danny engaging with a church, it ultimately presents a predominantly humanistic and relativistic worldview where characters struggle to find meaning and redemption outside of a transcendent truth. The ending, despite offering a sense of connection between the protagonists, culminates in Danny admitting a loss of Christian faith, which contradicts the biblical teaching of God as the ultimate source of hope and purpose. The morality of characters in BEEF is consistently flawed, with individuals often rewarded for cunning and vice in the short term, though their actions ultimately lead to greater destruction and misery. There is a strong sense of moral accountability in the cascading negative consequences of their choices, but the path to true repentance or forgiveness (as understood biblically) is often obscured or only hinted at. While some moments of compassion and mercy appear in the finale, they are presented more as a result of shared suffering and mutual understanding rather than divine grace. Family values are depicted as strained and often broken; relationships are characterized by lies, denial, and manipulation, with children often caught in the crossfire of parental discord. The worldview presented leans heavily into a materialistic and relativistic understanding of life, where happiness is a fleeting commodity and individual perception dictates truth. The series excels at exposing the 'squalor of our hidden inner life' and the shame that drives much human behavior, which can resonate with Christian teachings on sin and brokenness. However, it largely lacks a clear redemptive arc rooted in biblical principles of sacrifice, repentance, or true grace for all characters. While the struggle to be seen and understood is a profound theme, the resolution for the main characters remains ambiguous in terms of finding ultimate peace or spiritual reconciliation, focusing more on the shared burden of their human experience.
Additional Context
Best For Ages
TV-MA. The series is strongly recommended for adults aged 17 and older. This recommendation is due to frequent strong profanity, graphic sexual content including nudity and explicit acts, pervasive violence with disturbing imagery and implied deaths, significant substance use, and intense psychological themes such as depression, suicidal ideation, and extreme anger. Parental guidance is highly suggested for anyone under 17, and it is not suitable for young children.
Good to Know
BEEF (2023) is an anthology series, meaning that while Season 1 concludes its specific narrative, subsequent seasons (like the confirmed Season 2) feature new characters and storylines. However, these later installments are expected to maintain similar levels of intensity regarding profanity, violence, and psychological themes, continuing the show's exploration of human flaws and societal pressures. Parents should anticipate consistent mature content across different seasons.
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