Beef Review: Steven Yeun And Ali Wong Shine In The Funniest And Boldest Dark Comedy Since Atlanta

A cynic might argue that there’s an all-too-recognizable formula for popular television shows these days. Spicy premises starring damaged characters with very few likable traits, copious amounts of sex and cheating and violence, and F-bombs galore all feel like time-honored shock tactics to coax jaded, spectacle-starved audiences into uniting around a particular water-cooler show. For every “Succession” or “Yellowjackets,” it always seems as if immensely popular shows like “Euphoria” remind us that edginess sells above all else.

“Beef,” the latest television project from A24 and Netflix (two studios that certainly know their way around sensationalist productions), won’t immediately dispel those surface-level criticisms. The inciting action unfolds after the pettiest of road rage incidents. Co-leads Steven Yeun and Ali Wong curse up a storm in clip-ready segments that seem destined to go viral on social media. The more one watches these characters go about their daily lives, the less there are to root for.