Beef Season 2 features storylines that are inspired by real-life events. Writer/director Lee Sung Jin explains what these shocking changes will look like in the new season.
“First and foremost, I can only write what I know,” the Emmy-winning director tells PEOPLE about the drama, shouting matches and toxic feuds in Season 2.
An example of this are country club employees Ashley (Caley Spaeny), who suffers from a medical condition, and Austin (Charles Melton).
The young couple, filled with anxiety, tries to return the lost wallet to their boss, Josh (Oscar Isaac).
But he was having a domestic dispute with his wife Lindsay (Carey Mulligan).
Sensing the opportunity, the couple secretly films the heated exchange and uses them to obtain benefits such as health insurance.
This is the same scenario that Jin saw in real life, and Jin says that the scene was inspired by it.
However, the producers explain, when they asked for reactions to the story from different people, they received mixed reactions.
“This was when young people reacted like Ashley and Austin did. Whereas my peers the same age or older were like, ‘It’s a fight. I mean, who among us (hasn’t)?'”
Adding to the class theme, Jin says it will tell a story “honestly about young love versus older love in 2026.”
“It affects every conversation,” he shares, “It’s not getting better; it’s getting worse.”
Beef is streaming on Netflix.
