{"id":2381063,"date":"2026-04-20T10:54:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2381063"},"modified":"2026-04-20T10:54:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:54:19","slug":"oscar-isaac-carey-mulligan-in-thought-provoking-return-of-beef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/oscar-isaac-carey-mulligan-in-thought-provoking-return-of-beef\/","title":{"rendered":"Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan in thought-provoking return of &#8216;Beef&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It doesn\u2019t take long to get the gist of Lee Sung Jin\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2026\/04\/16\/charles-melton-mom-in-beef\/89564332007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:second season of Netflix\u2019s \u201cBeef,\u201d;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;second season of Netflix\u2019s \u201cBeef,\u201d&quot;}\" class=\"link \">second season of Netflix\u2019s \u201cBeef,\u201d<\/a> which squeezes a number of themes from generational battles to marital issues to class warfare into an eight-episode run that began (April 16) and it\u2019s positively brilliant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">What makes it so? Through the exploration of the assorted inadequacies of two couples \u2013 one millennial, the other Gen Z \u2013 and their lives of sometimes quiet desperation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But that\u2019s not all, as the series progresses, an increasing number of layers peel away to reveal the sinister, manipulative nature of humanity \u2013 poor, middle class, wealthy \u2013 all of it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It begins with a marital spat between <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/videos\/entertainment\/tv\/2026\/04\/09\/oscar-isaac-carey-mulligan-beef-season-2-premiere\/89537209007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Josh (Oscar Isaac) his wife Lindsay (Carey Mulligan);elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Josh (Oscar Isaac) his wife Lindsay (Carey Mulligan)&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Josh (Oscar Isaac) his wife Lindsay (Carey Mulligan)<\/a>. He\u2019s the general manager of a country club, she a housewife who assists him whenever and wherever she can.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan play a married couple whose fight entangles them with another pair of lovers in the second season of Netflix&#8217;s &#8220;Beef.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Club employees Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton), a Gen Z engaged couple, witness that spat and blackmail begins when Ashley, a beverage cart girl at the club who doesn\u2019t have benefits, finds herself needing healthcare.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Josh buys her silence with a promotion to a position to she\u2019s not even remotely qualified. But blackmail is blackmail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As for Josh and Lindsay, they\u2019re pretenders. They mingle in the world of the rich and famous \u2013 like Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps \u2013 but cannot afford to reside in it. Josh lives in a state of denial while she is well aware of that fact.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Although those couples are central to the series, \u201cBeef\u201d goes well beyond them and to watch it unfold is a delicious experience with the subterfuge, backstabbing and the detailed look at human frailty and amorality in some cases.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac play a couple on the outs in Season 2 of &quot;Beef.&quot;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"480\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/7UtYjTPnCrKIhGX2BGFbFQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQ4MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/akron-beacon-journal\/930212287a06317f1eda59c81bd36c89\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac play a couple on the outs in Season 2 of &#8220;Beef.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Isaac and Mulligan, to little surprise, anchor it all and Spaeny and Melton prove to be equally effective. But the beauty in Jin\u2019s creation is that he brings along a host of supporting characters that more than move the proceedings and move the story forward.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cBeef\u201d offers more than its share of surprises, proves to be razor sharp in its criticism of society, especially the flawed systems that cause harm in this country, and is the type of compelling television that is imminently bingeable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Streaming:<\/strong> Eight episodes currently streaming on Netflix<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Grade:<\/strong> A-<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">\u2018Balls Up\u2019 is a pure raunch fest that over does it<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">There was a time when a movie like \u201cBalls Up\u201d would have them lined up at movie theater box offices. It\u2019s a throwaway comedy with a few cheap laughs <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/mlb\/reds\/2026\/04\/10\/mark-wahlberg-working-pete-rose-movie\/89548871007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:featuring Mark Wahlberg;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;featuring Mark Wahlberg&quot;}\" class=\"link \">featuring Mark Wahlberg<\/a> and Paul Walter Hauser as a couple of condom salesmen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">No, the filmmakers weren\u2019t exactly going for highbrow and given it comes from Peter Farrelly, that should not have been the standard. Farrelly has directed some comedy classics \u2013 \u201cThere\u2019s Something About Mary,\u201d \u201cDumb and Dumber\u201d and \u201cKingpin\u201d \u2013 but his career has been a bit more scattershot since those 90s-era efforts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But times have changed since the 1990s and what shocked then in an R-rated film may as well be a PG-13 today. \u201cBalls Up\u201d takes advantage of that fact, pushing boundaries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Wahlberg is Brad and Hauser is Elijah two salesman schlubs assigned to try to place their company\u2019s new product \u2013 an all-coverage condom \u2013 as the prophylactic of Brazil. Hilarity allegedly ensues. It\u2019s hit or miss. But I endured it so others would not have to.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">\u2018Man on Fire\u2019 remake set for April 30 debut on Netflix<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cMan on Fire\u201d was a Denzel Washington flick that scored well with critics, but not so well with audiences, which, of course, makes it perfect for a Netflix remake as a TV series. It stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Take a look:<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Netflix\u2019s \u2018Virgin River\u2019 takes top spot in streaming ratings<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cVirgin River\u201d is still going strong in its seventh season on Netflix judging from this week\u2019s Nielsen ratings. And \u201cZootopia 2\u201d is a powerhouse on Disney+.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Overall<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cVirgin River\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 1.594 billion minutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cBeauty in Black\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 1.416 billion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cZootopia 2\u201d (Disney+) \u2013 1.306 billion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cOne Piece\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 1.27 billion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe Pitt\u201d (HBO Max) \u2013 1.143 billion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Originals<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cVirgin River\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 1.594 billion minutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cBeauty in Black\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 1.416 billion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cOne Piece\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 1.27 billion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe Pitt\u201d (HBO Max) \u2013 1.143 billion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe Madison\u201d (Paramount+) \u2013 979 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Movies<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cZootopia 2\u201d (Disney+) \u2013 1.306 billion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cNobody 2\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 499 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cPeaky Blinders: The Immortal Man\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 404 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWar Machine\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 391 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cGaslit by My Husband: The Morgan Metzger Story\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 324 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beaconjournal.com\/story\/entertainment\/television\/2026\/04\/20\/netflixs-thought-provoking-beef-returns-with-carey-mulligan\/89665111007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Netflix's thought-provoking 'Beef' returns with Carey Mulligan;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Netflix'&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Netflix&#8217;s thought-provoking &#8216;Beef&#8217; returns with Carey Mulligan<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It doesn\u2019t take long to get the gist of Lee Sung Jin\u2019s second season of Netflix\u2019s \u201cBeef,\u201d which squeezes a number of themes from generational battles to marital issues to class warfare into an eight-episode run that began (April 16) and it\u2019s positively brilliant. What makes it so? Through the exploration of the assorted inadequacies [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2381064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[350618,354706,350733,442935,352491,23191,348741],"class_list":["post-2381063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-cailee-spaeny","tag-carey-mulligan","tag-charles-melton","tag-country-club","tag-marital-issues","tag-netflix","tag-oscar-isaac"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Oscar-Isaac-Carey-Mulligan-in-thought-provoking-return-of-Beef.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2381063"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2381065,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381063\/revisions\/2381065"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2381064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2381063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2381063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2381063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}