The new Netflix and A24's new series BEEF was put into motion when the two main characters interacted through an unlikable situation: an intense, ugly road rage incident. These two strangers, played by Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, are committed to taking the other down. Their mutually destructive decision causes their lives to unravel and affect the people around them.
Created by Lee Sung-jin, the acclaimed series — currently sitting at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes — is filled with people who walk the fine line between being the hero and the villain in their own stories. The two leads, Danny Cho (Yeun) and Amy Lau (Wong) are morally gray characters, but audiences would still like to see them find peace. In a show full of reckless yet charming characters, it's hard to tell who's the most likable.
The following article contains spoilers for BEEF.
10 Jordan Forster
The series introduced Jordan (Maria Bello) as a pretentious rich person who treats her guests to a deconstructed mushroom dish with edible foam. Jordan owns a home improvement business and wants to acquire Amy's thriving plant business. She is also quite insensitive regarding culture, "whitesplaining" her experience in China, and has a collection of indigenous crowns at her massive house.
As a boss of a big business, she does not tolerate personal drama. Her partner Naomi suggested Amy to mention "work emergency" when rescheduling her meeting with Jordan. Her wealth also made her heartless, evidenced when she wanted to purchase a piece of art from Amy's mother-in-law when it was not for sale.
9 Edwin
Edwin (Justin H. Min) seems to have it all. He leads the worship band in his local church and has a beautiful wife, pregnant with their first child. However, that balance is disturbed when his wife's ex-boyfriend Danny Cho comes knocking and starts attending the same church. Edwin reveals himself as insecure, constantly worried that Danny would steal his wife.
He showed his true colors in a friendly basketball match at the church and has lost it ever since. He accused Danny of running an illegal business and does not hesitate to join the hypothetical crime. Feeling rejected, he resorted to petty pranks to disturb Danny. If only he had taken the high road, things would turn out differently for him.
8 George Nakai
Amy's husband, George (Joseph Lee), mostly stays at home and produces work that can only be classified as art because of his family's prestige in the art world. He is a caring father to their daughter but can also be oblivious to other things, such as his wife's problems. That makes him a prime target for Danny to befriend and plan his next devious move.
While George likes to communicate their marriage problems openly — going to the therapist and doing intimacy exercises — he generated the worst excuse possible when he mistakenly sent a sexy Instagram photo of Amy's employee to Amy, saying that he was saving that for the captions. He also did the cliched stay-at-home dad problem, which was to get friendly with a younger woman while his wife was working.
7 Fumi Nakai
Amy's mother-in-law Fumi (Patti Yasutake), is a renowned artist with eccentric sensibilities. Her magnum opus, The Tamago chair (which becomes the center of one of the beefs), was molded with her own backside. Fumi is very protective of her son, George. She also knows George is talentless and will lose his way without guidance.
As a result, Fumi acknowledges Amy's contribution to the family. She also wants her son to work more on his art and not just be a stay-at-home dad, hoping that June will become a true artist. Even though it came from love, Fumi conveys all this in a very passive-aggressive manner. She even continues to do this even when she is badly injured.
6 Danny Cho
As one of the main beefing characters, audiences are introduced to Danny (Steven Yeun) as a depressed, big-mouthed man; contemplating suicide through hibachi grills while telling people how to live their lives. His encounter with Amy in the road rage incident jumpstarted his stagnant life. He rediscovers his faith, improves his business, and becomes closer to his family.
However, that did not come from nothing. Before that, Danny urinated all over Amy's fancy bathroom, let his cousin take the fall, embezzled money intended for the church, and even unconsciously started a kidnapping. On a more personal level, he has been limiting his brother from reaching his potential all this time.
5 Amy Lau
Amy (Ali Wong) runs a budding plant company and wants to spend more time at home with his daughter, so she aims to acquire her company from Jordan. As one of the two main characters, she has a laundry list of things she must not have been proud to do.
In an attempt to get back at Danny, she review-bombed his construction business, impersonated her employee, and eventually catfished Danny's unassuming brother. She then tagged Danny's truck with hurtful words, especially with a line that jabbed at his financial situation. Most shockingly, she addresses her mother-in-law by name, a rarity in an Asian family, though this is explained through her past.
4 Naomi Forster
On paper, Naomi (Ashley Park) should be basking in luxury due to Jordan's wealth. She already looks the part, evidenced by her glamorous style at home. However, Naomi is often felt left out by her partner. She is usually sidelined at Jordan's business meetings, to the point that she assumes the role of an unofficial valet.
Nevertheless, Naomi is helpful, giving Amy tips for dealing with Jordan. Her helpfulness and curiosity led her to drive the community investigation on the road rage incident. While she seems to be trapped in the financial and lifestyle security of Jordan, eventually, she decides to break away from it.
3 Isaac Cho
Danny's cousin Isaac (David Choe) has just been released from prison when audiences first meet him. Allegedly, he caused Danny's parents to lose the motel they owned. However, from his interactions with Danny, he seemed to be a chill, family-first guy. He does not hesitate to lend Danny money or help him with his business troubles, and he even comes up with a corny yet memorable business name for The Chos.
Sure, he has a sketchy way of doing things, but respect is earned from how he jumped head first to help family. Probably audiences would forgive that at one point, he does try to threaten to kill a kid for money.
2 Paul Cho
Paul (Young Mazino) wants a quiet life of gaming and crypto-trading, but his brother Danny keeps hovering around him, giving big speeches that mean nothing to him. When Danny starts beefing with Amy, Paul is inadvertently roped in. He was approached by a hot white girl on Instagram, who apparently was Amy. The sincere, funny, and respectful Paul was a breath of fresh air for Amy.
Paul lives with his brother, who he loves, but he is also the reason that he is stuck in his unremarkable life. He has a better business mindset and outlook on life than Danny; unfortunately, he never had the room to spread his wings.
1 June Nakai
The only pure-hearted character in this show is Amy and George's daughter, June (Remy Holt). Surrounded by creative and successful parents, June has all the makings to be a successful woman herself. Her family is currently molding her into an artist, which she has already displayed in her layered paintings of her family.
June is another collateral damage in Amy and Danny's beef. She was kidnapped (but claims it was the best day of her life), almost burned alive, and even dropped by her mother to the pavement. Let's hope these incidents don't leave any lasting scars...