Oscar Isaac's Beef Pays Off Netflix's Risky Miniseries Format Change

The newest season of Netflix's Beef proves that a recent trend on the streaming platform is paying off. The show premiered on Netflix in 2023 as a miniseries starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun as two people set at violent odds after a road-rage incident. The self-contained story was a solid hit, earning a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes and maintaining its spot in Netflix's Top 10 for several weeks. This ultimately inspired the streaming giant to change course with Beef, greenlighting it for a second season despite its miniseries format.

Now that the second season of Beef has arrived, it officially establishes the series as an anthology with a new story and characters. This time, Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny, and Charles Melton star as two couples trapped within a battle of the generations. Beef season 2 currently has an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the show is once again sitting at #1 on Netflix's Top 10. Clearly, Netflix's decision to turn this show from a miniseries into an extended anthology has really paid off.

Beef Season 2 Gives Netflix A Reason To Extend More Miniseries

Netflix's extension of miniseries has become an intriguing trend. At first, it seems a bit risky and redundant. However, when considering how cancellations affect a streaming platform, it begins to make sense why Netflix would rather start with a self-contained story and then decide whether to expand. Had Beef not performed that well, there would have been no need for Netflix to even passively acknowledge any sort of failure. Everyone would just move on.

Miniseries are essentially the pilot episodes of yore, but with even less pressure. Back in the day, networks would broadcast a single episode to gauge viewership before ordering a full series. The practice fell away, but Netflix's preference for miniseries revives a similar concept. Beef is proof that the approach works. Viewers wanted more, and they got it, and Netflix had to risk very little, said and done. Since it worked out in this circumstance, we can surely expect Netflix to lean further into this approach.

Anthologies Are Set Up To Become The Next Big Thing Of Streaming Television

Of course, in Beef's case, Netflix extended a miniseries without extending its story, and that means even less was ever at risk. For as long as there has been television, there have been frustrating cancellations that left audiences hanging. Even decades later, viewers lament that they never found out how a certain story was supposed to end. Part of the appeal of miniseries is that this can't happen, but if the show is extended into a seasonal series, that risk is renewed. If it is extended into an anthology, however, that miniseries benefit is maintained.

Even if Beef season 2 was a major flop and Netflix decided to cancel it, viewers wouldn't be left hanging. That lack of risk extends straight from the production company to the viewers, since they know they can fall in love with a show without worrying that the story won't be resolved. Additionally, there's a certain sort of narrative reliability here as well. Anthologies may have a new story and characters with each season, but there is typically an established, common thread.

In the case of Beef, we know that every story will center on a chaotic rivalry, but it will be padded with meaningful themes of human connection. Those who enjoy that central concept can start a new season knowing that it will be a fresh take on the same idea. Overall, anthologies mean greater security for both those who make them and those who watch them. Given the mutual benefits and the excellent example that Beef has set, it's hard to imagine Netflix and other streamers not leaning all in.