Like its predecessor, the plot of Beef’s new season starts with one simple moment that explodes into something absurd, says streaming columnist NICK OVERALL. 

Beef is back on Netflix, returning with a sizzling second season this month.

The peculiar comedy-drama series proved a breakout hit in 2023 with its rapid fire pace and intriguing premise.

The entire plot ignites with a simple car ding.

Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) is a struggling contractor whose life spirals out of control when his car bumps into Amy Lau’s (Ali Wong), a bougie business owner.

A simple exchange of details is all that’s needed, right? 

Wrong.

This seemingly innocuous incident is the catalyst that sparks an obsession and hatred that neither of these very different people can let go. Both of them proceed to try and bring the other undone in this increasingly bizarre, suburban feud.

In season two it’s a new set of characters who become locked in a similarly strange duel.

Like its predecessor, the plot of this new set of episodes starts with one simple moment that explodes into something absurd.

This time it kicks off when a newly engaged couple working at a country club accidentally see their boss locked in a heated fight with his wife.

What should probably be a case of “none of your business” soon descends into a master plan of manipulation, blackmail and secret spilling.

The cast is packed. Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan play the rich managers of the club while Cailee Spaney and Charles Melton play the humble staff thrown into the turmoil of their own making.

Like season one, the core heat of Beef comes from the class differences of its characters.

This seemingly petty squabble in season two soon becomes a full-blown biff between the ultra-rich bosses of the country club and the underpaid workers that keep it running.

Easy to watch and easy to get addicted to, the social satire here is well cooked.

IN an age where it feels more and more like big tech is controlling what we see, scroll and buy it’s nice to be able to at least have a laugh about it.

Well, that’s basically the idea behind the news series The Audacity, anyway.

This dark comedy streaming on SBS On Demand dives into the ethically murky waters of Silicon Valley, following the millionaires and billionaires behind social media, artificial intelligence and those all encompassing algorithms designed to keep people glued to their screens.

The eight-episode story follows a charming but unstable CEO named Duncan Park (Billy Magnussen) who has pioneered AI software able to estimate and influence people’s next online click.

Park’s pristine world begins crashing down around him though when a data leak exposes just how much influence the software is having, not just on shopping but on politics, markets and even people’s day-to-day lives.

Now Park has to contend with journalists snooping around his company, politicians trying to distance themselves from the fallout and a therapist with an agenda of her own who is strangely curious about Park’s power.

The show is created by Jonathan Glatzer who has writing and producing credits on HBO Max’s hit series Succession and Better Call Saul.

If he’s put that pen prowess to work in this newest series he may just have another hit on his hands.

MARK Wahlberg’s new comedy movie arrives on Amazon Prime Video this month.

It’s called Balls Up and it stars Wahlberg as Brad Lewison, an advertising executive with a bold pitch: a condom sponsorship for the Football World Cup.

Somehow getting it actually on the pitch, Brad travels to Brazil for the major event where, after a drunken night out with a rival advertising executive, accidentally stops one of the teams from scoring the tournament’s winning goal.

That sparks all-out chaos as the duo are chased across the country by angry football fans, dodgy government officials and drug smugglers.

There’s not much more to say about this one than it being standard Wahlberg comedy fodder. 

With his track record that means it could go two ways: prove a major hit or be not much more than its title suggests it is.