BEEF is a slow-burn western about a rancher who loses a grazing lease and spends a season getting even. It is also a portrait of grief, family, and the small humiliations that pile up when you are trying to hold onto something you can no longer control. The show premiered on Prime Video in 2023, and it earned a critical score of 8.6 out of 10.
Trailer, via Netflix.
The Setup
Taylor Sheridan wrote and directed BEEF, and he builds the plot around a simple loss. Beef, played by Josh Brolin, loses his grazing rights on public land after a cattle count goes wrong. His wife, Carmen, played by Daniella Pineda, runs the ranch while he tries to rebuild. The show follows him through the spring roundup, the branding season, and the fall calving, each episode adding a layer of tension until the final confrontation with the man who took his land.
The pacing is deliberate. Sheridan trusts the audience to sit with silence and long shots of open range. There are no chase scenes, no gunfights in the first half of the series. Instead, there are conversations about fences, water rights, and the legal system that favors the rich over the working rancher. That restraint pays off by the finale, where the show finally lets loose.
The Cast
Brolin carries the weight of Beef’s anger and exhaustion. He is not a hero in the traditional sense. He is a man who made bad decisions, lost money, and now he is fighting to keep a way of life that is slipping away. Pineda matches him scene for scene as Carmen, a woman running the operation while her husband drifts. The supporting cast includes Walton Goggins as the villainous neighbor who bought the lease, and Scott Eastwood as a young cowboy who becomes Beef’s unlikely ally.
The performances are uniformly strong, but the chemistry between Brolin and Pineda is the engine of the whole show. Their scenes together are the emotional core, and the show would collapse without them.
What Works
- The cinematography, shot by Giles Nuttgens, captures the harsh beauty of the Texas plains.
- The music, composed by Graham Reynolds, uses fiddle and steel guitar to ground the drama in tradition.
- The writing avoids easy answers. Beef does not win cleanly, and the show does not pretend otherwise.
What holds BEEF back is the middle stretch. The second half of the series drags slightly as Sheridan piles on subplots about Beef’s son and his estranged father. These threads add texture but they also dilute the central conflict. The show is at its best when it stays focused on Beef, Carmen, and the land they fight to save.
Key Facts
- Premiere: Prime Video, 2023
- Score: 8.6/10
- Writer/Director: Taylor Sheridan
- Stars: Josh Brolin, Daniella Pineda, Walton Goggins, Scott Eastwood
BEEF is a dense, character-driven western that rewards patience. It is not a comfortable watch, but it is a rewarding one. The finale delivers a payoff that justifies the slow burn, and the show leaves the door open for a sequel that Sheridan has already confirmed is in development.
This is a show about pride, stubbornness, and the quiet desperation of people who have nothing left to lose. It is not for everyone, but for those who stick with it, BEEF offers a rare glimpse into a world that feels both ancient and entirely modern.
8.6 of 10.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
