Beef, starring Ali Wong and Steven Yuen, has received 13 nominations at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, or 2023 Emmy Awards. Both Wong and Yuen are in the running in respective acting categories and are one of the only five actors of Asian descent who are nominated in acting categories.
The nominees for the awards were announced on 12 July. Overall, four shows — Succession (27), The Last of Us (24), The White Lotus (23) and Ted Lasso (21) — received over 20 nominations.
But Beef is on a roll of its own. Created by the indie studio A24, which is behind Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), the show has received nine nominations in major categories, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. This makes Beef the contender with the third-highest major nods after Succession (14) and The White Lotus (12).
In all, its 13 nods make Beef one of the 11 that have received double-digit nominations.
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An outstanding show led by top Asian stars, Beef is about how a road rage incident alters the lives of two people. The Netflix series was received with a unanimous critical appreciation for its story, writing, performances and direction, following its premiere on 6 April 2023.
There are, in all, seven Asian names across major categories. The only Asian name besides the cast of Beef in the main acting categories is Kumail Nanjiani.
The 2023 Emmy Awards will be held at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, on 18 September.
All the Asian nominations in major categories at the 2023 Emmy Awards
Ali Wong
For: Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Wong plays Amy Lau in the series. Her character leads a picture-perfect life as a wealthy owner of a company. She has a husband and daughter. But she suppresses her deep-seated emotions to keep up the façade of a harmonious existence. And then, a road rage incident leads her emotions to surface.
Wong, who is of Vietnamese and Chinese descent, also has a second nomination for a different work. She is in the running in the Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance category for voicing Bertie in the animated sitcom Tuca & Bertie whose second season ended in August 2022.
Steven Yeun
For: Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Yeun, who was born in Seoul, South Korea, as Yeun Sang-yeop, plays Danny Cho. His life as a contractor is going down the hill. Danny blames the world for the troubles in his own life and refuses to believe that it is his actions that negatively impact those around him. His involvement in the road rage incident with Amy brings to the fore all his frustrations.
Joseph Lee
For: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Lee plays Amy’s trophy husband George Nakai, a California-based sculptor. Everything seems perfect in their marriage, but cracks begin to show as the story progresses. Underneath his apparently cultured image and skills, George essentially is a struggling artist who relies on the laurels of his family, especially his father who was a renowned furniture designer.
Lee, whose birth name is Lee Joe-yun, also acted in the South Korean drama The Miracle We Met in 2018.
Young Mazino
For: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Korean-American actor Young Mazino plays Paul Cho, the younger brother of Danny, in Beef. Paul is seen spending his days playing video games, investing in cryptocurrency and pleading with his brother for work in the construction business. His almost aimless life is interrupted when Amy lures him into a love affair in her quest for revenge on Danny.
Lee Sung Jin
For: Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Outstanding Writing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie
Lee, who was born in Seoul, was inspired to work on the story of Beef after an incident at an intersection in central Los Angeles in which a BMW driver behind his car began repeatedly honking just when the light had turned green. While his nomination as a director comes for the finale episode ‘Figures of Light,’ his nod in the writing category is for the opening episode, ‘The Birds Don’t Sing, They Screech In Pain.’
Kumail Nanjiani
For: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Nanjiani, who is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian and actor, aced the role of Somen Banerjee in Welcome to Chippendales. The biographical true crime drama tells the backstory of Somen, also known as Steve, an Indian immigrant who founded the Chippendales male strip club in 1979. Somen was charged in 1993 with arson, racketeering, attempted murder of three former Chippendales dancers, and hiring a hitman to kill one of his choreographers. He committed suicide in 1994 in prison.
Nanjiani is the only Asian nominee in any of the main categories outside of those who got the nod for Beef.
Joel Kim Booster
For: Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Fire Island is a queer rom-com centred on a bunch of friends who are faced with an unexpected problem that threatens to end their pleasant vacation.
Booster, who has also played the lead role of Noah in the film, was born in South Korea and adopted by an American couple. He has identified himself as an Asian in previous interviews and is openly gay.
Other major nominations that Beef has scored
Maria Bello
For: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Bello, who served as a producer on the 2022 film The Woman King, plays Jordan, an extremely wealthy but pretentious person to whom Amy wants to sell her company.
Jake Schreier
For: Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Schreier directed six of the 10 episodes of the series. His nomination comes for the penultimate episode, ‘The Great Fabricator.’
Nominations for Beef outside of main categories at Emmys
Beef has received four nominations outside of the main categories at the Emmys.
These include a nod for Charlene Lee and Claire Koonce in Outstanding Casting For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie and a nomination for Nat Fuller and Laura Zempel in Outstanding Picture Editing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie.
Penny Harold, Andrew Garrett Lange and Sean O’Malley were nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie for the episode ‘The Great Fabricator.’
Another nomination for Beef at the Emmys came in the Outstanding Contemporary Costumes For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie category. It is for the episode ‘The Birds Don’t Sing, They Screech In Pain’ for costume designer Helen Huang, assistant costume designers Austin Wittick and YJ Hwang, and costume supervisor Mark Anthony Summers.
(Main and Featured Image: Netflix)
This story first appeared here.