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Fresh Air

Fresh Air

Lee Sung Jin on the breakthrough that led him to ‘BEEF’

Fresh Air · Jul 23, 2026 · 45:38

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The second season of Lee Sung Jin’s Netflix series ‘BEEF’ earned 16 Emmy nominations. Set at an exclusive country club, it stars Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan in a story about class struggles and generational differences. The storylines of both seasons were inspired by real events in Lee's life. Before ‘BEEF,’ he spent two decades in comedy writers' rooms, often feeling alienated as the only Asian person on staff. “That's what people first thought of me when I first started – I was the diversity hire." He spoke with Tonya Mosley about the years he spent masking to fit in, and the breaking point that changed how he writes. 

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new Apple TV series ‘Lucky.’ 


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