diff --git a/History.md b/History.md
index 3b811bc0..9e5d35ce 100644
--- a/History.md
+++ b/History.md
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@
 
 This incorporates all changes after 4.17.1 up to 4.17.2.
 
+  * deps: body-parser@2.0.0-beta.1
+    - `req.body` is no longer always initialized to `{}`
+    - `urlencoded` parser now defaults `extended` to `false`
+    - Use `on-finished` to determine when body read
   * deps: router@2.0.0-beta.1
     - Add new `?`, `*`, and `+` parameter modifiers
     - Internalize private `router.process_params` method
diff --git a/examples/auth/index.js b/examples/auth/index.js
index b8e85430..2f05d5ff 100644
--- a/examples/auth/index.js
+++ b/examples/auth/index.js
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ app.set('views', path.join(__dirname, 'views'));
 
 // middleware
 
-app.use(express.urlencoded({ extended: false }))
+app.use(express.urlencoded())
 app.use(session({
   resave: false, // don't save session if unmodified
   saveUninitialized: false, // don't create session until something stored
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ app.get('/login', function(req, res){
 });
 
 app.post('/login', function(req, res){
+  if (!req.body) return res.sendStatus(400)
   authenticate(req.body.username, req.body.password, function(err, user){
     if (user) {
       // Regenerate session when signing in
diff --git a/examples/cookies/index.js b/examples/cookies/index.js
index 93515e59..7d6264a1 100644
--- a/examples/cookies/index.js
+++ b/examples/cookies/index.js
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'test') app.use(logger(':method :url'))
 app.use(cookieParser('my secret here'));
 
 // parses x-www-form-urlencoded
-app.use(express.urlencoded({ extended: false }))
+app.use(express.urlencoded())
 
 app.get('/', function(req, res){
   if (req.cookies.remember) {
@@ -36,7 +36,11 @@ app.get('/forget', function(req, res){
 
 app.post('/', function(req, res){
   var minute = 60000;
-  if (req.body.remember) res.cookie('remember', 1, { maxAge: minute });
+
+  if (req.body && req.body.remember) {
+    res.cookie('remember', 1, { maxAge: minute })
+  }
+
   res.redirect('back');
 });
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 30f06d5a..d40c3ca6 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "accepts": "~1.3.7",
     "array-flatten": "2.1.1",
-    "body-parser": "1.19.1",
+    "body-parser": "2.0.0-beta.1",
     "content-disposition": "0.5.4",
     "content-type": "~1.0.4",
     "cookie": "0.4.1",
diff --git a/test/express.json.js b/test/express.json.js
index 907fa0cf..16ac328a 100644
--- a/test/express.json.js
+++ b/test/express.json.js
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ describe('express.json()', function () {
           .post('/')
           .set('Content-Type', 'application/json')
           .send('{"user":"tobi"}')
-          .expect(200, '{}', done)
+          .expect(200, '', done)
       })
     })
 
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ describe('express.json()', function () {
           .post('/')
           .set('Content-Type', 'application/x-json')
           .send('{"user":"tobi"}')
-          .expect(200, '{}', done)
+          .expect(200, '', done)
       })
     })
 
diff --git a/test/express.raw.js b/test/express.raw.js
index 571c29ca..fbe52576 100644
--- a/test/express.raw.js
+++ b/test/express.raw.js
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ describe('express.raw()', function () {
         var test = request(this.app).post('/')
         test.set('Content-Type', 'application/octet-stream')
         test.write(Buffer.from('000102', 'hex'))
-        test.expect(200, '{}', done)
+        test.expect(200, '', done)
       })
     })
 
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ describe('express.raw()', function () {
         var test = request(this.app).post('/')
         test.set('Content-Type', 'application/x-foo')
         test.write(Buffer.from('000102', 'hex'))
-        test.expect(200, '{}', done)
+        test.expect(200, '', done)
       })
     })
 
diff --git a/test/express.text.js b/test/express.text.js
index 7c92f90e..ef95d3aa 100644
--- a/test/express.text.js
+++ b/test/express.text.js
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ describe('express.text()', function () {
           .post('/')
           .set('Content-Type', 'text/plain')
           .send('user is tobi')
-          .expect(200, '{}', done)
+          .expect(200, '', done)
       })
     })
 
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ describe('express.text()', function () {
           .post('/')
           .set('Content-Type', 'text/xml')
           .send('<user>tobi</user>')
-          .expect(200, '{}', done)
+          .expect(200, '', done)
       })
     })
 
diff --git a/test/express.urlencoded.js b/test/express.urlencoded.js
index 6011de05..ef94cec9 100644
--- a/test/express.urlencoded.js
+++ b/test/express.urlencoded.js
@@ -73,12 +73,12 @@ describe('express.urlencoded()', function () {
       .expect(200, '{"user":"tobi"}', done)
   })
 
-  it('should parse extended syntax', function (done) {
+  it('should not parse extended syntax', function (done) {
     request(this.app)
       .post('/')
       .set('Content-Type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded')
       .send('user[name][first]=Tobi')
-      .expect(200, '{"user":{"name":{"first":"Tobi"}}}', done)
+      .expect(200, '{"user[name][first]":"Tobi"}', done)
   })
 
   describe('with extended option', function () {
@@ -441,7 +441,7 @@ describe('express.urlencoded()', function () {
           .post('/')
           .set('Content-Type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded')
           .send('user=tobi')
-          .expect(200, '{}', done)
+          .expect(200, '', done)
       })
     })
 
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@ describe('express.urlencoded()', function () {
           .post('/')
           .set('Content-Type', 'application/x-foo')
           .send('user=tobi')
-          .expect(200, '{}', done)
+          .expect(200, '', done)
       })
     })