Viewers who tuned into Netflix’s new psychological thriller The Beast in Me, which comes from the creators of Homeland, are already hooked after praising the “addictive” plot. The eight-episode series, which dropped on the streamer on 13 November, stars Claire Danes (Homeland, Stardust) and Matthew Rhys (The Americans, Burnt) and has already shot to number two in charts for the top streamed TV shows on Netflix. The series centres around Aggie, an author recovering from the death of her son who finds that her mysterious neighbour could be the subject of her next book as he becomes the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance.
I’m really not surprised viewers are loving this one. Not only does the series mark another stellar collaboration between Claire Danes and Homeland co-creator Howard Gordon, but it also features a twisty plot that fans of Netflix’s The Watcher and the 2016 film The Girl on the Train won’t be able to resist. Intrigued? Find out what fans are saying about the new show…
Claire Danes plays Aggie
The eight-parter has gone down a treat with viewers who have hailed the show as “addictive” and who are “hooked” after binge-watching multiple episodes in one go. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer wrote: “Just binged yesterday @netflix. Excellent cast and performances by all! Fire up another project asap for Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys. An explosive team-up,” while another added: “I could watch them go at it for hours. What a pairing.”
A third penned: “I finished the entire eight episodes last night back to back. I loved it! Couldn’t stop until the mystery was revealed. Great cast, acting excellent. Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys were perfect together.”
Critics have praised the collaboration between Matthew Rhys and Claire Danes
What have TV critics said about The Beast in Me?
The show has also gone down well with critics and is currently sitting at a respectable 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. In its five-star review, The Guardian wrote: “This taut psychological two-hander between Danes and Matthew Rhys will surely win awards. You cannot look away,” while The Times agreed: “It’s a classic thriller executed with such panache that at times you feel you’re in the middle of someone’s nervous breakdown. But you won’t want to look away for a second.”
Meanwhile, The Evening Standard added: “With a killer cast, a compelling plot and a very convoluted cat and mouse dynamic between the two main characters, this is about as good as television gets.”
Aggie is an acclaimed author
What is The Beast in Me about?
The show follows the story of Aggie Wiggs, an acclaimed author who has become a shell of her former self and is unable to write after the tragic death of her young son.
The synopsis continues: “But she finds an unlikely subject for a new book when the house next door is bought by Nile Jarvis (Rhys), a famed and formidable real estate mogul who was once the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance. At once horrified and fascinated by this man, Aggie finds herself compulsively hunting for the truth – chasing his demons while fleeing her own – in a game of cat and mouse that might turn deadly.”
Brittany Snow plays Nile’s missing wife, Nina
Who stars in The Beast in Me?
Claire (Homeland, Romeo + Juliet) plays author Aggie, while Matthew (The Americans, Burnt) is her neighbour, Nile Jarvis. They’re joined by Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect, The Hunting Wives), Natalie Morales (No Hard Feelings, My Dead Friend Zoe) and David Lyons (Truth Be Told, She Rides Shotgun, Seven Seconds, ER, Eat Pray Love).
Bill Irwin as James Ingram and Kate Burton as Mariah Ingram
Other names include Tim Guinee (Horizon: An American Saga, The Staircase, Homeland), Hettienne Park (Black Rabbit, The Last of Us, Don’t Look Up, The Outsider), Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul, Mudbound, Breaking Bad), Deirdre O’Connell (The Penguin, Eddington) and Aleyse Shannon (Beauty, Leverage: Redemption).
Rounding out the cast are Will Brill (Fellow Travelers, The OA), Kate Burton (Grey’s Anatomy, Inventing Anna, Scandal, Dumb Money), Bill Irwin (The Dropout, Legion, Law and Order: SVU), Amir Arison (Sinking Spring, The Blacklist, The Dropout) and Julie Ann Emery (Better Call Saul).
All eight episodes of The Beast in Me are available to watch on Netflix now.
