The Beast in Me – Series Review | Netflix

THE BEAST IN ME on Netflix is a brilliant thriller, mystery, crime series with two breathtaking performances in the lead. Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys are phenomenal in this limited series with eight intense episodes. Read our full The Beast in Me series review here!

THE BEAST IN ME is a new Netflix series with eight strong and intense episodes. I found it impossible not to binge-watch this mystery thriller series with a crime plot. Admittedly, I expected to enjoy it, but I did not expect to like it this much.

It’s not often that we give a top rating to a series (or a season of a series). Not least because we want to watch the entire thing before bestowing such a rating. Well, for The Beast in Me, it couldn’t be anything less. This was a wild ride, but I’d gladly take it again!

Continue reading our (spoiler-free) review of The Beast in Me series below. Find it on Netflix from November 13, 2025.

Lost in grief and anger

With The Beast in Me, we follow acclaimed author Aggie Wiggs (Claire Danes), who lost her young son in a tragic car accident. This has resulted in immense grief, guilt, and a whole lot of anger towards the man driving the other car in the accident.

It’s now years later, and Aggie is divorced from her wife, but still living in the house they had just bought, when their son died. This house was bought as a project to be renovated, but not much has happened, so it’s quite a mess.

Just like Aggie, who is also years behind on delivering her next book.

She stares at the blinking cursor but is unable to write, and she is overall a ghost of the person she was. As a writer and human being alike. She misses her son and her wife, but is so consumed by darkness that she cannot move forward.

A slick millionaire moves in…

Enter Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys). A man trapped in darkness as well, though of a very different kind. He moves in next door and has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Nile Jarvis is a real estate mogul still somewhat in the shadow of his father.

However, these days, he’s more famous for having been the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance years earlier. Aggie finds herself fascinated by this man, but his usual charm has no impact on her. And yet, something is intriguing about Nile Jarvis.

He is clearly used to getting what he wants – either by charm or with cash – but Aggie couldn’t care less about either. She’s a lesbian author who wants for nothing except her son (and wife) back, and even Nile can’t manage that.

However, he can make life interesting for Aggie again. So, when the topic of writing a book about him – and getting to the bottom of his wife’s disappearance – comes up, Aggie Wiggs starts finding her way back to the person she was.

Of course, her own demons still exist, and while hunting for his, she might be faced with her own as well.

I mean, let’s be real, this is a thriller, crime, mystery, so obviously she will struggle with this. And seeing Aggie and Nile face off is absolutely brilliant. They are fascinated by each other due to the candid and direct nature that they both live by.

The powerful cast of The Beast in Me 

Claire Danes is (as always) pure intensity and emotion in the lead as Aggie. She is a broken woman, and wasn’t the best person even before the tragedy that shaped her present. Claire Danes is phenomenal in The Beast in Me.

The same has to be said for Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis. The character is both a classic jerk and someone who has more to him than meets the eye. For better and worse, but getting to know him is quite a trip.

Alongside Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, we have two actors in key roles. These are portrayed by Natalie Morales (Santa Clarita Diet) and Brittany Snow (Murdaugh: Death in the Family, The Hunting Wives), who portray the ex-wife of Aggie and the new wife of Nile, respectively.

Also in key supporting roles are Hettienne Park (The Outsider, Black Rabbit), Deidre O’Connell (The Penguin), Jonathan Banks (Constellation), David Lyons (Truth be Told), and Kate Burton (Violent Ends).

Watch The Beast in Me on Netflix

The creator of The Beast in Me is Gabe Rotter, who previously worked on The X Files. Onboard as showrunner, writer, and executive producer is also Howard Gordon, who previously worked on Homeland, 24, and The X Files.

Director Antonio Campos (The Staircase, The Devil All the Time) directs series episodes and also executive produces. Other producers include star Claire Danes, Conan O’Brien, Caroline Baron (Severance), and Jodie Foster. Yeah, quite a team!

The Beast in Me is very much a psychological thriller that shines a spotlight on the darkness anyone can contain. But also highlights that we can contain that darkness or work through it, instead of acting on impulse. Well, most of us, anyway.

The two absolute stars of this Netflix series are Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, and if you’re a fan of either (or have enjoyed their previous work), you’ll be very happy with them in this one as well. Despite a complete and solid ending, I wanted it to keep going.

The Beast in Me is on Netflix with all 8 episodes from November 13, 2025.

Details

Creator / Writer: Gabe Rotter
Showrunner / Writer: Gabe Rotter, Howard Gordon
Director: Antonio Campos
Cast: Claire Danes, Matthew Rhys, Brittany Snow, Natalie Morales, Jonathan Banks, David Lyons, Tim Guinee, Hettienne Park, Deidre O’Connell, Aleyse Shannon, Will Brill, Kate Burton, Bill Irwin, Amir Arison, Julie Ann Emery