Summary
The Beast Must Die is a British thriller television series based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Blake, adapted for television by Gaby Chiappe. It centres on a mother's grief for her son who was killed in a car accident. She takes matters into her own hands by posing as a novelist to ingratiate herself into the family of the man whom she believes to be responsible for her son's death.[1][2][3][4][5]
| The Beast Must Die | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Based on | The Beast Must Die by Nicholas Blake |
| Developed by | Gaby Chiappe |
| Written by | Gaby Chiappe |
| Directed by | Dome Karukoski |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Matthew Herbert |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Joel Devlin |
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 56–63 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | May 27, 2021 – present |
Premise edit
Following the death of her son in a hit and run, all Frances Cairnes wants is to hunt down and kill the man she believes is responsible. When she finally tracks him down, she tricks her way into his house and plots his murder from within.
Cast and characters edit
Main edit
- Cush Jumbo as Frances Cairnes
- Billy Howle as Nigel Strangeways
Series 1 edit
- Nathaniel Parker as Blount
- Maeve Dermody as Violet
- Douggie McMeekin as Vincent O'Brien
- Mia Tomlinson as Lena
- Geraldine James as Joy
- Jared Harris as George Rattery
- Barney Sayburn as Phil Rattery
- William Llande as Martie Cairnes
Episodes edit
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Dome Karukoski | Gaby Chiappe | May 27, 2021 | N/A |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Dome Karukoski | Gaby Chiappe | May 27, 2021 | N/A |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Dome Karukoski | Gaby Chiappe | June 3, 2021 | N/A |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Dome Karukoski | Gaby Chiappe | June 10, 2021 | N/A |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Dome Karukoski | Gaby Chiappe | June 17, 2021 | N/A |
Production edit
Development edit
Casting edit
Filmed on the Isle of Wight.
Release edit
The miniseries premiered on May 27, 2021, on BritBox. It aired on AMC+ on July 5, 2021, and on AMC on July 12, 2021.
Reception edit
The Beast Must Die has received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 85% based on 20 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.48/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Cush Jumbo and Jared Harris make for thrilling combatants in The Beast Must Die, a coiled potboiler that excels with deft performances and rich atmosphere."[6] On Metacritic, it has a score of 73 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "Generally favorable".[7]
References edit
- ^ White, Peter (21 January 2021). "AMC Acquires Jared Harris & Cush Jumbo British Drama Series 'The Beast Must Die'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ "The Beast Must Die review – Cush Jumbo plots grief-fuelled revenge". The Guardian. 28 May 2021.
- ^ "'The Beast Must Die': BritBox Developing Season 2". Deadline. 3 June 2021.
- ^ "AMC Networks Acquires Drama 'The Beast Must Die'". Variety. 21 January 2021.
- ^ "The Beast Must Die and its story's origins". The Guardian. 2 June 2021.
- ^ "The Beast Must Die: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "The Beast Must Die: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
External links edit
- The Beast Must Die at IMDb
