The Beast in Me is an American psychological crime thriller television series, created by Gabe Rotter for Netflix, starring Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys. Executive producers on the series include Jodie Foster and Conan O'Brien. It premiered on November 14, 2025, and received generally positive reviews from critics and nine nominations at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, with Rhys winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Although The Beast in Me was originally billed as a miniseries, it was renewed for a second season in September 2026.
Premise The series follows an author Aggie Wiggs (Danes) who begins writing a book about her new next-door neighbor Nile Jarvis (Rhys), a real estate executive who allegedly killed his wife.
Cast Main Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs, a grieving author who struggles to write her next book Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis, the son of a real estate magnate who moves next door to Aggie's house in Oyster Bay, New York, on Long Island to live in a more secluded manner with his second wife as he allegedly killed his first wife Brittany Snow as Nina Jarvis, Nile's second wife who is a gallerist in Manhattan Natalie Morales as Shelley Morris, Aggie's ex-wife who is a painter
Recurring
Jonathan Banks as Martin Jarvis, Nile's father who is a ruthless real estate mogul David Lyons as Agent Brian Abbott, an FBI agent who previously investigated the Jarvis family Tim Guinee as Rick "Wrecking Ball" Jarvis, Nile's uncle who is also his security detail Deirdre O'Connell as Carol McGiddish, Aggie's literary agent and trusted friend Bubba Weiler as Teddy Fenig, a young drunk driver who killed Aggie's son Hettienne Park as Agent Erika Breton, an FBI agent who is Abbott's supervisor and lover Aleyse Shannon as Olivia Benitez, a city council member who opposes Nile's business plans Julie Ann Emery as Lila Jarvis, Martin Jarvis' wife and Nile's stepmother Amir Arison as Frank Breton, FBI Agent Erika Breton's ex-husband
Guest starring
Leonard Gerome as Cooper Morris-Wiggs, Aggie and Shelley's 8-year-old son who died in a drunk driving incident Brennan Brown as Phineas Gold, a city councilman whose campaign the Jarvises bankrolled Will Brill as Christopher Ingram, the brother of Nile's missing wife Kate Burton as Mariah Ingram, the mother of Nile's missing wife Bill Irwin as James Ingram, the father of Nile's missing wife Mozhan Navabi as Esme Noor, a political strategist hired by the Jarvises to do opposition research on city council members opposing Jarvis Yards Raphael Sbarge as Nick Ryder, the Jarvises' attorney Becky Ann Baker as Tessa Baldwin, Abbott's superior in the FBI Leila George as Madison Jarvis (née Ingram), Nile's missing wife
Episodes
Production Development The series is produced by 20th Television and created, written and executive produced by Gabe Rotter. Rotter initially wrote the script 6–7 years prior to production. It is executive produced by Jodie Foster, Conan O'Brien, Daniel Pearle, who also served as writer, Antonio Campos, who also directed, Jeff Ross and David Kissinger via Conaco, Howard Gordon, who served as showrunner, and Claire Danes, who also stars.
In September 2026, the series was renewed for a second season, with Danes reprising her role and Pearle serving as co-showrunner alongside Gordon.
Casting Matthew Rhys joined the cast for the Netflix production in August 2024. Brittany Snow, Natalie Morales, David Lyons and Tim Guinee joined the cast in October 2024. Deirdre O'Connell, Jonathan Banks, Hettienne Park, Aleyse Shannon, Will Brill, Kate Burton, Bill Irwin, Amir Arison, and Julie Ann Emery joined the cast in November 2024.
Filming Filming took place in Red Bank, New Jersey in September 2024.
Release The first season premiered on Netflix, with all eight episodes on November 14, 2025.
Reception Critical response The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 85% approval rating, based on 71 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A cut above the usual murder mystery, The Beast in Me stages a psychological duel that crackles with tension thanks to Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys' superb performances." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 71 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Accolades Award Year Category Nominee(s) Result ACE Eddie Awards 2026 Best Edited Limited Series Shelby Siegel Actor Awards 2026 Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series Matthew Rhys Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series Claire Danes Astra TV Awards 2026 Best Limited Series The Beast in Me Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie Matthew Rhys Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie Claire Danes Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie Brittany Snow Critics' Choice Awards 2026 Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Matthew Rhys Directors Guild of America Awards 2026 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Limited & Anthology Series Antonio Campos GLAAD Media Awards 2026 Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series The Beast in Me Golden Globe Awards 2026 Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television Matthew Rhys Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television Claire Danes NAACP Image Awards 2026 Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series C.A. Johnson Outstanding Editing in a Motion Picture or Television Series, Movie, or Special Ralph Jean-Pierre Primetime Emmy Awards 2026 Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series Howard Gordon, Daniel Pearle, Antonio Campos, Gabe Rotter, Claire Danes, Conan O'Brien, David Kissinger, Jeff Ross, Caroline Baron, Jodie Foster, Ali Liebegott, C.A. Johnson, Sean Sforza, and Sean Fogel Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Matthew Rhys Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Claire Danes Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards 2026 Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Gabe Rotter and Daniel Pearle Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Julie Tucker and Kim Krakauer Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Arjun Bhasin, Emmanuelle Martin, and Alyssa Avellino-Faivre Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) Sean Callery and Sara Barone Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music Sean Callery Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie, or Special Ruy Garcia, Marcello Dubaz, Marissa Littlefield, Isaac Derfel, Otis Streeter, Jo Caron, James Sizemore, and Guy Francoeur Producers Guild of America Awards 2026 David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television Howard Gordon, Daniel Pearle, Antonio Campos, Gabe Rotter, Claire Danes, David Kissinger, Caroline Baron, Ali Liebegott, C.A. Johnson, Sean Fogel, and Sean Sforza Satellite Awards 2026 Best Actor in a Miniseries, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television Matthew Rhys Best Actress in a Miniseries, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television Claire Danes Saturn Awards 2026 Best Television Presentation or Limited Series The Beast in Me Set Decorators Society of America TV Awards 2026 Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Television Movie or Limited Series Michael Nallan and Loren Weeks Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards 2026 Outstanding Original Title Sequence for a Television Production Sean Callery TCA Awards 2026 Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries, or Specials The Beast in Me Writers Guild of America Awards 2026 Limited Series Howard Gordon, C.A. Johnson, Ali Liebegott, Daniel Pearle, Gabe Rotter, Erika Sheffer, and Mike Skerrett
Influences It has been speculated that the series is based on the life of murderer Robert Durst.
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