Netflix is just hours from dropping all 8 episodes of ‘undeniably gripping’ thriller

Ever had a suspicious and sickeningly rich new neighbour, who you think could be a murderer? Maybe? Well, huge coincidence, because Netflix is hours from dropping a new drama with that exact set-up.

The Beast in Me is a starry two-hander, with Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys as warring neighbours, in eight episodes from creatives who have also worked on TV hits including The X-Files and 24.

Danes plays renowned memoirist Aggie Wiggs (what a name!), who has retreated from life in the public eye to grieve the loss of her young son. That is, until Matthew Rhys’ robustly wealthy real estate mogul Nile Jarvis (the names on this show!) moves into her small town in upstate New York.

If you’ve ever watched Desperate Housewives, you’ll know that the rumour mill always gets going when there’s a new person on the block. In this instance, the whispers are far more nefarious. (Although, in fairness, there was always a dodgy character pitching up on Wisteria Lane too.)

For Nile, questions linger over the disappearance of his wife. He was once the prime suspect and her case remains unsolved.

Struggling with writer’s block, Aggie soon realises the obvious subject for her to pen next is living a wall away. She then finds herself sucked into a ‘twisted’ mind game with him.

Other people are soon dragged in – Nile’s new gallerist wife, played by Brittany Snow, takes an interest in Aggie’s painter ex-wife (Natalie Morales).

The Netflix synopsis promises: ‘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.’

So where does this all lead? The stars have already teased during a joint interview with Vanity Fair that it might be hard for viewers to guess. They had only received three of the scripts when filming kicked off, so were acting the parts without knowing the outcome themselves.

Danes said to Rhys: ‘You kept turning to me like I was hoarding some answers and just being sneaky. You didn’t believe me when I said, “No, we have no f***ing clue”.’

The reviews proper aren’t out yet, but we have had a couple of promising previews ahead of the show’s release tomorrow.

The Vanity Fair write-up described The Beast Within Me as a ‘brainy, stylish cat-and-mouse thriller’, adding of Danes and Rhys: ‘Two slithery performances – each impossible to pin down, but vividly compelling from start to finish.’

Meanwhile, the Guardian wrote: ‘The show is melodramatic and overripe but undeniably gripping – and Danes does nervy, self-destructive anguish quite brilliantly.’

The Beast in Me is available to stream on Netflix from November 13.

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