The Beast Must Die is a 2021 British thriller television series based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Blake, adapted for television by Gaby Chiappe. It centers on a mother's grief for her son who was killed in 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 believed to be responsible for her son's death.[1][2][3][4][5]
| The Beast Must Die | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
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| 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 |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Joel Devlin |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 56–63 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Release | |
| Original network |
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| Original release | May 27, 2021 (2021-05-27) – present |
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.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Dome Karukoski | Gaby Chiappe | May 27, 2021 (2021-05-27) | N/A |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Dome Karukoski | Gaby Chiappe | May 27, 2021 (2021-05-27) | N/A |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Dome Karukoski | Gaby Chiappe | June 3, 2021 (2021-06-03) | N/A |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Dome Karukoski | Gaby Chiappe | June 10, 2021 (2021-06-10) | N/A |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Dome Karukoski | Gaby Chiappe | June 17, 2021 (2021-06-17) | N/A |
Filmed on the Isle of Wight.
The miniseries premiered on May 27, 2021, on BritBox. It aired on AMC+ on July 5, 2021, and on AMC on July 12, 2021.
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]