The Beast

Patrick Swayze first impressed me with "Dirty Dancing" and I had hoped to see him helm a spate of musicals. After nearly losing hope, I had the pleasure of watching Swayze again in "Ghost" and was impressed by his soothing mix of masculine sweetness. Given the enormous success of these two films, plus his impressive stint in "North and South," I surely expected a spate of impressive Swayze movies. Alas, then came the insipid "Next of Kin" (ruined by a "Hollywood" ending), the turgid "Point Break" and the sleazy "Road House". I was apparently one of few who enjoyed "FatherHood," but I was really beginning to give up hope that Hollywood would EVER take full advantage of Swayze's dramatic abilities. Ironically, but fitfully, along comes "The Beast" to give Swayze a chance to REALLY demonstrate his "acting chops," just as his boyishly handsome looks wasted away to cancer, with "The Beast," which is also the darkest, grittiest "cop show" I have seen since "The Shield".

While I admire this 13 episode homage to the Swayze persona, I really wish the producers would repackage this excellent series with a new leading man. Certainly, any number of fine actors could play rogue FBI agent Charlie Baker; Liam Neeson, Denzil Washington, Russell Crowe, Michael Chiklis, Hugh Laurie, Jamie Bamber, Timothy Oliphant, David Morse and Will Patton come immediately to mind.

NOTE TO PRODUCERS: If you DO decide to revive "The Beast," either for theaters or RV, PLEASE retain the style and music of the original series, as both are superb.

I give "The Beast" a solid "8".

Kudos to Christine Moore for how she put together the Nadia episode of The Beast on A&E with Patrick Swayze. If she ever needs a demo reel of how extraordinarily good she can be, this one surely is it.

An astonishing bit of directing, and best of all it surfaced the remarkable actress Angela Gots (who I never seen before except without recognition in a House episode) in the role of a lifetime.

I see she has worked in movies and TV for 8 years and repeatedly shown flashes of extreme brilliance in small parts, but this is where she really gets to let it all hang out.

Nadia is a really driven character - a Rumanian woman driven to "traffic prostitution" in the United States in hope of tracking down her baby which her family had sold to illegal American adopters when the family were desperate for cash. And she achieves her comeuppance in taking down the villain of the piece - wow does she get her comeuppance!

Everything about this Christine Moore episode is just perfect. Script, casting, locations, lighting, music, and on and on. And she picked Angela Gots and directed her, in this astonishingly compelling and fearless performance - her scene in the warehouse is a classic.

May they both go to showbiz heaven for that.

First off, the show is good, and the reviews don't seem to indicate that. The cast is fantastic, the episodes are well written, and plot thickens with every episode. It's probably more of a guys show than girls, but i can see the cool girls liking it. (If you watch American Idol with your wife every week, good luck!) I feel the best part of a the show is the alacrity of plot development. Every show starts out with no real direction, then 180's to a complicated plot, then throws a 3rd or 4th plot in the mix to confuse you, then it all comes together, but still leaves the overall plot exposed. (If you watch the show, you'll know what that meant.)

I should start by highlighting that I am biased, Patrick Swayze is a legend in my eyes and his untimely death robbed the world of a hugely talented actor, may his soul rest in peace.

I don't think bias is necessarily a bad thing though, of course that is for you to judge. This TV series was cut short at the news of Patrick's death, which while understandable, maybe the biggest mistake ever made. Its an amazing show. If you think that weekend TV such as law and order, csi etc is good viewing, you will be blown away by this show. The script is nothing short of a masterclass, it takes you to the very last minute of every episode and never has you guessing what's going to happen, because, well simply you just don't want to, it leaves you wanting more.

Its gritty and realistic and while sometimes pushes the boundaries of what may be believable for some, Sir Swayze always makes it feel real. The tension builds from the first episode and rumbles all the way through, so you're never disappointed. If you like hard hitting feel good TV, this is ideal for you, and if you like Patrick Swayze, this is a must see TV series.

I can't understand how you could possibly think The Beast was a lousy show. Patrick Swayze is awesome in this role and Travis Fimmel brings a surprising strength to the show as Swayze's new partner. Each show reals me in even more and I can't wait for the next episode to find out where the two are next. I like the way the The Beast is filmed and enjoy seeing Chicago and its' various neighborhoods showcased brilliantly. It is refreshing to have a new crime drama that sets itself apart from all the other Law and Orders, CSIs, etc (so tired of those shows, ick). The story behind the story is what really interests me and it is fabulous to see Swayze's comeback. I root for Travis as well because not only is he easy to look at, he is turning into quite the actor.

Watch the show, it is totally worth it! Disregard the other comment. Seriously.