The Beast

Now in this new A&E TV show... Patrick Swayze plays veteran FBI agent Charles Barker, and for sometime he has been working with a young protégé named Ellis Dove (Travis Fimmel). As more cases have to be solved, and more crime has to be addressed, Ellis comes to find out that he was actually recruited as a double agent to investigate Charles Barker's unorthodox work style, and activities.

And so far that is the plot.

Now after watching the first episode I will admit that this show is very good. Now I know some people will say that this show just looks typical, and it looks like your standard one hour drama, but to be honest with folks.. I believe it's better than most standard drama's that are currently running. I mean this show is very gritty, and ballsy. And I must say that this show really echoes the film Training Day (2001) with Denzel Washington, and Ethan Hawke. So if you saw that film then you can really get an idea on how this show flows.

Now getting to the characters....Patrick Swayze does a great job as Charles Barker. Now I know for Swayze to play this role, it's going to be kind of hard to reach the heights of his past roles in such films like Dirty Dancing, Road House, and Point Break. But Patrick Swayze pulls it off as Charles Barker, and he's really convincing as this unorthodox FBI agent.

Travis Fimmel does a good job. Now I've never heard of Travis Fimmel until I saw him in the first episode of The Beast, and like I said he did a good job. It's not the best acting performance, but it's not the worst I've seen. I just thought he did good.

And overall this show is good so far. I think it has potential. I believe it's different from your standard drama's that are currently running now like CSI:Miami, Without A Trace, and The Closer. The Beast is a drama that really pulls in your focus, and it's a good drama with the mix of some action, good mystery, and entertaining crime/corruption elements.

I saw the airing on 15 January 10:00 - 10:52 PM EST (this unusual time slot is what was scheduled). It was tight, well edited, grim, brilliant. I went to watch it with a friend and his cut was completely different. We both recorded another upcoming showing (17 January 6:00 - 7:00 PM EST and PST).

The showing on the 17th was far inferior; out of order, dumbed-down, slowed down, important points left out, and truly disappointing after the brilliant cut I had seen.

And if you are going to craft a show like this, don't decapitate it by blanking out every other word! Which versions did people see? Did anyone else catch two different versions of this? Which did you like better?

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.

Makes you wonder how many fast and loose agents are out there. In the past one such in the CIA thought Pol Pot was a good idea. But, that too, isn't the point.

And Travis Fimmel gives a good performance from the start as he begins to trust the lunatic he's teamed with. And later in the series shows a style that'll get him re-casted without too much problem.

But three cheers for Patrick Swayze. Always liked Roadhouse, yes, the fighting, but particularly the music. Friend of mine had this problem, and stayed in his bedroom 'til the end - which is certain. Swayze shows tremendous heart by doing what he's always done, and in this case with an inner edge.

This will go down in cinema/TV history as a hell of a swansong.

15th Sept. 2009. Heard the news. My condolences to Patrick's family and friends.

It seems that only interpersonal emotional dramas gather the votes. The Beast is emotional, but it is not Little House on the Prairie. Swayze as maverick FBI agent is ably abetted by his new partner, well-portrayed by Travis Fimmel, in catching the bad guys and finding out 'who-dunnit' in an event 15 years prior. The characters are hard men who suppress their emotions to get the job done, yet this is who they are. Why this show has low ratings? I can only guess that there is not enough emotional interaction among the characters, and female interest is definitely low. Yet this is what makes the show gripping. Who will snap? Who will betray and who will be betrayed? Are the 'good' guys really the good guys? Even the bad guys are not what they seem at times. This is action drama that revolves around Swayze, who, health issues in real life or not, delivers a driven performance as if each case might be his last. If you don't like The Beast and don't want more of it, what are you doing watching cop shows? Go back to your reruns of Friends and Seinfeld, instead.