The Beast

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.

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.)

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".

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 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.