The Beast in Me is the most gripping new Netflix drama since Untamed

Netflix's latest thriller miniseries The Beast in Me made its premiere on Nov. 13, and the new title didn't take long to shoot straight to the peak of the top 10 most-watched shows on Netflix ranking. It's no surprise that the show has experience overnight success since it's from the creators of Homeland and features two Emmy Award-winning stars in an epic team-up.

Claire Danes leads the cast as Pulitzer-winning author Aggie Wiggs, who's attempting to work on her follow-up book while still grieving the loss of her young son. Aggie secludes herself at her home on Long Island, but her world gets quite the shock when embattled billionaire Nile Jarvis, played by The Americans favorite Matthew Rhys, moves in next door with all his chaos in tow.

The Beast in Me tracks the captivating and oftentimes chilling clash between Aggie and Nile as they quickly get under each other's skin. Nile becomes the subject of Aggie's next book, and she takes the opportunity to dig into the allegations that he killed his wife and possibly someone connected to her life. By far, it's one of the most gripping new Netflix drama series of the year.

The Beast in Me delivers on the Netflix limited series recipe

These days, there's a pretty classic limited series formula to follow in order to score a hit show that everyone binge-watches and talks about. You need characters you love to hate, and sometimes even hate to love. Everyone has to be a suspect in the inevitable murder mystery, and you have to constantly reconsidered who might actually be the real villain of the story.

You could compare the show to various limited series that have been released on Netflix and other streamers this year. There's shades of Netflix's Sirens, Prime Video's The Better Sister, and Peacock's All Her Fault. These are shows about rich people entangled in nefarious matters and ongoing investigations. But The Beast in Me is the best new Netflix drama since Untamed had us all on the edge of our seats the summer. They're different on paper but very similar in other ways.

The Beast in Me perfectly adheres to the common recipe that results in a binge-worthy thriller limited series, but it's not reductive at all and actually builds on the usual tropes. The series has everything you look for in a Netflix limited series — murder, mystery, dynamic characters whose true motives are murky — without feeling like an eight-episode slog that could have just been a movie.

Each episode provides just enough new details to keep you intrigued and on the edge of your seat. You're never inclined to sigh and wish the series would end already, mostly because Danes and Rhys are so unbelievably electric together. Never take for granted watching two amazing actors still at the top of their game challenging each other, and the material, to be even better.

Brittany Snow deserves award nominations for her performance

Beyond Danes and Rhys, who are the ones who will inevitably get the most viewers to click play, The Beast in Me fills out its supporting cast with great actors that are always elevated by the performances of the leading stars. Most memorably, Pitch Perfect and The Hunting Wives star Brittany Snow delivers perhaps her strongest television performance of the year.

Snow's been on fire this year with an high-profile guest role in The Night Agent season, a leading role in Hulu's Murdaugh: Death in the Family, and the starring role in the aforementioned Netflix smash The Hunting Wives. Her latest role could be seen as a victory lap, but she's the secret weapon in The Beast in Me. Nina's slightly under-written and could have used more material, but Snow makes what could have been a character that faded in to the background a real highlight.

She should definitely be in consideration for the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie come Emmy season next year. In a lot of ways, the success of the show's storytelling hinges on her character, and Snow more than rose to the occasion with an unforgettable performance. Danes and Rhys should also be nominated, but that goes without saying.

As more and more limited series are released not only on Netflix but on other streaming services, it can be difficult to tell which ones will score award nominations and which ones we'll never hear about again. Even with its dime-a-dozen murder mystery setup, The Beast in Me's just too strong to be the latter. It's the kind of show that reminds you how good miniseries can be when they're done right.

Watch The Beast in Me only on Netflix.