Matthew Rhys made Emmy history this year when he won best actor awards in both the comedy and limited-series categories, for Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay” and Netflix‘s “The Beast in Me.”
While the former was initially envisioned as an ongoing series that’s been renewed for a second series, that wasn’t the case with “The Beast in Me,” which was intended to play out over the course of its single eight-episode season.
A Surprise Renewal
Now, days after Rhys’ historic dual Emmy wins, Netflix is announcing plans to bring back “The Beast in Me” for a second season.
“We always told ourselves we’d only do a second season of ‘The Beast in Me’ if we found a story that was worthy of the first — and I’m thrilled to say we found it,” series creator Howard Gordon said in the announcement, which also revealed he and the streamer “have forged a creative partnership under which he will develop new series exclusively for Netflix,” via his his Teakwood Lane Productions.
“We loved making this show and our audience seemed to love watching it, so we’re enormously grateful to Jinny Howe and Netflix, and to Karey Burke and 20th Television for giving us the chance to get the band back together and do it again,” Gordon added.
“We are thrilled to bring back ‘The Beast in Me’ and to welcome Howard Gordon to the Netflix family with this creative partnership,” added Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of scripted series. “The series captivated global audiences, delivered extraordinary performances led by Claire Danes, and earned Matthew Rhys a historic Emmy win. We are incredibly proud of what Howard Gordon, Gabe Rotter, and the entire cast and crew achieved. We can’t wait for audiences to see what Howard and [co-showrunner] Daniel Pearle have in store for the next season.”
Details Are Sparse
NetflixThe announcement also declared that “additional Season 2 details and information will be shared at a later time,” and did not specifically confirm that Rhys and Danes would return to reprise their roles.
“In ‘The Beast in Me,’ acclaimed author Aggie Wiggs (Danes) has receded from public life since the tragic death of her young son, unable to write, a ghost of her former self,” reads the Season 1 logline.
“But she finds an unlikely subject for a new book when the house next door is bought by Nile Jarvis (Rhys), a famed and formidable real estate mogul who was once the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance,” the logline adds. “At once horrified and fascinated by this man, Aggie finds herself compulsively hunting for the truth — chasing his demons while fleeing her own — in a game of cat and mouse that might turn deadly.”
While plot details were not revealed for Season 2, what is clear is that “The Beast in Me” was a critical and commercial success for Netflix.
Not only did the series debuted at No. 1 in Netflix’s Global Top 10 list of shows, it also reached the top 10 in 88 different countries, ultimately garnering 43 million views in just seven weeks.
In addition, the series proved to be a major awards-season contender, earning 21 nominations across the industry’s top honors, including two Emmy Awards — including Rhys’ historic win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and another for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score).
