'The Beast In Me' Arrives On Netflix, Is It Based On A True Story? The Truth About The Thriller Saga

Picture this: Your next-door neighbour was once the prime suspect in his wife's mysterious disappearance. What would you do? Keep your distance, or take it upon yourself to play FBI and find out the truth? Well, that's what The Beast in Me is all about: a woman, 'Aggie Wiggs', who decided to solve the murder mystery like a crossword puzzle on a random Friday.

The Beast in Me takes fans on a paralysing experience

Gabe Rotter's creation, The Beast in Me, revolves around a recluse author, 'Aggie Wiggs' (Claire Danes), who struggles to pen her next novel following the tragic death of her young son. She's paralysed by her grief and is unable to write. However, a sudden move in her neighbourhood changes that. It's 'Nile Jarvis' (Matthew Rhys), who moves in next door, but not without his notoriety: 'He was the main suspect in the killing of his wife'. 'Wiggs' knows this, and now she wants answers. 

However, it might not be as easy as it seems. Her compulsion and curiosity soon evolve into a perilous, possibly deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The show, with all of its 8 episodes, was released on Netflix on November 13, 2025. Talking about the same during a conversation with Tudum, The Beast In Me showrunner revealed:

"Whether it’s Monica Lewinsky or Amanda Knox or Nile Jarvis or whatever, sometimes we are quick to make assumptions. But when we are forced to look at it from another angle, do we have the humility and the compassion to listen and to revise the narrative?"

Is The Beast in Me based on a true story?

The number one question about The Beast in Me has been whether it is based on a true story. Well, while it would soothe thriller fans' imaginations, the story is not based on a true story. While it explores themes and archetypes common to true crime stories, the miniseries itself is purely fiction. 

What drew Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys to the project?

Claire Danes was drawn to The Beast in Me because of 'Wiggs's' obsessiveness. She found the grief-stricken novelist to be like someone who was unlike any character she'd played before. During a conversation with PEOPLE, she revealed that 'Jarvis' brings out that 'animalistic energy' in 'Wiggs', and their relationship, as she called it, 'a little Hitchcockian', is filled with contradictions. She added in another interview that their characters are polar opposites who shouldn't work together but somehow do. She stated:

"He allowed certain parts of her that she had been in real denial of to surface and breathe. There was part of her that was really desperate for that, and it led to a lot of mess. He animates her, he enlivens her. She is in a very bad way; this paralysis is killing her. And he’s a very unlikely prince to find her in that glass box. It’s perverse, but kind of wonderfully so."

Matthew Rhys, on the other hand, called portraying 'Jarvis' an absolute pleasure. The American star isn't usually considered for grittier roles like this, which is why he was "100 per cent in" after reading the script. He revealed that when the team approached him, he was like, 'Look, if you'd be willing for me to play, I would love to,' because the script was so rich. In a conversation with Tudum, he stated:

"The part itself was so alluring — but also slightly frightening in a challenging sense, because I think it's very easy to walk those parts into possible cliché, which I was very wary and scared of. I wanted there to be a humanity to him, I think, because they've [Javis and Wiggs] both been through such enormous moments in their lives — there's a damage to him that's made him vulnerable."

What are your thoughts on The Beast in Me? Let us know.

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