AMC+ is building out its programming slate with the upcoming drama The Beast Must Die, led by a duo of powerhouse performers: The Good Wife and The Good Fight’s Cush Jumbo and Chernobyl’s Jared Harris. The gritty British drama originally hails from BritBox, an ITV and BBC joint venture. In it, Jumbo plays Frances Cairns, a mother who mourns the loss of her child, who was killed in a hit-and-run. After the police investigation stalls, she decides to take matters in her own hands. Frances poses as a novelist researching a murder mystery and integrates herself into the family of the man she believes is responsible for her son’s death, Harris’ George Rattery. The A.V. Club is exclusively premiering the trailer for the AMC+ series.
As seen in the clip below, Frances seeks deadly vengeance against George, even if she doesn’t know how she’ll do it just yet. But clearly, George is sharp (and, apparently, pretty cruel), and figures out that she’s hiding a secret. It makes for an intriguing confrontation between the two characters, giving viewers the golden opportunity to see Jumbo and Harris face off against each other.
Frances is also tracked down by a detective with a fantastic last name, Nigel Strangeways (The Serpent’s Billy Howle), who has reason to believe his department covered up George’s involvement in the car accident. He suffers from PTSD after the recent death of his partner, so he throws himself into this case to help Frances and clear his guilt while ensuring no one else ends up dead. The show is based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Nicholas Blake. The cast also includes Geraldine James, Nathaniel Parker, Aasiya Shah, Maeve Dermody, Douggie McMeekin, Mia Tomlinson, and Barney Sayburn.
The six-episode first season of The Beast Must Die will be available beginning Monday, July 5 on AMC+, and Monday, July 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET on AMC, followed by new episodes every week. BritBox has already commissioned a second season centered on Howle’s Nigel Strangeways.