Take a pinch of Mulder and Scully at odds with each other from the early days of The X-Files, add in the tough/bad-cop images we've seen recently in The Shield, and sprinkle a dash of procedural suspense inspired by any of the C.S.I. spawn. Also take from C.S.I. Miami or Las Vegas a liberal helping of cheese laced with some very Michael Mann-inspired atmosphere, and you start to get yourself in the right head space for The Beast. It really is an extremely watchable show, especially in the wee hours of the night when cable programming starts to fold in on itself with that brain-drain slurping sound.
The plot of The Beast is driven as much by intrigue as action, with the outstanding question being whether Swayze's character Barker is running a scam on the F.B.I. and his partner, Dove. The bait is set repeatedly in each episode, then pulled back when Barker saves Dove from an untimely death or redeems himself in some way as that "good cop" we really want. Dove waffles a lot, but the doubt he carries is within us as well. As Dove is being tempted to turn on Barker and become part of an internal investigation, things become more interesting. The characters apart from these two exist only as local color, dressing for the set where Swayze and Fimmel strut their stuff. The old man/young man dichotomy is played a bit, but we've never under any illusion as to which of the two would win in a fair fight. Especially when Barker is clearly the kind of guy that would never lower himself to a fair fight...
Sadly for the actors and fans, The Beast appears to have run its course with this first season, because Swayze contracted cancer and isn't well enough to see things through. We can always hope for a reprisal, but fresh-faced Fimmell isn't enough to hold down the store. Swayze lends solid ground to what would otherwise be thin gruel, playing his character with a great balance between wild-eyed zeal and monkish sagacity. Time would tell if The Beast had legs, but this collection of the first season shows lots of promise.
