Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Film and TV, Netflix, Rotten Tomatoes, Streaming
Ellie Kemp
A psychological thriller hailed 'extraordinary and compelling' has soared to the top of the Netflix charts - for one reason in particular.
The streamer might be home to thousands of addicticve TV shows, but viewers have watched this 'binger' for more than 45.4 million hours already, according to FlixPatol.
While Stranger Things creeps up the charts ahead of its highly-anticipated season five release, attention has turned to another gripping mystery thriller starring multi Emmy Award winner Claire Danes.
She stars as Pulitzer-winning writer Aggie Wiggs, who, haunted by the death of her young son, is now a shell of her former self.
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Living alone in the New York suburb of Oyster Bay, she's awoken when charming real-estate heir Nile Jarvis (Rhys) moves in next door.
He's plagued by the mysterious disappearance of his wife - and disparaging rumors about the incident - but Aggie pursues him nonetheless, both as a neighbor and a potential subject for her next book.
As their worlds collide, Aggie finds herself chasing his demons while fleeing her own, in 'a game of cat and mouse that might turn deadly,' as Netflix put it.
Pitch Perfect's Brittany Snow, Santa Clarita Diet's Natalie Morales, Breaking Bad's Jonathan Banks and ER's David Lyons also star.
The series in question is called The Beast in Me, and it's been hailed 'astonishing' and 'well paced' by critics.
Over on Rotten Tomatoes, it earned a solid 84 percent critics score, as their consensus called it as 'a cut above the usual murder mystery,' adding: "The Beast in Me stages a psychological duel that crackles with tension thanks to Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys' superb performances."
And it's the pair's on-screen chemistry that appears to have propelled the drama to the top of the streaming charts.
Viewers were in agreement, as one fan penned: "Hard to watch but extraordinary, compelling acting by Matthew Rhys and Claire Danes made this series a 'binger.'"
A second, claiming it was 'one of the best' series they've seen in a while, also gave the actors' performances a glowing review.
"Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys had a chemistry I have not seen in quite some time... It's one of those series that you just can't wait to watch the next episode," they added.
A third weighed in: "Absolutely riveting! The acting is superb! Highly recommend it!"
The Beast in Me is streaming now on Netflix.