When folks nowadays hear the phrase “sexy beast,” they might think of the furry-esque Netflix dating show Sexy Beast. Perhaps they imagine Barry Keoghan’s carnal performance in Saltburn. “Sexy beast” can mean a lot of things, but let’s be clear: It truly belongs to Gal Dove, his stunning wife DeeDee, and his foolish, loud friend Don Logan.
The trio stars in Sexy Beast, a Paramount+ prequel series based on the film of the same name (streaming Jan. 25). In series creator Michael Caleo’s take on the world of Jonathan Glazer’s 2000 film, these returning characters still live up to that title. Gal, a suave British criminal played by Ray Winstone in the original film and James McArdle in the series, is—and always has been—a provocative mastermind, whose good looks and smooth moves make the refreshed story so watchable.
It’s the 1990s, long before Gal and Don (played by Emun Elliott in the series and Ben Kingsley in the original film) have fallen out, as they do in the film. We meet Gal the same way we do in the movie: He’s lounging by the pool, oiled chest towards the camera, chilled beer in hand. But this pool is neither gigantic nor in the backyard of the mansion we once knew him to own; rather, it’s a blow-up kiddie pool set up on the roof of his tiny apartment. Still, some things never change: Here comes Don with his big mouth and a bad idea.
Although Don and Gal are a step up from petty thieves, they’re not yet the seedy masterminds they are in the movie. This could change, however, when they’re introduced to wealthy gangsters Ted (Stephen Moyer) and Stan (Paul Kaye), who start the pair off on an easy heist: They’ll steal a rare coin from a moving vehicle. So begins Don and Gal’s journey up the ladder of delinquency—will they continue committing offenses for Ted and Stan, or will they branch off and do their own thing?
The misdemeanors are fun and well-choreographed, quick and exciting burgles that keep the crime aspect of the show moving. But it’s Don and Gal’s relationship that really makes Sexy Beast so watchable. Don is always getting the pair of them into trouble, and Gal is always fixing the situation Don got them to in the first place. (Well, not always; alas, we’ll leave that for the movie.) They’re a classic “good cop, bad cop” pair, except that here, “bad” just means that Don’s terrible at his job. And they’re the opposite of cops.
(L-R) James McArdle and Emun Elliot.
Sanne Gault/Paramount+
The Gal and Don dynamic is solid as written; unfortunately, McArdle and Elliott are no Winstone and Kingsley—they don’t have the bombastic gangster energy. The pair of Gals may look alike, but Sexy Beast isn’t quite as good without a devious Winstone leading a series of chaotic, mysterious events. Our new Gal does need to be less confident in the criminal world—he’s not THE Gal Dove quite yet—but he lacks a certain je ne sais quoi that made Winstone’s Gal the unique, compelling character he is in the film.
That said, Sexy Beast has found an apt replacement for DeeDee in Sarah Greene. Unlike Don and Gal, DeeDee (originally played by Amanda Redman) is already established in her own corner of the world. She’s already made a big name for herself in the adult film industry; however, she’s struggling to figure out if she likes that. Although the crime scenes with Don and Gal are a good time, DeeDee’s path toward self-discovery is often more thought-provoking than what the boys are up to. Plus, her chemistry with Gal—who, in the prequel, is some hot stranger she meets at a bar—is unreal.
(L-R) James McArdle and Sarah Greene.
Sanne Gault/Paramount+
The biggest hurdle Sexy Beast has to climb, then, is not creating new criminal entanglements, replacing its lead set of stars, or revamping that wicked sense of humor from the first movie. What it may struggle with is finding an audience—who is going to watch a prequel to a decades-old movie that barely made $10 million at the box office? It’s a bit of a random choice in the world of existing IP projects. The film has become a bit of a cult classic over the years; maybe the fans are still die-hard enough to sign up for Paramount+.
The hope is that they are, and also that this show brings more eyes to the original Sexy Beast movie, which—even with its cult status—remains underrated to this day. The new Sexy Beast isn’t quite as electric as its source material, but to match that film’s vibrancy would be a major feat in itself. Still, it manages to do justice to these three iconic characters as it shows their rises to power. Oh—and, by God, it is sexy as all hell. But that should be a given in a show titled Sexy Beast.
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