Patrick Swayze’s Final TV Role Brought Grit and Career-Best Praise
A mentor under suspicion
The Beast premiered in early 2009 and was set in Chicago. Swayze played Charles Barker, an unconventional undercover FBI agent who takes rookie Ellis Dove, played by Travis Fimmel, under his wing.
Barker does not know that internal affairs is pressuring Dove to investigate him and determine whether he has become a corrupt officer. The show paired Swayze with Fimmel, who later starred in Vikings.
Critics singled out his performance
Reviews were mostly mixed, and The Beast received a 61% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, reviewers commonly praised Swayze as the show’s standout. Hollywood Chicago called his portrayal of the damaged character “arguably the best performance of his entire career.” The Star-Ledger also described it as a career best, while Common Sense Media said Swayze brought “flair” to the rogue-cop role despite the series’ familiar procedural setup.
The series ends in 2009
The Beast averaged 1.3 million viewers across 13 episodes. A&E canceled the series in June 2009, citing Swayze’s health struggles among the factors it weighed. Swayze died three months later at age 57. Fimmel praised his co-star’s resilience, calling him an inspiration and saying he could not speak highly enough of him.
Key points
- The Beast paired Patrick Swayze’s FBI agent with rookie Ellis Dove, played by Travis Fimmel.
- Swayze continued working after his pancreatic cancer diagnosis and resisted having his workload reduced.
- The series received mixed reviews, but critics frequently highlighted Swayze’s performance.
- A&E canceled the 13-episode show in June 2009; Swayze died three months later at 57.