''Beacon 23'' is an American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...

television series created by

Zak Penn Zak Penn (born March 23, 1968) is an American screenwriter. Penn wrote and directed '' Incident at Loch Ness'' and '' The Grand'', wrote the script for ''The Incredible Hulk'', co-wrote the scripts for '' X2'', '' X-Men: The Last Stand'', and th ...

, based on a series of short stories of the same name by Hugh Howey. It stars

Lena Headey Lena Kathren Headey ( ; born 3 October 1973) is an English actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO fantasy drama series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she received ...

and Stephan James, and is a co-production between

Spectrum A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...

and

Boat Rocker Media Boat Rocker Media Inc. is a Canadian multinational entertainment company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 2013 by the executives of Temple Street Productions, it holds interests in media production, distribution, brand licensing, ...

. Although originally greenlit by Spectrum Originals and

AMC Networks AMC Networks Inc. is an American mass media and entertainment corporation headquartered in 11 Penn Plaza, New York City. The company owns and operates the AMC cable channel, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, and We TV. It also owns the art ho ...

, it premiered on

MGM+ MGM+ (formerly known as Epix; pronounced ''epics'' and stylized as eᴘix), is an American Pay television, premium cable television, cable and satellite television, satellite television network owned by the MGMPlus Entertainment subsidiary of M ...

on November 12, 2023, in the United States. The second season premiered on April 7, 2024. Set in the 23rd century, the series takes place on a remote "lighthouse" in space. In September 2024, the series was cancelled after two seasons.

Premise

''Beacon 23'' follows Aster and Halan, two people whose fates become entangled after they find themselves trapped together at the end of the known universe. Aster mysteriously finds her way to a lonely beacon keeper, on his lighthouse in the darkest recesses of space. A tense battle of wills unfolds as Halan begins to wonder if Aster is friend or foe as her ability to disguise her agenda and motives could make her a formidable opponent.

Cast and characters

as Aster Calyx * Stephan James as Halan Kai Nelson * Natasha Mumba as Harmony * Wade Bogert-O'Brien as Bart *

Stephen Root Stephen Root (born November 17, 1951) is an American actor. He has starred as Jimmy James on the NBC sitcom ''NewsRadio'' (1995–1999), as Milton Waddams in the film ''Office Space'' (1999), and voiced Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland on the a ...

as Solomon *

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including Wester ...

as Sophie * Eric Lange as Milan/Aleph *

Marc Menchaca Marc Menchaca (born October 10, 1975) is an American actor, writer, and director. He was co-director, co-writer, and lead actor of the 2013 Heartland Film Festival movie ''This Is Where We Live'', and was awarded best actor at the Breckenridg ...

as Keir * Jess Salgueiro as Saldana * Daniel Malik as Finch * Marnie McPhail as Kanadey * Carolina Bartczak as Dr. Ree Avalon * Cyrus Faird as Tech Wrecker * Tara Rosling as Randall *

Sandrine Holt Sandrine Claire Holt (born Sandrine Vanessa Ho; 19 November 1972) is a Canadian actress. She was born in London and raised in Toronto. Early life Holt was born Sandrine Vanessa Ho in Croydon. Her middle name was later changed to Claire. Her fa ...

as Coley * A.J. Simmons as Farut, Parsim's father *

Sydney Meyer Sydney Meyer (born 15 September 1995) is a Canadian actress. She starred in the Netflix series '' V Wars'' (2019) and the Shudder series '' Slasher: Flesh & Blood'' (2021). She had recurring roles in the third season of the Freeform series ''Sh ...

as Grisha, Parsim's mother * Matilda Legault as Parsim * Ellen Wong as Iris

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2023)

Season 2 (2024)

Production

Development

Initial development of the series was announced in 2018. In March 2021, Lena Headey was named as the series lead, and in September 2021, Stephan James was named as the co-star. Prior to its initial broadcast, it was announced that the series would be picked up for a second season. It was also reported that season one and two would film back-to-back and that

Glen Mazzara Glen Mazzara (born July 6, 1967) is an American television producer and writer. He is most well known for his work on '' The Shield'', '' The Walking Dead'' and '' Damien''. Life and career An Italian-American, Mazzara was born in Manhattan, ...

and Joy Blake would take over as co-showrunners after season one because of scheduling issues for Zak Penn. In September 2024, MGM+ cancelled the series after two seasons.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

was initially scheduled to begin in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in 2021. After a series of delays, it finally began on April 19, 2022. The pilot episode was directed by

Daniel Percival Daniel Percival was an English actor and businessman. Early life and education Percival was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. He attended the University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Y ...

. Production on the first season finished in November 2022, but the series stayed in production concurrent with the filming of the second season. On July 2, 2023, the author of the adaptation's source material, Hugh Howey, confirmed that two seasons had been filmed and were in post-production.

Reception

The

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website

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reported a 55% approval rating with an average rating of 5.5/10, based on 11 critic reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Beacon 23'' is full of clever world-building flourishes while light on character depth, making for an uneven saga full of invention but lacking in inspiration."

References

External links

* * {{MGM+ 2020s American drama television series 2020s American science fiction television series 2023 American television series debuts 2020s American LGBTQ-related drama television series MGM+ original programming Psychological thriller television series Serial drama television series Television series based on short fiction Television series by Boat Rocker Media Television series set in the 23rd century Television series set in outer space Television shows filmed in Toronto Television series set in lighthouses