A&E PREMIERES NEW DRAMA SERIES 'THE BEAST' STARRING PATRICK SWAYZE & TRAVIS FIMMEL THURSDAY, JANUARY 15TH AT 10PM ET/PT

NEW YORK, NY � November 20, 2008 � A&E Network will premiere the original scripted drama series, "The Beast" on January 15th at 10PM ET/PT. "The Beast," starring Patrick Swayze and Travis Fimmel, centers on an unorthodox but effective FBI veteran, Charles Barker (Swayze), who takes on a rookie partner, Ellis Dove (Fimmel), to train in his hard-edged and psychologically clever style of agenting.

In the premiere episode of "The Beast," the mischievous Barker hazes Dove as they go undercover on their first case to infiltrate a weapons smuggling ring. Barker brilliantly manipulates situations, constantly tests his new partner's abilities and pushes him to delve deeper into the roles of the undercover characters he creates. Although Dove takes a liking to Barker, the new job takes its toll on him. The stress and danger of being an agent quickly makes him realize that he can no longer maintain normal relationships outside of work. Yet that's not the worst of it. The rookie is confronted with a larger challenge: An FBI Internal Affairs team feels Barker may have gone rogue and they try to enlist Dove as a double-agent in the bureau's investigation of his mentor.

"The Beast" is executive produced by Allan Loeb and Steven Pearl for Scarlet Fire Films ("New Amsterdam") and Cory Concoff ("Beltway") for Fuel Filmworks. John Romano ("American Dreams," "Third Watch") serves as the showrunner and executive producer. The pilot script was written by William Rotko ("Breach," "Beltway") and Vincent Angell (Stand By Love). For the pilot, Rotko & Angell served as co-executive producers and for the series they are executive producers. Michael Dinner ("The Wonder Years," "Grey's Anatomy") directed and is executive producer on the pilot. He continues to serve as an executive consultant on the series. "The Beast" is produced by Sony Pictures Television for A&E Network.

About A&E Network

A&E is "Real Life. Drama." Now reaching more than 97 million homes, A&E is television that you can't turn away from; where real life shows are dramatic and scripted dramas are authentic. A&E offers a diverse mix of high quality entertainment; ranging from the network's original scripted series including "The Cleaner" starring Benjamin Bratt and "The Beast" starring Patrick Swayze, to signature Real-Life franchises, including the Emmy-nominated "Intervention," "Dog The Bounty Hunter," "Paranormal State" and "Criss Angel Mindfreak," and the most successful justice shows on cable, including "The First 48" and "Crime 360." The A&E website is located at www.aetv.com.