SummaryChild psychiatrist Eli Adler (Billy Crystal), who lost his wife (Judith Light) recently, meets a foster child (Jacobi Jupe) who might have a connection to his past in the psychological thriller written by Sarah Thorp.
Created By:Sarah Thorp
Before
Season 1 Premiere:
Oct 25, 2024
Metascore
Mixed or Average
46
User score
Mixed or Average
4.0
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All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
5% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
60% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
35% Negative
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
Oct 24, 2024
80
Before remains more of a mood piece than a full-on ghost or gory horror story. It is at least as interested in the manifestations of guilt in real life as it is using them as fuel for the supernatural narrative, and maintains the grief-stricken atmosphere as well as it does the spine-tingling stuff. And Crystal is brilliant.
Oct 25, 2024
60
A mystery that begins intriguingly before drowning under the weight of its myriad out-there elements, the series takes little advantage of its star.
User score
Mixed or Average
36% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
14% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
50% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Jan 2, 2025
9
My wife works as a psychotherapist, so we decided to give it a try after reading the description. We were hooked on the first episode. Dr. Eli Adler (Billy Crystal) is a psychiatrist approaching the end of his career in the wake of the loss of his wife, encounters an enigmatic child, Noah, who needs help. While he helps address the child's needs, it becomes clear that he is experiencing his own struggles. Soon evidence suggests that Noah may share some strange connection to Eli's deceased wife or one of her projects. All the while, Eli's own mental health hangs in the balance. While the pacing may seem slow to some, it really sets up as a long burn. The storyline is compelling, and each episode left us longing for more.
Oct 27, 2024
8
Love the mystery and the mess. It has so many layers. It combines elements of suspense, investigation, and psychological tension to keep us on the edge of their seats.
Oct 24, 2024
60
While bigger supernatural mysteries are seemingly suggested by the boy's terrified experiences, it ends up closer in experience to muted, mournful Gothic tales of personal woe, creating an ending that's all sound and Noah's fury, signifying... not quite nothing, but far short of an impactful something.
Oct 24, 2024
50
A fully-committed Crystal vibes with Rosie Perez as Noah’s guardian, Denise. However, laden with a buffet of red-herrings, “Before” stalls in the second half. The series requires an epic leap of faith to give credence to the supernatural elements, but the uneven pacing, detours, and repetitions over 10 episodes (eight would have been better) challenges skeptical viewers to suspend disbelief.
Oct 25, 2024
38
At least "Before" had the decency to come up with a different ending. It's the beginning and everything in between that's the problem.
Oct 25, 2024
30
It’s disjointed in its best moments and flat-out bad in its worst, and by the end of the series, it feels like a waste of time.
Oct 24, 2024
10
The series fails on just about every level. It’s emotionally shallow and, stretched across 10 repetitive episodes, chronically boring—a psychological thriller that offers neither psychological insight nor thrills. The story is at once familiar and ridiculous. The dialogue is a string of clichés.
Oct 31, 2024
7
Am I watching the same show as everyone else? Why am I the only one enjoying this show? It's really good.
