Beacon 23

Beacon 23 is an American science fiction psychological thriller television series created by Zak Penn, based on the short story series of the same name by Hugh Howey. Starring Lena Headey and Stephan James, it is a co-production between Spectrum and Boat Rocker Media. Although originally greenlit by Spectrum Originals and AMC Networks, it premiered on MGM+ 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.

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

 * Lena Headey as Aster Calyx
 * Stephan James as Halan Kai Nelson
 * Natasha Mumba as Harmony
 * Wade Bogert-O'Brien as Bart
 * Stephen Root as Solomon
 * Barbara Hershey as Sophie
 * Eric Lange as Milan/Aleph
 * Marc Menchaca 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 as Coley
 * A.J. Simmons as Farut, Parsim's father
 * Sydney Meyer as Grisha, Parsim's mother
 * Matilda Legault as Parsim
 * Ellen Wong as Iris

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 and Joy Blake would take over as co-showrunners after season one because of scheduling issues for Zak Penn.

Filming
Principal photography was initially scheduled to begin in Toronto in 2021. After a series of delays, it finally began on April 19, 2022. The pilot episode was directed by Daniel Percival. 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 review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 55% approval rating with an average rating of 5.5/10, based on 10 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."