Billy Crystal has enjoyed a long career in comedy as a standup and in film and TV roles, but that’s not all he does. The unnerving trailer Apple TV+ dropped Tuesday for his new series Before, billed as a psychological thriller and a “supernatural mystery,” pushes a truckload of horror tropes fit to run you down in the dark of night. You weren’t sleeping anyway.

And Crystal not only stars but also executive produces the creepy-looking limited series, set to premiere October 25 on Apple TV+.

Update: Billy Crystal’s psycho-thriller limited series Before started streaming Friday on Apple TV+, so have at it. Reviews so far seem mixed, by the way. Some call Crystal “convincingly somber” and “spooky.” Others call the series “the year’s most disappointing show” and a “stagnant, repetitive mess.” Wow, tell us how you really feel.

Billy Crystal stars in ‘supernatural mystery’ Before on Apple TV+

As the Before trailer shows, Crystal plays Eli, a child psychologist dealing with traumas of his own when he finds a weird kid scratching cryptic messages on his front porch — to the point of bloodying his fingers. The trailer intercuts shots of Eli going to therapy, trying to process the loss of his wife, as he tries to help the apparently lost child. Everything looks cloudy, dark and foreboding. The dead wife keeps showing up, either remembered, hallucinated or as a ghost. And the phrase “you know what you did” comes out of the mouth of a wild-eyed child. So, you know, it’s a good ol’ psychological thriller horror show.

Here’s how the streamer describes the 10-episode limited series’s plot and cast:

Before stars Crystal as Eli, a child psychiatrist who, after recently losing his wife, Lynn (Judith Light), encounters a troubled young boy, Noah (Jacobi Jupe), who seems to have a haunting connection to Eli’s past. As Eli attempts to help Noah, their mysterious bond deepens.
Alongside Crystal, the supernatural mystery series stars Emmy and Tony Award winner Judith Light, Jacobi Jupe, Emmy Award nominee Rosie Perez, Tony Award nominee Maria Dizzia and Ava Lalezarzadeh.
Watch the trailer for psychological thriller Before:

Showrunner, writer and executive producer Sarah Thorp created the series for Paramount Television Studios. Crystal executive produces alongside Academy Award winner Eric Roth, pilot director Adam Bernstein and producing director Jet Wilkinson.

Watch dramas and thriller on Apple TV+

The 10-episode series Before will premiere on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on Friday, October 25, followed by new episodes every Friday through December 20. In the meantime, you can watch plenty of other shows. The service is available by subscription for $9.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.

After launching in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series [scored] 515 wins and 2,308 award nominations and counting,” the service said.

In addition to award-winning movies and TV shows (including breakout soccer comedy Ted Lasso), Apple TV+ offers a variety of documentaries, dramas, comedies, kids shows and more.

Source: Apple TV+

This post first published on October 1, 2024. We republished it on October 25, 2024, when Before began streaming on Apple TV+.