Liev Schreiber and Stephen Graham Lead Apple TV’s Gripping Serial Killer Thriller ‘Nocturne’: TV Review

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Television has no shortage of thrillers, but the sinister twists and turns of Apple TV’s latest entry into the genre, “Nocturne” — based on Lars Kepler’s novels “Lazarus” and “The Sandman” — make it well worth your time. Created by Rowan Joffé, the series follows Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber), a former homicide detective turned recluse following the death of his wife and daughter. When a missing kid who had been previously linked to the notorious serial killer Jurek Walter (Stephen Graham) reappears after several years, Jonah dusts off his badge. Hair-raising, shocking and perplexing, “Nocturne” is an intensely mesmerizing watch.

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The 10-episode series (critics screened seven episodes for review) begins at Riverside Psychiatric Hospital in rural Pennsylvania. Locked under floors of concrete and alone in his cell with just a toilet and steel bed, Jurek coerces the man in the cell next to him to bash his head in. As the man falls to the ground dead, Jurek smiles in sadistic contentment. The sociopath then sets his sights on someone else: his new nurse, Karl (Rory Culkin). A master manipulator who can spot insecurities immediately, Jurek begins building a tenuous bond with the quiet, reserved nurse. The connection serves only him.

Miles away in Fairhaven, Pennsylvania, Chief of Police Dave Ellison (Bill Camp) gets a call that stuns him, and prompts him to contact the FBI immediately. After vanishing three years ago with his sister Felicia (Abigail Donaghy), Michael Frost (Landon Valentin) has been found. This is especially unnerving to Ellison, since investigators, including the now-retired Jonah, were convinced the kids were two of Jurek’s victims. With a list of missing people and a pile of dead bodies, the community of Fairhaven has only begun to emerge from the chaos of Jurek’s terror. The thought of Jurek still operating inside Riverside with an accomplice is almost too much for Ellison to bear. However, this news pulls Jonah out of the shadows to join a task force headed up by Special Agent in Charge Alexandra Quinn (Poorna Jagannathan); Jonah’s goddaughter, Special Agent Saga Bauer (Zazie Beetz) who specializes in undercover work; and police detective Nathan (Gary Carr), who are all determined to find Felicia and the person helping Jurek.

To be sure, there are many puzzling moments in “Nocturne.” In his desire to please Jurek, Karl constantly bypasses Riverside protocol without alerting security. Jonah investigates without actually being employed by the police, and a few other preposterous scenes will undoubtedly force viewers to suspend disbelief. Yet, despite those plot contrivances, “Nocturne” is a wildly entertaining ride that gets better with every episode. The series showcases a town torn apart by heinous crimes, while centering Jonah, a grieving man determined to get answers by any means necessary.

Beetz is phenomenal as a young woman rocked by her own broken family history, willing to put herself in harm’s way to stop Jurek’s terror. Still, Graham’s wildly unnerving performance as Jurek is what holds the show together. The series moves between the past and the present, and shifts across varied locations in Pennsylvania, so audiences never know which direction the story will go in.

Episode 3, “Eyes on the Inside,” is especially disturbing. It opens with a family on the run and ends following a troubling call to the FBI. In the scenes in between, the panic and fear are so potent they extend beyond the characters to hit viewers at home. Additionally, “Nocturne” shows how poorly run and overwhelmed many mental institutions are. Patients diagnosed with all types of conditions and disorders are forced to endure all types of abuses. Showing this in the series adds much-needed realism.

“Nocturne” also works well because audiences never see the full picture. At any given moment, it’s only clear what Jonah and his team know, and unfortunately, that’s not much. As a result, as the elements of Jurek’s towering and astonishing crimes begin to click together, the plot quickly shifts, leading the narrative into entirely different and ever more haunting directions. It’s a truly breathless and disturbing run of television.

Even amid its grandiose and far-fetched plot points, “Nocturne” is thoroughly captivating. Camp, Schreiber, Beetz, Jagannathan and Chrissy Metz, who portrays Michael and Felicia’s mother, Ida, are all fantastic in their roles. However, Graham’s performance as Jurek elevates the series beyond expectations. Intensely haunting and totally shocking, “Nocturne” keeps its cards close to its chest as it pushes the audience toward a staggering conclusion.

The first two episodes of “Nocturne” debut Oct. 30 on Apple TV, with the remaining episodes airing weekly on Fridays.