Apple TV’s newest thriller, Nocturne, arrived with serious firepower: Liev Schreiber, Stephen Graham, Zazie Beetz, and Rory Culkin, all in a six-episode adaptation of Lars Kepler’s 2012 bestseller The Sandman. The setup is classic cat and mouse. Schreiber plays a haunted ex-cop, Graham plays the manipulative serial killer who won’t let go, and there’s an accomplice still out there. Two of the six episodes are streaming now.
The catch? Critics say the show doesn’t give all that talent much to work with. Reviews point to shopworn serial-killer clichés, a ho-hum script, and a Pennsylvania setting that never becomes the character it should be. That last part stings because the inevitable comparison is Mare of Easttown, which turned its small-town backdrop into the star of the show. One critic delivered the line that sums up the vibe:“Great, the last thing this case needs is a catchy nickname.”
Still, the Scandinavian crime adaptation pipeline keeps churning out hits for a reason, and this cast is genuinely elite. There’s plenty of time for the remaining episodes to turn things around, so the question is whether star power is enough for you to press play. Are you watching Nocturne this weekend, or are you waiting to see what the finale reviews say?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.