The Night Of

 :

Season 1
  • Network:
  • Series Premiere Date: Jul 10, 2016
Season #: 1, 2
The Night Of Image
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 40 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.8

Universal acclaim- based on 511 Ratings

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  • Summary: The limited series created by Steven Zaillian and Richard Price (loosely based on BBC series Criminal Justice) examines the New York City criminal system through attorney Jack Stone (John Turturro) and his client Naz (Riz Ahmed), who is accused of murder.
  • Genre(s): Drama, Movie/Mini-Series

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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. The Lincoln Journal Star
    Reviewed by: Jeff Korbelik
    Jul 11, 2016
    100
    The wide-eyed Ahmed is perfect as the naive young man who can’t seem to make a right decision. That is until he agrees to let Turturro’s Jack Stone help him. And Turturro hits the right notes as the cynical attorney who has his work cut out for him.
  2. The Salt Lake Tribune
    Reviewed by: Scott D. Pierce
    Jul 6, 2016
    100
    It's enthralling. The Night Of looks like this summer's TV obsession.
  3. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Jul 8, 2016
    100
    As complicated and layered as life itself, The Night Of is an instant classic. [11-24 Jul 2016, p.16]
    All this critic's reviews
  4. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    Jul 7, 2016
    90
    [A] tense and exquisite limited series on HBO. ... The later episodes become a more conventional legal story, as Stone patches together a defense, and the case becomes Nancy Grace-ified in the media. There are nods to TV legal series throughout.
  5. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    Jul 11, 2016
    90
    The performances, in fact, are so uniformly strong and the direction so deft that it's possible to overlook a plot that, like The Killing (and Netflix's new thriller Marcella) introduces a few too many Law & Order-like plot twists to be totally believable.
  6. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Chuck Bowen
    Jul 7, 2016
    88
    The narrative's broad strokes are compelling, particularly as defensive attorney Jack Stone (John Turturro) begins to uncover the murder suspects who detective Dennis Box (Bill Camp) couldn't be bothered to dig up, but it's the textural flourishes that distinguish The Night Of from more formulaic courtroom fare, such as the continuing emphasis that Zaillian and Price place on the notion of ritual as cultural currency.
  7. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    Jul 7, 2016
    50
    At one point, The Night Of might have been groundbreaking. But in the wake of the excellent ABC series “American Crime,” which has walked the same outrage with far more nuances, sophistication and a superior cast, The Night Of feels so last decade.

See all 40 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 72
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 72
  3. Negative: 8 out of 72
  1. Paulo_Jorge
    Jul 10, 2016
    10
    Where do I begin with? That's the best pilot that I've ever seen since True Detective's pilot, such a masterpiece driven story of a mysteriousWhere do I begin with? That's the best pilot that I've ever seen since True Detective's pilot, such a masterpiece driven story of a mysterious homicide which places even the spectator who has seen what actually happened in a doubting position, but upon this amazing storytelling comes some great acting, some actors that I've never seen before were just acting the **** out of this pilot, like Riz Ahmed for an example. And for those that I've already known, John Turturro's character seems to have a great connection with Naz (Riz Ahmed), and as a bonus, I've never seen Sofia Black being so convincing.

    Overall, it doesn't take itself as serious as True Detective did and indeed The Night Of comes from a quite different vibe comparing to it, showing the crime from a different perspective and creating a great thriller with it, so again, great acting, great plot, great storytelling and great cinematography, that's a perfect pilot.    … Expand
  2. TheZeroPercent
    Sep 15, 2016
    10
    WOW!!! Be careful! This one will steal 8 hours right from under you!!!

    I am no master of cinematography, so I am not exactly sure how to    WOW!!! Be careful! This one will steal 8 hours right from under you!!!

    I am no master of cinematography, so I am not exactly sure how to explain a piece of cinema that is so damned good!! My mind is blow, this one is as good as it gets baby! Pure gold!    … Expand
  4. Kar_Rwen
    Jul 25, 2016
    10
    All I can say is wow. I was blown away by the first episode. It was exciting, the plot so suspenseful and the characters are so complex andAll I can say is wow. I was blown away by the first episode. It was exciting, the plot so suspenseful and the characters are so complex and compelling. Such a great example of good television that will last the ages.… Expand
  5. Boras
    Nov 23, 2016
    9
    I personally prefer mini-series. this one is a very good one. Turturro is a bit too much for the rest of the cast, it's role is a bit dominantI personally prefer mini-series. this one is a very good one. Turturro is a bit too much for the rest of the cast, it's role is a bit dominant among the other actors, however playing quality is superb the plot is deep and sticks you to your screen eager to know how it will end. Definitely a must see serie for this season. In my ranking, The Night Of is right below True Detective 1… Expand
  6. EPMD
    Jul 18, 2016
    9
    The first episode was a 10 out of 10. The escalation of seriousness, the drama, the way the dots were connected...it was all expertly done.The first episode was a 10 out of 10. The escalation of seriousness, the drama, the way the dots were connected...it was all expertly done. The second episode lacked the same level of suspense as the first, but the realism was still there. I am hopeful this show can stay strong to the end. Due to the incredible detail of the first episode, I think there will be plenty of material to work with in the follow up to the crime.… Expand
  7. leaveit
    Aug 22, 2016
    7
    Good show, but it gets a bit ridiculous at times. Prison is actually safer than the streets in terms of potential murder on average. Also,Good show, but it gets a bit ridiculous at times. Prison is actually safer than the streets in terms of potential murder on average. Also, what are these subplots about John's eczema and cat? Is this just another thing where something physical bugs him until he gets the big break on the Nazir Khan case? I feel the same way about each of these scenes as I do when Maester Pycelle did the calisthenics in Game of Thrones. The show seems to be plodding along and I am somewhat reluctant to see how they're possibly going to wrap this all up in one more episode.

    Other than this, the show is well-shot and acted and keeps me entertained throughout.    … Expand
  8. Gmart
    Sep 3, 2016
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was encouraged by the reviews, started watching with my wife, and the first woman character is some form of mysterious, one-dimensional character there to represent a beauty beyond his imagining but who turns out to insist he stabs her!! Introducing needless violence into a perfectly fine drama up to that point. No imagination or realism there just mindless. How am I supposed to get past that? - hardly realistic is it? - i was expecting an embarrassing night of non-violence, maybe I am not the market any more *sigh*… Expand

See all 72 User Reviews

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