'The Night Of' Series Premiere Review

Image from HBO

By Darian Scalamoni

            HBO has done a fantastic job with their miniseries in the past, but their newest haunting, angst-filled drama The Night Of hits on all levels. The series follows a college kid named Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed), often referred to as Nas who often has trouble fitting in and is weak in the female department who is just trying to get to a party. He steals his father’s cab while he is sleeping and hours later he is in jail charged with murder.

            The show works at an uncomfortably slow pace before things begin to speed up once Nas gets into New York City and before a few awkward moments which lead to people getting into the back of the cab, a young, pretty girl enters the back seat. Nas is immediately infatuated with her and though it starts in a positive upswing for the Pakistani protagonist, the situation quickly goes from enjoyable, to weird to downright miserable. The problem is, Nas doesn’t remember exactly what happened after he went to sleep and woke up at the woman’s kitchen table just hours later. Nas tries to be the sweet guy he naturally is and say goodnight to the girl before realizing that she is dead on her bed with blood everywhere.

            The Night Of does a fantastic job of making the audience feel angst and a narrowing fog, similar to what Nas feels throughout the hours between the sexual experience he had with the young woman. The eight-part limited series leads us through Nas’ experience behind bars and weaves throughout the criminal justice system. The problem is, the gaps between his psyche seems to give the defense an upper hand in a possible trial. Within the confines of the series, there are plenty of questions for the viewer to ask but it also is filled with enough detail that one can begin to try to solve the crime on their own. The tone and gripping cinematography are at top form here and back Nas (and the viewer) into a corner to which it seems like you’re climbing out of your skin and doing your best to breathe.

            The setting of a gritty, multifaceted New York adds to the suspense and uncertainty throughout. In Nas’ regular home life in Jackson Heights, we see a happier and calmer environment. One in which his family eats together while him and his brother argue about Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks. Across the way in Manhattan is Nas’ unconventional, eczematic lawyer John Stone (John Turturro) who vows to help Nas as much as he can. Turturro’s Stone is a cheap and endearing fixture within the city’s justice system who seems much smarter than he lets on at first sight by his appearance. He’s physically awkward but that under weighs his true swift mental state as a man of the law.

            Acting is just another thing that is at a top level as Ahmed, who was praised for his eye-opening role as Jake Gyllenhall’s right hand man in Nightcrawler does a great job of depicting a young man who truly fears for his life like anyone else would. Turturro, one of the best character actors of our time is tremendous in just the little bit you see him within the first episode. He takes over the role after James Gandolfini was set to play it before his death. He filmed the original pilot in the role in 2013 and is still credited as an executive producer.

            The Night Of does a tremendous job appealing to all audiences. Whether you’re a fan of serialized crime shows like Law And Order or the noir type style of the first season of the HBO series True Detective, this program will be one you’ll want to tune in to every week. The stylish nature leads to a brilliant overall product in its first episode. It's extraordinarily well done and addicting to fans of great TV in this era’s golden age of television.

10/10