‘Nocturne’ Review: Liev Schreiber and Zazie Beetz Star in a Chilling Crime Drama
Some television shows are unsettling because of what they show you. Others get under your skin because of what they make you imagine. Apple TV's Nocturne manages to do both, and I wasn't entirely prepared for how much this series would creep me out.
Arriving just in time for Halloween, Nocturne is the kind of psychological thriller that makes you suspicious of practically everyone. One minute, you're convinced you've figured out what's happening. The next, you're questioning everything you thought you knew, including whether the people trying to stop the monster are slowly becoming something else themselves.
Starring Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, and Stephen Graham, the series delivers a disturbing game of cat and mouse where the danger isn't limited to what happens physically. There are secrets, psychological manipulation, and enough uncertainty to keep you wondering what someone might be hiding. And when I tell you Stephen Graham's Jurek Walter is scary, I mean genuinely scary. He brings the kind of unsettling energy that makes you nervous even when you're simply waiting to see what he'll do next.
This review is based on the first six episodes of Nocturne provided to The TV Cave for review.
Stephen Graham Makes Jurek Walter a Nightmare
Let's start with the man responsible for making this series so uncomfortable. Stephen Graham plays Jurek Walter, a calculating serial killer whose influence extends beyond the immediate threat of violence.
He's the type of villain who makes you nervous because you never feel entirely comfortable predicting what he's capable of doing next. There's something particularly frightening about a character who understands how to exploit people psychologically, because physical danger is terrifying enough without someone also knowing exactly how to manipulate fear, insecurity, and desperation.
Graham makes Jurek an incredibly unsettling presence, and the character gives Nocturne much of its horror-adjacent atmosphere. This isn't a supernatural series, but it certainly knows how to create the kind of dread that makes you wish somebody would turn on another light.
It's also refreshing to encounter a thriller where the villain feels like more than an obstacle for the heroes to overcome. Jurek is central to the psychological questions the series raises, particularly what happens when people spend too much time confronting someone capable of such cruelty.
The real nightmare isn't necessarily what Jurek might do next. It's how much damage he can cause before anyone recognizes what's happening.
Liev Schreiber's Jonah Is a Man Being Pushed to His Limits
Liev Schreiber stars as Jonah Lynn, a former soldier turned homicide detective who hopes to find some peace after leaving Philadelphia for a quieter life in western Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, peace doesn't seem particularly interested in finding Jonah, especially when his past and a dangerous killer threaten the people he loves.
When Jurek threatens the people closest to him, Jonah becomes consumed with stopping the killer. But as the investigation progresses, an uncomfortable question begins hanging over the character: How far can someone go in the name of protecting their loved ones before they begin losing themselves?
That's what makes Schreiber's performance so interesting. I found myself questioning whether Jonah was being pushed too far, and that uncertainty adds another layer to the story. You understand why he's desperate to protect the people he loves, but understanding someone's motivations doesn't automatically make every decision easier to accept. There is a difference between determination and obsession, and Nocturne is interested in what happens when that line becomes increasingly difficult to recognize.
Jonah isn't simply racing against time to catch a killer. He's confronting the possibility that his need to protect everyone might come at an emotional cost he hasn't fully considered.
Schreiber gives the character the weight needed to make that struggle compelling, leaving you invested in Jonah's mission while still questioning where his choices might lead. Across the six episodes screened for review, that uncertainty becomes one of the more interesting elements of his character.
Zazie Beetz Gives Us Someone Worth Rooting For
Then there's Zazie Beetz as Saga Bauer, an FBI agent and Jonah's surrogate daughter who finds herself drawn into the dangerous investigation. Saga is one of the characters I found myself rooting for the most, especially as the risks surrounding her become increasingly difficult to ignore.
She's capable, determined, and eager to prove that she can handle herself, but confidence can become complicated when you're dealing with someone as psychologically manipulative as Jurek. Beetz brings a compelling combination of strength and vulnerability to Saga, making it easy to understand her determination while worrying about what she might be walking into.
You want her to succeed, especially when her abilities are questioned, but you also recognize that being good at your job doesn't make you immune to danger. That's what makes her situation so nerve-racking, because competence doesn't guarantee protection against someone who knows how to exploit emotional weaknesses.
What makes Saga interesting is that she's not simply another investigator following clues. Her relationship with Jonah brings an emotional dimension to the story, particularly when his concern for her safety begins to clash with her desire to be treated as a capable professional.
There's something relatable about wanting someone to trust your judgment while also recognizing that their concern comes from a place of love. Of course, this is Nocturne, so even the most understandable relationship dynamics become a lot more complicated once Jurek enters the picture.
Beetz makes Saga a character you genuinely care about, and I found myself hoping she would make it through whatever nightmare the series had waiting for her. That emotional investment makes the suspense even more effective, because the danger never feels like it's happening to characters you couldn't care less about.
A Mystery That Keeps You Questioning Everyone
One of the biggest strengths of Nocturne is how effectively it creates uncertainty. This is not a series where you can comfortably settle on one explanation and assume you've solved the mystery.
Questions continue piling up, and just when you think you've worked out someone's motivations, another layer of uncertainty enters the picture. Who can be trusted? Who knows more than they're admitting? And perhaps most importantly, how much of what we're seeing should we take at face value?
That constant suspicion makes the series especially engaging, particularly when the story begins challenging your assumptions about the people involved. Nobody feels entirely beyond questioning, and the possibility that someone might be hiding something gives the mystery an extra layer of tension.
I love a mystery that gives me a reason to pay attention, and Nocturne kept me wondering what would happen next. The story doesn't rely solely on the threat of its serial killer to sustain interest, instead using the uncertainty surrounding its characters to keep the audience invested.
The fear comes from not knowing who might be hiding something or what another revelation could mean for the people we've started caring about. And that is exactly the kind of storytelling that can turn a crime drama into something far more disturbing.
The Perfect Halloween Thriller?
While Nocturne is fundamentally a crime drama, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for something unsettling to watch during Halloween weekend. The series doesn't need ghosts, demons, or a haunted house to get under your skin, because its horror comes from human behavior, psychological manipulation, and the terrifying realization that someone's greatest vulnerabilities can be used against them.
I wasn't expecting to feel quite as spooked as I did, but that atmosphere is one of the reasons the series worked for me. There's an appealing darkness to the storytelling, particularly when it explores how trauma can shape someone's decisions and how easily fear can influence otherwise capable people.
And although there's a mystery driving the plot, the emotional stakes help make the danger feel personal. It's difficult not to become invested when you're simultaneously worried about Saga's safety, questioning Jonah's judgment, and wondering what Jurek might be planning.
That's a lot of tension for one television series, and Nocturne knows how to use it. Even after six episodes, I was still questioning people's motives and wondering what the next revelation might bring.
Final Verdict: A Dark, Disturbing Thriller Worth Watching
Based on the first six episodes, Nocturne delivers exactly what I want from a psychological crime thriller: an unsettling villain, complicated characters, and a mystery that doesn't make it easy to predict what's coming. It keeps the tension high by making you question not only what the killer might do, but also how far the people pursuing him are willing to go.
Stephen Graham is terrifying as Jurek Walter, Liev Schreiber makes Jonah's increasingly complicated choices worth examining, and Zazie Beetz gives the audience someone to genuinely root for as the danger escalates. Each performance adds something important to the story, particularly when the psychological consequences of the investigation begin taking center stage.
What stayed with me most was the uncertainty. I never felt entirely comfortable assuming that I understood everyone's motivations or knew what would happen next, and for a series built around psychological manipulation, that's a pretty significant accomplishment.
If you're looking for something darker than your usual crime procedural this Halloween, Nocturne deserves a spot on your watchlist. Just don't expect it to be a relaxing evening of television, because this one might leave you checking the locks before bed.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Nocturne premieres Friday, October 30, on Apple TV with two episodes, followed by weekly releases. The 10-episode series is based on the crime fiction of Lars Kepler.
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