"Hello, Clarice." That iconic line from The Silence of the Lambs immediately springs to mind whenever Stephen Graham's Jurek Walter interacts with the staff at his psychiatric facility—specifically Karl Anders, a hopelessly overwhelmed nurse brought to life by Rory Culkin.

Nocturne desperately yearns to be the love child of The Silence of the Lambs and True Detective. Its creators lean heavily on every conceivable genre trope right out of the gate. Had the series backed this ambition up with a tight script and an engaging mystery, that mashup premise would make for a phenomenal pitch.

Unfortunately, it is neither. While imitation can be flattering, it also invites harsh comparisons. Stellar lead performances ultimately fail to rescue Nocturne from its own self-inflicted narrative absurdities.

An Avalanche of Exhausting Tropes

A closer look at the opening episodes reveals a laundry list of familiar clichés and structural flaws:

  • The Brilliant Incarcerated Mastermind: Jurek Walter is a genius serial killer locked away in a mental institution who somehow manipulates staff and drives a fellow inmate to suicide simply by whispering through the pipes. Stephen Graham delivers a strong performance, but the utter incompetence of the hospital staff and investigating detectives stretches credulity to its absolute limit.
  • The Tortured Ex-Soldier Detective: Liev Schreiber stars as Jonah Lynn, a rugged former homicide cop living off-grid in the woods. Burdened by a tragic past—including an unsolved cold case involving two missing children, a fatal family accident, and a partner's suicide—Jonah checks every box for the brooding, rule-breaking lawman, though the writers offer little personality beyond his stoic silence.
  • The Overqualified FBI Agent: Zazie Beetz plays Saga Bauer, a tough-as-nails undercover agent who coincidentally returns to the rural Pennsylvania town of Fairhaven just as one of the missing children resurfaces. Despite unconventional jurisdictional freedom, her ties to Jonah's late partner anchor her deeply to the unfolding mystery.
  • The Well-Meaning Local Chief: Bill Camp portrays Dave Ellison, Fairhaven's compassionate police chief who fears community panic more than anything else. Camp's immense talent feels thoroughly underutilized in this cautious role.
  • The Hard-Nosed Lead Investigator: Poorna Jagannathan steps in as Alexandra Quinn, an assertive FBI principal investigator. Yet, despite her formidable reputation, she instantly hands the reins to Jonah simply because of his local familiarity—ignoring the fact that he failed to solve the original case years prior.

Implausible Scenarios and Lazy Writing

The narrative logic frequently collapses under scrutiny. During Karl's first day working in the maximum-security basement, hospital administrators order him to administer a sedative injection alone through a cell door window without security backup. They fail to inform Karl that the drug is a sedative, and immediately command him to enter the cell and retrieve a hidden weapon once Jurek drops.

Why bypass basic room security protocols? Why endanger a rookie? Naturally, the sedative wears off almost instantly, leading to a physical confrontation where Jurek corners Karl just out of view of the security cameras. Jurek hands him a note for his attorney, delivering a painfully cheesy plea about still being a man, despite the monster label.

When detectives finally deduce that Jurek must have an outside accomplice, their investigative strategy stalls completely. The hospital administrator merely threatens staff with termination and prison time rather than allowing law enforcement to properly interview personnel. Rather than utilizing basic police work, the team concocts an absurd plan: sending Saga undercover not as a staff member with direct access, but as a mental patient.

A Missed Opportunity for Apple TV

Given Apple TV's track record for delivering prestige hits like Severance, Slow Horses, and Widow’s Bay, Nocturne stands as a massive misfire. Despite a talented cast, the sloppy pacing, tropey storytelling, and glaring logical lapses make it a deeply frustrating watch.