ST. LOUIS — Some shows just pass you up. You're busy in someone else's world. With so much content streaming online every week, it's easy to forget about even a great show that came out nearly four years ago.
If you missed HBO's miniseries, "The Night Of" back in 2016, I strongly suggest giving it a look. If you have HBO NOW, the streaming device that can link up with your Roku box at home, the series is available in its entirety. If "Westworld" is making your head hurt and you've memorized dialogue from "The Wire," give this gem a try.
Co-written by the esteemed screenwriting duo of Richard Price and Steven Zaillian and based off a Peter Moffat hour of the 2008 British show called "Criminal Justice," this drama hit hard in its eight episode run.
Starring Riz Ahmed as a wrongly accused murder suspect and John Turturro as the nonchalant yet flawed lawyer who defended his case, "The Night Of" doesn't waste an hour of your time, pulverizing you while keeping you addicted to the easy-to-love genre of murder mysteries.
Here are 5 reasons to dig in tonight:
~John Turturro's Emmy-nominated performance. Stone provided the seasoned actor with plenty of quirks and mannerisms to build a performance with, but Turturro still found organic methods of creating a brilliant lawyer with a potent weakness. Afflicted by eczema and a desire to have his clients take a deal instead of stand trial, Stone found a unique opportunity in Ahmed's Nasir "Naz" Khan. A chance to finally score big and save a man's life. I'll dig into a show-stopping courtroom scene later here, but let me assure you this is one of Turturro's finest performances and richest characters ever, and that's saying something.
~Ahmed's Emmy-winning work. In a role not carrying quite the juice flow as Turturro's, the at-the-time new to American faces Ahmed create true heartbreak. It wasn't just due to the fact that he seemed like a man set up, but more so to the reality of how being falsely accused and jailed his life. Physically altering his appearance and hanging a prison tag on his life for good, Nasir was damaged well before the final verdict comes down-and Ahmed played that out brilliantly. He didn't overstep or overcook the emotions, doing more with a glance than a paragraph.
~The writing (and editing for that measure) is crisp. Handing stellar cast members like Michael Kenneth Williams, Bill Camp and Jeannie Berlin credible dialogue and stories, this show should have taken more awards home for its scripts and polish. We've all seen courtroom dramas on screens big and small, so it gets harder to produce something original and strong. But Price and Zaillian did it with Moffat's blueprint, crafting a story that was both bittersweet yet suspenseful. We didn't know for sure if Nasir didn't do it, but we also had little clue who killed the young woman (Sofia Black-D'Elia) that he spent the night with. They let the thread dangle just enough in your mind.
~The show is a timely jolt. "The Night Of" handles racial profiling with a sharp edge and furious intent. Without being preachy or condescending, the show paints a tragic picture over not just the police department or court system depicted in this film, but the world's inhabitants as a whole. The way we are quick to judge and slow to investigate, how we hate first and design love later. Timely strokes that haven't lost an ounce of power get highlighted here in blunt fashion.
~The final 30 minutes of the season finale. This show saved its best for last. First, a wrench gets thrown into the defense's case, forcing Stone to give the closing argument. Basically one man trying to save another's future. Turturro, in a legendary scene that gathers strength and power during its five minutes of screen time, blows you away. A man pointing the fallacies of the prosecution, which could be Berlin's lawyer or the human species as a whole. I've watched the clip so many times that I could recite part of it, including a wonderful bit on true evidence, the meaning of being presumed innocent beyond a reasonable doubt, and what every human is afforded before they enter a courtroom.
It's extremely well-written and acted. Second, a scene between Nasir and Stone, where Ahmed and Turturro really own the words and inform you about their characters. Lastly, a scene under the George Washington Bridge off the Hudson River.
Without overdoing it, the show found different ways to overwhelm you and make you think. It wasn't just another crime show, but a series about the area between black and white in a criminal case. How human beings, more so than evidence, can put someone away for good.
It only went a season for reasons both known and unknown. Zaillian and Price are busy men and the cast is full of movie players, but there may have a desire not to overdo what they created. Sometimes, less can be a lot more.
If you need an adult show to get lost in, which happens due to Jeff Russo's score as well, I'd give "The Night Of" a look.
More From Dan Buffa
- RELATED: 'Trolls World Tour' Review: This is bad, watch something else
- RELATED: 'The Other Lamb' Review: A haunting Denise Gough can't save this meandering 'Midsommar' knockoff
- RELATED: Meet Tom Pelphrey, the perfect storm from Season 3 of Netflix's 'Ozark'
- RELATED: 5 things to know about Netflix's 'Tiger King'
