User reviews

The Night Of is a unique murder mystery that doubles as a commentary on the American prison and judicial systems. It features the arrest and trial of a Pakistani-origin college student charged with the murder of a young woman even as he maintains his innocence in the face of mounting evidence.

While it boasts of a strong premise and hook, the show's biggest accomplishment lies in its depiction of the traumatic and often spiralling effects that a harsh prison environment can have on first-time (or suspected) offenders. The story also highlights the authorities' stereotypical tendencies, the media's fuelling of public hysteria and outrage, and the accompanying adverse spillover impacts on the accused's near and dear. The cast performances and production quality are excellent, important contributors in creating the intense suspenseful atmosphere that makes for gripping viewing.

Unfortunately, after a perfect opening episode, the writing takes a nosedive and never quite recovers. Police authorities and law officials are the picture of incompetence, missing obvious lines of inquiry or engaging in unprofessional (even illegal) conduct for no discernible reason. Character development is extremely rushed and one entire subplot which includes a romantic angle feels utterly redundant. Courtroom scenes are underwhelming and attorneys unrealistically conflate their role with that of investigators.

Ultimately, The Night Of left me with the strong feeling of wasted potential. The show's promising start is squandered by its inability to choose between focussing on the enigmatic crime or the protagonist's progression. Instead, it endeavours to do both but fails to do justice to either.

"The Night Of" initially gripped me with its exciting premise and captivating storytelling. The first two episodes were filled with suspense, leaving me eagerly anticipating the unraveling of the central mystery. However, as the series progressed, it unfortunately lost its momentum and failed to live up to its promising beginning.

However, my enthusiasm waned as the plot began to slow down and meander. The middle portion of the series felt unnecessarily stretched out, with subplots that seemed to distract from the main narrative rather than enhance it. This pacing issue caused the show to lose its sense of urgency and left me feeling disconnected from the story.

The disappointing aspect of "The Night Of" was its ending. After investing time in following the characters' journeys, I expected a satisfying climax that would tie up loose ends and provide closure. Instead, the conclusion felt unsatisfying, anticlimactic, and somewhat dull.

In summary, "The Night Of" started off with great promise but unfortunately lost its way as it progressed. While it had its strengths, such as strong performances and a realistic portrayal of the justice system, the slow pacing, unsatisfying ending, and unnecessary stretching of the story prevented it from reaching its full potential.

Good acting by all. Very realistic ... but how the heck they miss out out the fact that he did not have a single drop of blood splattered on him when the room looked like an abattoir?

"The Night of" begins with an impeccable pilot that instantly got me hooked. A mysterious and intriguing woman is gruesomely murdered at night whilst the main character, 'Naz', is allegedly sleeping in her kitchen. This dark crime is fittingly assigned to a sombre lead Detective Sargeant named 'Dennis Box', whose manor instantly made me think of the likes of Rust and Somerset from True Detective and Se7en respectively. We also find a small, and much needed, glimmer of light in the slender and witty lawyer 'John Stone' who wishes to help Naz.

Whilst this was a great introduction, I can't for the life of me understand some of the storylines and character motivations. The focus ends up feeling misaimed, ignoring the interesting investigation, keeping pivotal characters and their relationships underdeveloped, all the while less engaging storylines dominate the screen time. There are so many cases of this and when I tried listing them this review became way too long. The biggest fault in my opinion is that Box's character and investigation is completely pushed to the sidelines. While the aforementioned detectives had layers to them, Box remains sadly hollow and has no character that complements his interesting features.

This series should cut out not all, but most of: Naz's prison life, Stone's health and cat problem, and Chandra's weird unmotivated relationship with Naz. With the time saved I'd want to see more of Box's life and detective work (interrogations, speaking with the prosecutor etc.), more of Naz's parents struggles (show their relationship), and Stone and Chandra focusing on building a defence, and Naz talking to them for once.

You can make the argument that the focal points of this series were just different than what I'd hoped them to be. However, I then don't understand why they introduced so many of these aspects. What's left is a great deal of unsatisfactory storylines floating around... missed potential.

The dialogue is so unbelievable it was painful watching it. Acting was lousy too. I might try watching more of it, but stopped at 30 minutes. If it gets better I will update this...

While The Night Of features outstanding performances and striking cinematography, I found it ultimately fell short of the high expectations set by glowing reviews and ratings. The acting, especially from Riz Ahmed and John Turturro, is superb, and visually, the show is captivating. However, the storyline lacks the depth and intricacy I was anticipating. In fact, at times it feels like there are noticeable plot holes that detract from the overall experience.

With so many crime dramas available today, The Night Of doesn't quite stand out for those who crave complex storytelling. If you're someone who enjoys narratives that challenge your intellect and leave you pondering questions beyond the surface, this show may not satisfy. It focuses primarily on the question of guilt-"Did he do it or not?"-rather than weaving a more multifaceted mystery. For viewers seeking a thought-provoking, layered exploration of crime and justice, this series might feel somewhat predictable and lacking in depth.

I am still on the 3rd episode and debating what I think about this series.

I found Nasir Khan's character lacking and without any strength especially in the first episode. Everything that the character could do wrong, it did. It just lacks credibility.

Nasir Khan's family is meant to be from Pakistan. The actor who plays his father is an Iranian actor and that's obvious in the film with the accent. The scene in Jackson Heights, Queen where the background music playing is Qawali, the subtitles state it as "Middle Eastern music". This is wrong.

These are small grievances but contribute to the lack of credibility of the series.