HBO's The Night Of: 8 Reasons It's The New True Detective

8. Its Dark, Haunting Tone

Although The Night Of plays as a more straightforward take on the crime genre than True Detective, and doesn't share any of the more supernatural or occult trappings (it won't have anyone rushing out to buy copies of The Yellow King, for instance), it does feel rather similar in tone: a dark world full of mystery and intrigue, and it's likely to haunt you throughout the episode.

The series follows Riz Ahmed's Naz through the streets of New York, and then into the police station, and all the time there's an electricity to it, as you're waiting for things to happen, and something to go wrong (which they do). It's nerve-wracking, the kind of drama that puts you on edge and makes you hold your breath without even noticing, and the tone doesn't let up often. There are moments of lightness, cracks where the hope shines through, but this is a dark look at its subjects, which works well to create suspense and the feeling that something is a little off.