20 Best TV Episodes Of 2016
15. The Beach - The Night Of
The Night Of, HBO's summer replacement for True Detective, didn't remain entirely gripping throughout its eight episode run. It was still mostly very good, at times excellent, but no episode consistently reached the heights of The Beach, which is one of 2016's great pilot episodes.
Set in a dark and moody New York City, we follow Riz Ahmed's Nazir on what becomes his night from hell. Driving around in his father's cab, he picks up a woman, they go back to hers, and next thing we know he's waking up and she's been brutally murdered.
The episode gives us a revealing insight into the criminal justice system, seen through the wide-eyed lens of Naz, who were led to convince is totally innocent, even as the evidence against him mounts up. Ahmed is magnetic here, with stellar support from John Turturro, and the slow-burn murder mystery and haunting tone make for a hugely effective introduction to this story.