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

6. A Murder Mystery That'll Have You Playing Armchair Detective

Night Of TD
HBO

The idea of a murder mystery is nothing original, but The Night Of is an example of how to do it right, and it's guaranteed to get people talking (or at the very least tweeting). Season 1 of True Detective sent fans into a frenzy, with all manner of crazy fan theories popping up, and The Yellow King shooting to the top of Amazon's bestseller list. This might not have quite the same impact, but you'll be playing armchair detective all the way through.

Naz is our suspect, and it's on him that the first episode places so much of its focus. We see him as a mild-mannered, slightly awkward guy, and follow him through the night of the murder, seeing it from his perspective. The only problem is that he has a huge gap in his knowledge; he's with the girl one minute, then he's waking up a few hours later and discovering her dead body. Did he do it? We don't know, or what makes it even more gripping is that neither does he.

As more players are introduced and the web becomes ever more tangled, The Night Of has all the makings of being an immersive whodunnit, that will likely keep us all guessing (wrongly) throughout its eight-episode run.

Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.