Nocturne: Stephen Graham's Serial Killer Is Behind Bars, Not Out of Business
Apple TV's new crime thriller has a murderer who doesn't need to escape prison to destroy lives. Keeping him locked up might be the least of everyone's problems.
Nocturne premiered on Apple TV on October 30, 2026, with its first two episodes available in Belgium. The ten-part crime thriller stars Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz and Stephen Graham, whose character, serial killer Jurek Walter, presents an interesting problem for law enforcement: he's already behind bars, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's finished destroying lives.
Most serial-killer thrillers involve the police desperately trying to catch someone. Nocturne introduces the considerably more embarrassing possibility that they've already caught him and somehow still haven't solved the problem.
Think Walter is disturbing? Meet Ed Kemper, another serial killer whose story made it to the screen. Unfortunately, this particular film demonstrates that a horrifying criminal doesn't automatically make a good thriller.
A Serial Killer Who Doesn't Need to Escape
The story follows Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber), a former soldier turned homicide detective whose life becomes entangled with Walter's crimes. When a boy who disappeared three years earlier unexpectedly returns alive, the investigation into his missing sister reopens. FBI agent Saga Bauer (Zazie Beetz) volunteers to go undercover inside the psychiatric facility holding Walter.
It's an extraordinary arrangement. The police have a dangerous murderer safely locked away, yet apparently the next sensible move is to send someone into his immediate vicinity. One imagines the operational planning meeting was tremendous. "Right, we've got a serial killer who manipulates people. Any suggestions?" "Have we considered sending him another person?" "Excellent. Promotion for that man."
Walter's psychological influence reportedly reaches other people inside the facility, including hospital employee Karl Anders (Rory Culkin). Rather than relying entirely on physical violence, he exploits relationships, vulnerabilities and access to information. His confinement raises a more interesting question than whether a murderer can escape prison: what happens when someone remains dangerous despite being physically contained?
The Hannibal Lecter Problem
An imprisoned murderer who can get inside people's heads isn't exactly revolutionary. Hannibal Lecter practically owns the franchise rights to that particular nightmare. The familiar ingredients are here: a brilliant criminal, a secure institution and an investigator potentially walking into a psychological trap.
Walter's situation nevertheless offers a worthwhile variation. The authorities already possess something fictional detectives normally spend entire seasons pursuing: custody of the murderer. They have the suspect, the prison and presumably the paperwork. And yet the investigation continues.
The premise exposes an uncomfortable weakness in security systems. Reinforced doors, surveillance cameras and enough electronic locks to make a bank manager sexually excited are wonderful inventions. Unfortunately, none of them necessarily helps when somebody with authorised access decides to trust precisely the wrong person.
But convincing manipulation requires convincing victims. If Walter succeeds because he understands human psychology, he could become genuinely frightening. If everybody around him behaves like an unsupervised toddler operating a nuclear submarine, his supposed genius becomes considerably less impressive. That's the distinction Nocturne needs to establish.
When the murderer seems more competent than the detectives, things get interesting. Our Jujji review explores another psychological thriller where two increasingly miserable cops chase a killer who appears to have his life remarkably well organised.
A Missing Child and Some Extremely Unfortunate Detectives
Jonah isn't investigating an unfamiliar criminal. Walter's history has already devastated his personal life, making the renewed investigation considerably more complicated than another assignment. Saga faces a different problem. By entering Walter's institution undercover, she deliberately approaches someone whose alleged talent is discovering and exploiting human weakness.
The investigation also has a concrete objective beyond confronting an unpleasantly intelligent murderer: finding Felicia Frost. That gives the story something substantial to pursue beyond ominous conversations and psychologically damaged detectives staring through rain-covered windows.
Whether the investigators can become as interesting as their antagonist remains an important question. A criminal mastermind quickly becomes tiresome when his opponents exist solely to look worried, make catastrophic decisions and demonstrate his extraordinary intelligence. There's only so much investigative incompetence one can tolerate before wondering whether the murderer should simply be appointed police commissioner.
Is Nocturne Worth Starting?
Nocturne has a promising premise for viewers interested in serial killers, psychological manipulation and crime investigations where capturing the criminal doesn't necessarily end the threat. Adapted from Lars Kepler's novels The Sandman and Lazarus, the series places an imprisoned murderer at the centre of a mystery involving missing children, damaged investigators and potentially dangerous relationships inside a psychiatric facility.
The first two episodes, Lazarus, Come Forth! and For Such a Time as This, are available now. Eight additional episodes are scheduled weekly through December 25, 2026.
A proper verdict on the performances, pacing and effectiveness of Walter's manipulation requires firsthand viewing. For now, the premise is interesting enough to justify a look, particularly for anyone fascinated by criminal psychology.
The authorities have captured their monster, locked him in a psychiatric hospital and discovered that the nightmare might not be over. Which suggests someone may have been slightly premature with the congratulations.
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