# The Alienist (2018)

> In 1896 New York, a criminal psychologist and a small team of outsiders hunt a serial killer of young male prostitutes.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/62634

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 18
- Episode runtime: 48 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama, mystery
- Created by: Cary Joji Fukunaga
- Network: TNT
- Cast: Daniel Brühl, Luke Evans, Dakota Fanning, Matthew Shear, Brian Geraghty, Douglas Smith, Robert Wisdom, Rosy McEwen
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4604612/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: graphic
- Tone: grim, atmospheric, melancholic, claustrophobic, tense

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, praising the cast and the period-set mystery while finding the pacing and tone uneven across its run.

## Synopsis

The Alienist (2018-2020) is an American period crime drama series created by Cary Joji Fukunaga for TNT. Daniel Brühl plays criminal psychologist Laszlo Kreizler, who teams with newspaper illustrator John Moore (Luke Evans) and secretary Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning) to hunt a killer targeting young male prostitutes. Police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Geraghty) gives them an unofficial mandate while institutional resistance and corruption block every step. Set in 1896 Manhattan, the series moves through the city's tenements, morgues, and gaslit streets, with each season following the investigators as they chase clues, interview suspects, and confront the cruelties of a rapidly changing metropolis. Across two seasons and eighteen episodes, it is a serialized mystery with a sustained procedural rhythm rather than a case-of-the-week format. The tone is grim and atmospheric, with a melancholic, claustrophobic feel shaped by period detail and forensic curiosity. Its themes of early criminal psychology, social neglect, and moral compromise make it a natural pick for viewers who enjoy Hannibal, Ripper Street, and Murdoch Mysteries, offering dark historical intrigue with a strong ensemble and a mature, unflinching eye.

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