Black Bird

As Jimmy Keene begins a 10-year prison sentence, he gets an incredible offer: If he can elicit a confession from suspected killer Larry Hall, Jimmy will be freed. Completing this mission becomes the challenge of a lifetime.

Black Bird (2022) is a limited series created by Dennis Lehane for Apple TV, a crime drama adapted from a true-crime memoir tradition. Taron Egerton plays Jimmy Keene, a small-time prisoner serving a ten-year sentence who is offered his freedom if he can draw a confession out of suspected serial killer Larry Hall, played by Paul Walter Hauser. Greg Kinnear and Ray Liotta round out the principal cast, with Sepideh Moafi as a key investigative figure. The engine of the story is a dangerous psychological game: Jimmy must win the trust of a volatile, unsettling man while the prison environment and his own compromised motives press in around him. Each episode builds the tension through interrogation scenes, cell-block menace and fragmented memories of the crimes, so the case unfolds like a slow, claustrophobic puzzle. Told across six hour-long episodes, the miniseries plays as one continuous arc rather than a case of the week. Its tone is bleak, tense and morally murky, with a restrained, gritty visual register. Fans of True Detective, Mindhunter and Hannibal will find much to admire in its dark, character-driven examination of guilt, manipulation and survival.

Viewers praise Black Bird as a tense, solid true crime miniseries with a strong lead performance, though some find the protagonist underexplored.

• True Detectiveprison based investigation, serial killer hunt, morally compromised protagonist, bleak crime tone
• Mindhunterserial killer investigation, psychological interrogation, crime drama tone
• Hannibaltrue crime inspired serial killer story with dark procedural tension

Created by

Dennis Lehane

Release Date

2022-07-07

Episode runtime

62 min

Rating

8.1 / 10 (1103)

What is Black Bird about?

A imprisoned man is offered freedom if he can coax a confession out of a suspected serial killer.

What is Black Bird like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Black Bird as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is Black Bird violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in Black Bird as brutal.

What did critics think of Black Bird?

Viewers praise Black Bird as a tense, solid true crime miniseries with a strong lead performance, though some find the protagonist underexplored.

Which shows are like Black Bird?

Shows with a similar feel include True Detective, Mindhunter, and Hannibal.

How long is Black Bird?

Black Bird: 1 season, 6 episodes.

Is Black Bird still running?

No, Black Bird has ended.

Where can I watch Black Bird?

In United States, Black Bird streams on Apple TV, Apple TV Amazon Channel.