Apple TV Releases Ten-Part Psychological Thriller Nocturne
Apple TV released the first two episodes of its ten-part psychological thriller Nocturne on October 30, bringing a bleak aesthetic and a menacing serial killer to the streaming platform. Adapted by Rowan Joffé from the Joona Linna book series by Swedish authors Lars Kepler—the pseudonym of husband-and-wife team Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril—the series shifts its setting from Sweden to a small town in Pennsylvania.
The story opens at Riverside Psychiatric Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where incarcerated multiple murderer Jurek Walter manipulates a fellow inmate into suicide through the facility’s pipes. Six months later, a young man named Michael Frost is discovered walking on a bridge in Fairhaven, Pennsylvania, after being missing for three years. Michael and his sister Felicia vanished years earlier, and investigators suspect Walter of abducting them despite never finding their bodies. The first episode is titled “Lazarus, Come Forth.” Jonah Lynn was partners with Saga Bauer’s father and worked on the disappearance of Michael and Felicia.
Cast Members and Character Roles
The series features an interconnected ensemble cast dealing with past trauma while tracking the missing children and investigating Walter’s influence outside the psychiatric facility.
* Stephen Graham stars as Jurek Walter, a convicted serial killer imprisoned for life in the bowels of Riverside psychiatric hospital.
* Liev Schreiber portrays Jonah Lynn, a damaged ex-cop and surrogate father to Saga Bauer who originally put Walter away.
* Zazie Beetz plays Saga Bauer, an FBI agent and undercover specialist posing as a patient to get close to Walter.
* Rory Culkin appears as Karl, a nurse who falls under Walter’s manipulation and secretly delivers the killer’s letters to his lawyer.
* Poorna Jagannathan portrays Agent Quinn, an FBI agent.
* Bill Camp plays a harrowed police chief.
* Chrissy Metz stars as Ida, the children’s mother.
Catching a killer means crossing the line. Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, and Stephen Graham star in #Nocturne, premiering October 30 on Apple TV. pic.twitter.com/n4u1t4KNuk
Adapting Scandinavian Noir for American Television
The production transplants the chilling elements of Scandinavian crime fiction into a gloomy American backdrop, leaning heavily on overcast weather and troubled characters. The series focuses more narrowly on Walter’s present influence over those around him rather than the broader community impact seen in the novels. Timothy Van Patten directs the series, establishing a dark, slow-burn tone.
While the narrative relies on well-worn genre tropes, Stephen Graham’s performance elevates the material by portraying a chameleonic villain. Graham’s preternaturally still and terrifying portrayal provides a magnetic center to the ten-part psychological thriller.
Additional Details From the Premiere
In the opening sequence, Jurek Walter passes the time in prison by doing push-ups and stashing contraband behind his toilet bowl. Walter has a way, as one former nurse notes, of making people feel sorry for him, describing him as a man who buried people alive
. After waking early when Karl finds the stashed contraband, Walter grabs the nurse and slips him a note to pass to his lawyer, establishing a bond.
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