{
  "id": 16747156,
  "title": "'Nocturne' Review: Apple’s Answer to 'The Silence of the Lambs' Is a Massive Failure",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/nocturne-review-apples-answer-to-the-silence-of-the-lambs-is-a",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-27T13:00:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Polygon",
    "slug": "polygon",
    "url": "https://www.polygon.com/nocturne-review-apple-tv/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "After the blockbuster debut of Lars Kepler's crime novel The Sandman in 2012, critics hailed it as a Scandinavian noir masterpiece, drawing eerie comparisons to the infamous Hannibal Lecter character. The novel's chilling atmosphere, centered around Stockholm, Sweden, and its terrifying serial killer, Jurek Walter, left a lasting impression on the literary world. Fast forward to 2023, and Apple TV has attempted to bring Kepler's gripping tale to life with their series adaptation, Nocturne. Despite the series' ambitious effort, it appears that the showrunners and Apple fundamentally misunderstood the essence of Kepler's brilliant novel, resulting in a significant disappointment for fans of the source material.\n\nNocturne follows Jonah Lynn, a former homicide detective (played by Liev Schreiber) who returns to Pennsylvania after the loss of his wife and child. His quiet life is disrupted when a young boy, presumed dead, reappears, leading Jonah and his surrogate daughter, FBI agent Saga Bauer (played by Zazie Beetz), to investigate the mysterious disappearance. Meanwhile, Jurek Walter (portrayed by Stephen Graham) continues to terrorize the Restricted Housing Unit at Riverside, his influence stemming from his hypnotic ability to communicate with people rather than the threat of violence typically associated with prison inmates.\n\nOne of the most striking aspects of The Sandman is how it highlights the impact of Jurek's crimes on the entire city of Stockholm, not just on the characters in the story. Nocturne, however, fails to maintain this focus, instead devolving into a typical cop-heavy drama. While Schreiber's portrayal of Jonah remains compelling, Beetz and Graham deliver captivating performances as Saga and Jurek, respectively. They effectively capture the qualities that made their novel counterparts so memorable, bringing depth and intrigue to their roles.\n\nHowever, the show's biggest flaw lies in its failure to \"show, not tell.\" In The Silence of the Lambs, the tension derives from the relationship between Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling, as well as the ongoing efforts to track down and stop Buffalo Bill. Both narratives succeed because we witness how Lecter's influence permeates the FBI department and the lives of his victims' families and friends. In Nocturne, this crucial aspect is conspicuously absent, leaving viewers with a sense of distance and detachment from the characters and their struggles.\n\nAs the series progresses, the focus shifts from Jurek's influence to Jonah's personal pain and losses, which, while understandable for a protagonist-driven narrative, ultimately dilutes the powerful atmosphere that Kepler created in the original novel. This approach feels like a betrayal of the very essence of The Sandman, which is the aftermath of Jurek's crimes and their impact not just on individuals, but on an entire city. With seven episodes in, it appears that Nocturne's immense potential remains unrealized, and the audience is left with high hopes for a climactic resolution that may not live up to the gripping tale we've come to know from Kepler's masterful storytelling.",
  "summary": "Apple's adaptation of 'Nocturne' fundamentally misunderstands what made Lars Kepler's thriller 'The Sandman' so gripping.",
  "key_points": [
    "Nocturne adaptation fails to capture essence of Lars Kepler's novel",
    "Focus shifts from Jurek Walter's city-wide influence to personal drama",
    "Showrunners misunderstood source material's atmospheric impact"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}