The Alienist – Cracking Netflix series

Just finished watching this cracking series on Netflix. With a stellar cast (Daniel Bruhl, Luke Evans and Dakota Fanning) alongside some very authentic 1896 New York sets, ‘The Alienist’ tells the story of crime reporter John Moore (Evans) and psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Bruhl) investigating a serial killer in New York during the late 19th century.

The show goes to great lengths in depicting the huge gulf between the wealthy New York socialites and the grimy tenement buildings where the majority of the population (and immigrants) were forced to live. For a show about a serial killer, the gore factor is reigned in and falls in line with the ‘stiff upper’ lip attitude of the Victorian elite.

As the puzzle unwinds over the ten episodes, we see the birth of modern-day forensic science (rudimentary fingerprint analysis and criminal profiling) clashing with the more brutal (and corrupt) New York PD. There are the usual red herrings and wild goose chases and in later episodes a number of curve-balls you really didn’t see coming!

There is great on-screen chemistry between the three leads that surely a second season will be hot on it’s heels.

If you have a spare evening (or three) on your hands, it’s well worth checking out…

JK