‘The Night Of’: HBO’s New Crime TV Series Is Bloody, Sexy, And Cool, Reminds Of True Story Of Adnan Syed

The Night Of is a gripping new HBO television series that is slated to debut tonight. According to WPTZ, the crime drama will air in eight parts. The Night Of, which is also known as Criminal Justice, will follow a Pakistani-American college student who has a one night stand with a beautiful girl but wakes up to find her stabbed to death, leaving him as the accused. It stars Poorna Jagannathan, Syam M. Lafi, John Turturro, and Riz Ahmed.

HBO's #TheNightOf is the new crime thriller you can't miss https://t.co/UV1se52hg7 pic.twitter.com/X3rylTNA5J

— tv.com (@tvdotcom) July 9, 2016

The Night Of: TV Crime Series Synopsis

It’s a Friday night in the city, and Nasir Khan, a Pakistani-American college student whom everyone calls Naz, is headed to a party in Manhattan. Still living at home in Jackson Heights with his parents and without a working car of his own, Naz takes his father’s taxi cab, where he eventually meets a charming young woman who needs a ride. It’s not what he had planned for the night, but she’s gorgeous and intriguing, prompting Naz to take full advantage of the opportunity. During the night drive, he learns that she wants to go to the beach, but things heat up and passions ignite, leading Naz and the strange girl down the path of a drug-fueled night that ends with a steamy sexual encounter.

To his horror, Naz wakes up the next morning in a state of confusion when the girl ends up dead. An autopsy report shows that she was savagely stabbed to death. Naz doesn’t know how he got into this situation and can’t seem to remember anything, but what he does know is that he didn’t commit this crime.
To detectives, this kid is a likely suspect especially since he was supposedly the last person with the victim and his hands have what appears to be blood on them. Now, Naz is being advised not to say anything else about what happened that night, leaving police to sift through the evidence while piecing together some clues that they hope will eventually lead back to Naz.

With all of the rave reviews, The Night Of appears to be a must-watch TV series. Some who have had the chance to view the first episode believe that The Night Of crime drama is perfectly crafted, the kind of show that grabs the viewer by the seat and keeps him there. Particularly interesting is the relationship that develops between Naz and his attorney. Plus, the writing is brilliant and realistic. The Night Of on HBO is described as a fictional crime show that feels true. According to Salon, the show was inspired by the “five-episode first season of BBC’s Criminal Justice, which was created by screenwriter Peter Moffat.”

A.V. Club describes it even further.

“The Night Of isn’t a true-crime story, it’s an eight-part scripted drama adapted by Steven Zaillian and Richard Price from the British series Criminal Justice. (James Gandolfini, who was slated to star prior to his death, was instrumental to the show’s creation and is credited as an executive producer.) But it certainly feels true, with screenwriter Price bringing the same journalistic knack for rendering characters he brought to his work on The Wire.”

Visually appealing, The Night Of‘s picture quality is sharp and the sounds are crystal clear, down to the jail guard’s pounding footsteps, the clinking sound of the handcuffs, and the clank of the jail doors slamming shut.

HBO The Night OF–A True Story Connection?

According to Variety, The Night Of reminds one of the true-story of Adnan Syed, a Muslim-American with Pakistani parents who was convicted of killing his girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in 1999. He has always maintained his innocence and has many supporters who believe that he didn’t commit the crime.

This is not a drama you’ll want to miss. See The Night Of for yourself by tuning into HBO tonight at 9/8 p.m. Central. Last year, HBO debuted the hit true-story movie, Bessie, starring Queen Latifah.

[Image via GongTo/ShutterStock]