The Night Of: Nothing is Black and White

HBO's The Night Of is based on an acclaimed BBC show called Criminal Justice. However, the show it most reminds me of is The Wire. Which makes sense because it was co-created by former Wire writer, Richard Price. The show's other creator is Steve Zaillian, who won an Oscar for writing Schindler's List. With that kind of pedigree, it's no wonder that this is one of the most compelling and stark shows I've seen about the American criminal justice system.

Set in New York City, the show tells the story of Nasir "Naz" Khan (Riz Ahmed), a Pakistani-American college student who is accused of murdering a young white woman. Naz remembers entering her apartment and sleeping with her, but the next few hours are a complete blank - he woke up alone in her kitchen, and when he went upstairs to say goodbye, he was confronted with her dead body and fled the scene of the crime. The first episode of the show is a masterclass in storytelling, setting out the clues and characters like pieces on a chessboard, and the next seven episodes play out an intricate game that touches on justice, race, class, and morality.

Given that this is a miniseries with only eight episodes, any further plot details would spoil too much. So you'll have to take my word for it when I say The Night Of is well worth your time. It boasts impeccable performances from its cast - Riz Ahmed is sublime as the bewildered Naz, who goes into prison looking like Bambi and turns into something far more heartbreaking as the wheels of justice slowly grind towards his trial. John Turturro plays Naz's lawyer, John Stone, a man who may not have the best legal reputation and only became Naz's attorney by mistake, but who is willing to tap into his inner Atticus Finch and give this kid a chance. Peymaan Moadi and Poorna Jagannathan are incredible as Naz's parents, refusing to believe their son is capable of such a heinous crime and willing to sacrifice everything to get him a proper trial. Bill Camp is tremendous as the solid Detective Box, a man on the verge of retirement who does everything by the book and yet finds himself unsatisfied with this seemingly open-and-shut case. And then we have The Wire's Omar himself, Michael Kenneth Williams, playing Freddy, a prisoner who can offer Naz protection but embodies all the moral ambiguities that are at play in this story.

In addition, each episode is exquisitely shot and edited, offering up rich character studies and suspenseful intrigue. Moments of the show reminded me of Spotlight - just as that movie glorified the often humdrum nature of investigative journalism, The Night Of revels in portraying the plodding nature of police work or setting up a legal defense. A sequence where Box has to re-create Naz's movements on the fateful night is an editor's dream, cutting from police cam footage to cell tower records and E-ZPass receipts, to create a timeline of events that the audience already knew but is still thrilling to see pieced together after the fact.

The Night Of shies away from absolutes. There is no character who is right all the time, and there is no character who is truly evil. Everyone has a story and everyone has their motivations. Some might be worse than others, but in the end, everyone has a chance at redemption and a chance to fall from grace. As the story hurtles to its conclusion, every character undergoes a transformation that highlights the murky depths of human nature. Your favorite character will change from week to week, and your allegiances will keep shifting as you uncover more information about the people you thought you had pegged. The only certainty in The Night Of is that corruption, racism, and classism permeate all levels of society. And while the series offers some hope that well-meaning people can still fight the good fight, it is all too clear that the scars from that fight will last a lifetime.