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The Alienist

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews

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60

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Ratings

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7.0

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7.0	Your Score
7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Ratings

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The Alienist: A Fruitful Partnership

Now Playing: The Alienist: A Fruitful Partnership

The Alienist

Series Details & Credits

TNT | Release Date: January 22, 2018

Summary: The adaptation of Caleb Carr's novel set in 1895 where after a series of murders of prostitutes in New York City causes police commissioner (and future president) Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Geraghty) to ask for help from an alienist (aka criminal psychologist) Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl) and New York Times society illustrator JohnThe adaptation of Caleb Carr's novel set in 1895 where after a series of murders of prostitutes in New York City causes police commissioner (and future president) Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Geraghty) to ask for help from an alienist (aka criminal psychologist) Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl) and New York Times society illustrator John Moore (Luke Evans) to solve the case in secret. Roosevelt’s secretary Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning) also joins in the investigation.… Expand

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense, Science Fiction

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Metascore

60

Positive:

12

Mixed:

19

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

80

New York Magazine (Vulture)

Matt Zoller Seitz

Jan 23, 2018

Season 1 Review: The production design and costumes often speak more eloquently than any of the characters, and work overtime to communicate subtext that feels a lot more fresh than most of the text. Despite the apparent dependence on CGI, which is true of nearly everything these days, the images are still overwhelmingly tactile. The direction by Jakob Verbruggen is consistently superb, with flourishes that can sincerely be called virtuoso. And the totality of the thing can’t fail to impress. Read full review

77

Paste Magazine

Jacob Oller

Jul 13, 2020

Season 2 Review: The second season, subtitled Angel of Darkness after the novel of the same name by source author Caleb Carr, improves its storytelling significantly while maintaining one of the most interesting aesthetics on air. Read full review

70

Vox.com

Emily VanDerWerff

Jan 30, 2018

Season 1 Review: The Alienist might go very, very wrong in future episodes, and it’s already clear how the series might be more interesting if it took the plot of the novel as a suggestion instead of a road map. But there are enough pleasures around its edges to keep me watching. Read full review

60

UPROXX Alan Sepinwall

Jan 19, 2018

Season 1 Review: The book had all kinds of novelty going for it in the mid-’90s. The TV show lacks that same capacity to surprise, so it (based on the two episodes TNT gave critics) has to lean much more on its story and characters, which were on the sketchy side to begin with. ... The actors are all good, Brühl in particular finding the balance between altruism and obsession, but don’t especially elevate the middling material. (The period setting also forgives the hodgepodge of accents.) Read full review

58

IndieWire Ben Travers

Jan 22, 2018

Season 1 Review: Be it Sherlock Holmes, “True Detective,” “From Hell,” “Ripper Street,” or even more recent series like “Mindhunter,” this kind of story has been told before and told better. Serial killers are always intriguing because they feel so alien, but “The Alienist” can’t will itself to be anything more than an R-rated update. Read full review

50

The Atlantic

Sophie Gilbert

Jan 22, 2018

Season 1 Review: In its subtler moments the show offers some genuine chills. ... But the show’s overall joylessness makes it a slog, enhanced by the fact that the central investigation doesn’t feel like enough to pad out 10 episodes. Read full review

40

Yahoo TV

Ken Tucker

Jan 22, 2018

Season 1 Review: All the good acting here, and all the lush Gilded Age costuming, can’t distract us from the tedium of the storytelling. Read full review

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7.0

Mixed:

0

User Reviews

10

Lucas565

Jul 1, 2021

Uma das melhores séries que existem eu recomendo ela é maravilhosa mesmo muito boa

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

10

jonnyvinck2

Mar 27, 2021

Excellent, really a brilliant show, excellent suspense . Well worth watching

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

9

Fatchris89

Jul 31, 2020

ive only started watching this recently over the pandemic but that being said i cant help but wonder why it took me so long this was one of the absolute best programs ive seen in awhile dakota fanning is beautiful and flawless as lady sara the action the drama the everything is perfect iive only started watching this recently over the pandemic but that being said i cant help but wonder why it took me so long this was one of the absolute best programs ive seen in awhile dakota fanning is beautiful and flawless as lady sara the action the drama the everything is perfect i highly recommend it just not for kids too much sex and violence… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

8

TomWish

Nov 14, 2020

Although the series shifted a little from the Alienist Lazlo to the female private investigator character, I found this series still interesting, sophisticated, nuanced and entertaining. The actors are really good, not only the main characters but also the actor of the child murderer.

I wasAlthough the series shifted a little from the Alienist Lazlo to the female private investigator character, I found this series still interesting, sophisticated, nuanced and entertaining. The actors are really good, not only the main characters but also the actor of the child murderer.

I was a little disappointed though by the ending when the crime plot becomes a little bit silly.

But still, one of the best series I've seen this year.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

3

ukrScorpion

Nov 15, 2020

First season are awesome!
But second season so bad....
The main character(Alienist) was almost cut out,
the creators went into an alternative history, starting distort history
added a lot of melodrame elements

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

1

JRjr

Oct 29, 2020

Having enjoyed the first season I was looking forward to the second only to be left disappointed by it.
The show is supposedly about an Alinest, hence the name The Alienist, but in fact the lead character was a female private investigator who was totally unconvincing. Then they tried toHaving enjoyed the first season I was looking forward to the second only to be left disappointed by it.
The show is supposedly about an Alinest, hence the name The Alienist, but in fact the lead character was a female private investigator who was totally unconvincing. Then they tried to re-write history, having African Americans integrated into society in the late 19th century, owning businesses, working as journalists etc. This I'm afraid makes it look as though they'er trying to deny the reality of what black Americans went through in that era.
Besides the confusion of why it was called "The Alienist" and the disrespect shown to American Black history the story was laboured, the acting poor and generally a very unsatisfying watch.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

1

TheKZOShow

Nov 2, 2020

This review is based on Season 2

Season 1 was a very good showing on how to do a late 1800's/early 1900's crime series that isn't Peaky Blinders. The setting in New York and the entire cinematography is done really well in both seasons and the casting is in general very well done. DanielThis review is based on Season 2

Season 1 was a very good showing on how to do a late 1800's/early 1900's crime series that isn't Peaky Blinders. The setting in New York and the entire cinematography is done really well in both seasons and the casting is in general very well done. Daniel Brühle is amazing as Laszlo Kreidler, Ted Levine is, like always, believable in being a hardnosed cop/ass, Dakota Flanning is a nice counterpart to Brühle and Luke Evans as John Moore who also does a good job Eventhough I don't beleive the man can act. The story was compelling and you never knew what to expect. Season 2 on the other hand is to me a complete failure.
Gone is The Alienist. Laszlo is no longer the main character of the show but we've shifted onto Sara Howard, now a private detective with a staff of woman at her disposal. That at the start makes no sense since the show is called The Alienist. A woman being a private detective in the late 1890's in itself is completely unrealistic. That, being teamed with Black Americans owning a bar and being Journalists is completely unbelievable but in this second season Sara Howard can do whatever she wants with no consequences. She is a nobody of name and status but can get in where she wants and if she's not trying to ruin John Moore's upcoming marriage she's busy figuring everything out on her own. Laszlo is only needed to give small inputs and hypnotize the mother of a kidnapped baby, so the Alienist is not an integral part of The Alienist: Angel of Darkness. The kidnapped baby takes us to the story or the crime and that is a fine storyline for 6 to 7 episodes. A woman is executed for having killed her own child, but there is no body to be found and she's wrongly executed. There's a baby killer on the loose we find out and Sara is on the case. She does everything by herself, is the only person in town with a gun but still needs John to follow here everywhere, all her actions have zero consequences and all while doing this Dakota Flanning has either her open mouthed slightly scared look or puffed up cheeks dead eyes look. She can't carry a show like this called The Alienist where stupid decision on stupid decision is piled up while the investigation goes on. They find stuff and don't check it out until it's to late or just in the nick of time, Policemen forget how to fight baddies, some of them can't shoot and the killer keeps getting away in the most moronic fashions. & or 7 times during the last to episodes I was yelling "Shoot her/him!". They have loaded guns pointed at people threatening to cut peoples throats and all they do is start crying while they talk. John Moore gets overpowered by a 100 pound young woman, they miss clues by actually seeing them and talk about them but not investigate and it's so predictable. Even when the show tries to take you for a spin so you don't know who's where or when, you see right through it. On top of all that this is a complete Female Empowerment project where everything is done by, to or for women. All these bad men with money do horrible things to poor women and Sara saves the day like only she cans and the mystery completely disappears at times. Laszlo gets a love interest but it's not important. Daniel Brühl carried the first season as The Alienist and John and Sara helped him out while becoming more and more important to the story and to Laszlo. They needed each other to solve the case in season 1 but Laszlo was the main focus because Daniel Brühle is capable of carrying a show with that character. Everything is different in season 2 and it ruins it. It's feminist propaganda in a way and off course you need strong female characters but it's called The Alienist..... It's about Laszlo Kreidler The Alienist not a female detective. I hate the stalemate ending, the subplot of a hospital doing bad stuff in the shadows is completely dropped and it felt like they ran out of time so a ton of stuff has been left on the editing floor. It's not the worst show I've seen but I hate that it's not The Alienist anymore and that it's completely flipped over and become a show that is unrealistic in its historical core and has become a female empowerment piece of trash. Go watch season 1 instead. At least it lived up to the name.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

SEE ALL 8 REVIEWS

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Seasons & Episodes

60

Series Overview
Season 2

55
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: July 19, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E8. Better Angels
  Air Date: August 9, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E8. Better Angels
  Air Date: August 9, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E7. Last Exit to Brooklyn
  Air Date: August 9, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E7. Last Exit to Brooklyn
  Air Date: August 9, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E6. Memento Mori
  Air Date: August 2, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E6. Memento Mori
  Air Date: August 2, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E5. Belly of the Beast
  Air Date: August 2, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E5. Belly of the Beast
  Air Date: August 2, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E4. Gilded Cage
  Air Date: July 26, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E3. Labyrinth
  Air Date: July 26, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E2. Something Wicked
  Air Date: July 19, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E1. Ex Ore Infantium
  Air Date: July 19, 2020
Season 1

61
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: January 22, 2018