HBO’s eight-part The Night Of still ranks among the streamer’s best

The Night Of, an eight-episode HBO miniseries that first drew attention in 2016, still rewards revisiting. It arrived amid a slate of acclaimed premium dramas and has quietly held up as a compact, intense example of what the network does best. The story follows Naz (Riz Ahmed), who wakes after a one-night stand with no clear memory of what happened and finds the woman he’d met murdered.

He’s stopped initially for a traffic violation and soon becomes the prime suspect, spending much of the series in jail before hiring lawyer John Stone (John Turturro) to defend him. A strong supporting cast includes Michael Kenneth Williams in a memorable role as a man Naz meets at Rikers Island.

The opening episode is particularly gripping, carrying a nightmarish, Kafkaesque quality: Naz’s bewilderment and the slow, bureaucratic slide into accusation create sustained dread. The series can feel more visceral than many crime dramas despite not being a horror show, and that first installment hooks the viewer quickly.

night of, hbo, riz ahmed, john turturro, michael kenneth, rikers island, miniseries, crime drama, kafkaesque, 2016