Gabriel Basso is trading in his FBI badge for a darker, true-crime role. The Night Agent star has officially signed on to headline Apple TV's upcoming thriller series Guilty Creatures, where he'll act opposite three-time Emmy winner Julia Garner. The move signals a major shift for Basso, who has been the face of Netflix's breakout hit since its debut.
Based on Matthew Quirk's novel, The Night Agent catapulted Basso to stardom as Peter Sutherland, a tenacious FBI agent racing to expose a mole buried deep within the U.S. government. Alongside Luciane Buchanan's Rose Larkin, a former tech CEO targeted for assassination, the series became a ratings juggernaut for Netflix. Created by Shawn Ryan (The Shield), the show's fourth and final season recently wrapped production, freeing Basso for new ventures. Fans of the genre can also explore near-perfect thriller series on Netflix while waiting for his next chapter.
What Is 'Guilty Creatures' About?
Apple TV's Guilty Creatures is a true-crime thriller that dives into a scandalous and deadly affair. Garner and Lewis Pullman (Remarkably Bright Creatures) star as illicit lovers in the Florida Panhandle whose passionate, adulterous romance spirals into a brutal murder—despite their devout religious convictions. The series will explore the harrowing aftermath and the weight of their sins. Basso joins a stacked cast that also includes Maddie Hasson (Bone Lake) and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds).
The show is adapted from Mikita Brottman's 2024 book Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida, which chronicles the real-life 2000 murder of Mike Williams by his wife, Denise, and her lover, Brian Winchester. It's a chilling tale that blends sex, faith, and violence—exactly the kind of gripping material that has made true-crime thrillers a staple of streaming. For more on why these stories hook audiences, check out why thrillers reign supreme.
Behind the Scenes: The Creative Team
Guilty Creatures boasts a formidable creative team. Stuart Zicherman (American Sports Story) will serve as showrunner, with Sarah DeLappe (Bodies Bodies Bodies) penning the scripts. Craig Gillespie (Supergirl) is set to direct. Executive producers include Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, and Alissa Bachner for Tomorrow Studios; Garner for Alma Margo; Gillespie and Annie Marter via Fortunate Jack Productions; and Brottman, Zicherman, and DeLappe.
For Basso, this role marks a significant departure from the procedural thrills of The Night Agent. He's also recently appeared in the romantic drama Love of Your Life with Margaret Qualley and the thriller Iconoclast, which he wrote and directed. With Guilty Creatures, he's poised to showcase a new dramatic range opposite Garner, whose Emmy-winning turn in Ozark cemented her as one of Hollywood's most compelling talents.
As Apple TV continues to build its prestige thriller slate, Guilty Creatures is shaping up to be a must-watch. Stay tuned for release date announcements and more casting news.
