Stephen Graham has built a career on disappearing into roles that demand raw intensity and unsettling vulnerability. From the skinhead rage of This Is England to the tortured detective in Line of Duty and the frazzled chef in Boiling Point, he's proven time and again that he can inhabit characters who live on the edge. But his next project, the Apple TV+ crime thriller Nocturne, asks him to go somewhere he's never gone before: into the mind of a serial killer.
According to co-star Poorna Jagannathan, Graham's portrayal of Jurek Walker is nothing short of revolutionary. In a recent interview, she said the show "makes Silence of the Lambs feel like a documentary on Florence Nightingale" and admitted she hadn't been "that frightened since I was a child" after reading one of the Lars Kepler novels the series is based on. That fear is exactly why she signed on, along with her admiration for Graham, whose on-set work she described as "deeply meditative" and a "transformation" of the serial killer archetype.
A Career of Transformative Roles
Graham's ability to morph into radically different people is his signature. He's been the ruthless Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire, the heartbreaking Eddie Miller in Adolescence, and the conflicted Eric McNally in Time. Each performance is a masterclass in commitment, whether he's playing a villain you love to hate or a hero you can't help but root for. What sets him apart is his knack for finding the humanity in even the darkest souls, making his characters feel real and terrifyingly relatable.
In Nocturne, Graham flips the script. Instead of being the one under pressure, he's the one applying it. As Jurek Walker, a "diabolically cunning" killer, he's the puppet master pulling strings from behind bars, and that shift in power dynamics promises to be electrifying. If anyone can reinvent the serial killer for a new generation, it's Graham, and watching him play a calculated, incarcerated mastermind is bound to be a wild ride.
What to Expect from Nocturne
The series follows Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber), a soldier-turned-homicide detective who moves to a quiet town in Western Pennsylvania hoping for a fresh start. But his peace is shattered when Jurek Walker targets his family, forcing Lynn into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. When a victim thought dead resurfaces, Lynn races against time to find the one person still missing, while FBI agent Saga Bauer (Zazie Beetz) goes undercover to get inside Walker's head.
With a stellar cast that includes Bill Camp, Rory Culkin, Chrissy Metz, and Gary Carr, Nocturne is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year. The 10-episode limited series premieres on October 30 with a two-episode drop, followed by weekly releases. It's based on the best-selling novels Lazarus and The Sandman by Lars Kepler, the pen name of Swedish duo Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril, who also executive produce. Rowan Joffé created the series, with John Hlavin as showrunner.
For fans of psychological thrillers, this is a must-watch. If you're looking for more gripping stories, check out our list of twisty thrillers that channel Agatha Christie's style or dive into why Mindhunter remains the gold standard. And if you're in the mood for a binge, our weekend thriller binge list has you covered.
