Liev Schreiber (“Ray Donovan”), Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta”), and Stephen Graham (“Adolescence”) enter a deadly game of cat and mouse on Apple TV’s “Nocturne.” The show is an adaptation of the Scandinavian crime novels “The Sandman” and “Lazarus” by Lars Kepler (the pen name of married Swedish authors Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril). The two novels are part of their 10-book Joona Linna series, which has sold 20 million copies worldwide. And while the Joona Linna novels are set in Stockholm, Sweden, “Nocturne” takes the story to western Pennsylvania.
Want to learn more about Apple TV’s new thriller? “Nocturne” premieres Oct. 30 with the first two episodes. Here’s everything else we know about the series, including who cast it.
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“Nocture” is a 10-episode crime drama that stars Schreiber as Jonah Lynn, an ex-soldier and homicide detective whose move to small-town Pennsylvania puts him on a collision course with a serial killer named Jurek Walter (Graham). As the story unfolds, FBI agent Saga Bauer (Beetz) joins the mix as she has a personal connection to Jonah.
Fresh off his Emmy-winning performance on “Adolescence,” Graham told TV Insider that “Nocturne” offered something new. “It was a character I’ve never played before,” he said. “The script was phenomenal.”
To prepare for his role as Jurek, Graham watched crime documentaries about serial killers with his wife, actor Hannah Walters, and worked closely with co-showrunner John Hlavin. “We’d meet up every Sunday and go through the scenes for the week,” he said. “It was vital to have that resource of John to tie in the research I’d done.”
For Graham, the challenge was getting inside Jurek’s psychology. “To get into that mindset, the psyche, that makes these people what they are was really interesting.”
Rowan Joffé (“Tin Star,” “Ballad of a Small Player”) created the television adaptation and serves as writer, executive producer, and co-showrunner. Hlavin (“Shooter,” “The Shield”) developed it for television and also writes, executive produces, and co-showruns. Timothy Van Patten (“The Sopranos,” “Boardwalk Empire”) directed the first two episodes.
The cast includes:
- Liev Schreiber as Jonah Lynn
- Zazie Beetz as Saga Bauer
- Stephen Graham as Jurek Walter
- Bill Camp as Dave Ellison
- Rory Culkin as Karl Anders
- Chrissy Metz as Ida Frost
- Gary Carr as Nathan Pollock
- Landon Valentin as Michael Frost
- Poorna Jagannathan as Alexandra Quinn
Avy Kaufman (“Sentimental Value,” “Task,” “Brokeback Mountain”) is the CD for the series.
As for her best advice? She says it’s all about being prepared. “When you walk into the room, you should know the material,” she told us. “I don’t mean that you have to be off-book, but you should know the person you’re playing. So if I say, ‘Try it here, try it there,’ how is that person going to do that? Be as centered as you can.”
For insights on how to get on a casting director’s radar, these are useful guides:
It’s still too early to tell if “Nocturne” will get the green light for another season. While we wait for renewal news, we suggest checking out our casting roundups that are filled with projects that are actively casting.
And keep your skills sharp with these guides:
