Dakota Fanning’s 2-Season Sci-Fi Thriller With an 80% Audience Score: A Hidden Gem Worth Watching
Fans of dark, stylish mysteries will appreciate The Alienist, a Dakota Fanning-led series that masterfully blends crime and psychology. Initially, the show seems like a typical gloomy period mystery with cobblestone streets, gas lamps, and corseted intrigue. However, a closer look reveals one of the most intellectually engaging, slow-burning thrillers of the last decade.
Plot and Setting
Starring Dakota Fanning, Daniel Brühl, and Luke Evans, this two-season TNT series explores the origins of criminal psychology, forensic science, and early women's rights advocacy. All these elements unfold against the atmospheric and meticulous backdrop of 1890s New York.
Adaptation and Storyline
Based on Caleb Carr’s 1994 best-selling novel, The Alienist follows Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl), a criminal psychologist—referred to as an “alienist” at that time. Kreizler is tasked by Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Geraghty) to investigate a series of brutal murders targeting street children.
Social Contrast and Characters
The series portrays a starkly divided Manhattan in 1896, where affluent mansions stand just blocks away from brothels and tenements housing street children. Kreizler forms a unique investigative team with illustrator John Moore (Luke Evans) and Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning), Roosevelt’s determined secretary and the first woman employed by the NYPD.
"The Alienist chronicles Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a criminal psychologist assigned by Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to investigate gruesome homicides involving street children."
This team unites to solve chilling crimes while highlighting early efforts toward social justice and women’s equality.
Audience Reception
The series holds an 80% audience score, reflecting its status as a compelling and underrated thriller ideal for binge-watching with its deep storytelling and rich character development.
Author's Summary: The Alienist combines rich period detail and nuanced crime-solving with strong social themes, making it a standout thriller well worth viewing.