The Night Of


The Night Of is a 2016 American eight-part crime drama television miniseries based on the first season of Criminal Justice, a 2008 British series. The miniseries was written by Richard Price and Steven Zaillian, and directed by Zaillian and James Marsh. Broadcast on HBO, The Night Of premiered on July 10, 2016 to critical acclaim. The first episode premiered on June 24, 2016, via HBO's on-demand services.

Cast

Starring

On September 19, 2012, it was announced that HBO had ordered a pilot based on the British television series Criminal Justice. James Gandolfini was set to star, Richard Price would write the project, and Steven Zaillian would direct. On February 19, 2013, HBO passed on the project. However, on May 13, 2013, HBO reversed course, picking up Criminal Justice as a seven-part limited series. After Gandolfini's death on June 19, 2013, it was reported that the miniseries would move forward in his honor, and that Robert De Niro was set to replace Gandolfini. On April 21, 2014, John Turturro replaced De Niro because of scheduling conflicts. On March 11, 2016, it was announced that the project would premiere in the middle of 2016 under the title The Night Of. Gandolfini retains a posthumous executive producer credit.
In July 2016, Steven Zaillian commented about the possibility of a second season: "We're thinking about it and if we come up with something we all feel is worthy of doing, we'll do it. This was designed as a stand-alone piece. That being said, there are ways of certainly kind of taking what it feels like and what it's about and doing another season on another subject." In April 2017, Zaillian again commented on the possibility of a second season, saying: "Listen, we would love to do it, and when I say 'we,' I mean Richard Price and myself. If we can come up with something that we fall in love with, we'll do it. If we don't, we won't." In August 2017, John Turturro talked about the possibility of returning for season two: "We've been talking. So we'll see. I would be very interested because I felt that character offered something really rich. I'm hoping that that will come to fruition."
In January 2020, John Turturro stated that new episodes of The Night Of are still a possibility: "We have a couple of ideas but we have to sit down and discuss them, so we're at that stage so that's good."

Episodes

Reception

Critical reception

The Night Of received critical acclaim. On Metacritic, it currently has a score of 90, indicating "universal acclaim" based on 40 reviews. It currently has a score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 8.6/10 based on 62 reviews; its consensus reads, "The Night Of is a richly crafted, exquisitely performed mystery that will keep viewers enthralled and leave them devastated."
IGN reviewer Jesse Schedeen gave the entire miniseries an 8.9 out of 10 'Great' score, writing "With only a couple of exceptions, this summer hasn't been the greatest when it comes to new TV series, which makes The Night Of's brief run all the more special. This limited series did little to shake up the formula when it crime dramas, but it was distinguished by its amazing cast and the pervasive tension that drove the series from start to finish."

Accolades

CeremonyCategoryNomineeResult
31st American Society of Cinematographers AwardsBest Cinematography for a Movie, Miniseries, or Pilot for TelevisionIgor Martinovic
American Film Institute Awards 2016Top 10 Television ProgramsThe Night Of
69th Directors Guild of America AwardsOutstanding Directing – Miniseries or TV FilmSteven Zaillian
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Limited SeriesThe Night Of
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or MovieRiz Ahmed
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or MovieJohn Turturro
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or MovieBill Camp
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or MovieMichael Kenneth Williams
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic SpecialJames Marsh
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic SpecialSteven Zaillian
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic SpecialRichard Price and Steven Zaillian
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie, or SpecialAvy Kaufman and Sabrina Hyman
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or MovieFred Elmes
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or MovieJay Cassidy and Nick Houy
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special
69th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or MovieMichael Barry, Nicholas Renbeck, Felix Andrew, Larry Hoff
74th Golden Globe AwardsBest Actor – Miniseries or Television FilmRiz Ahmed
74th Golden Globe AwardsBest Actor – Miniseries or Television FilmJohn Turturro
74th Golden Globe AwardsBest Miniseries or Television FilmThe Night Of
28th Producers Guild of America AwardsOutstanding Producer of Long-Form TelevisionSteven Zaillian, Richard Price, Jane Tranter, Garrett Basch, Scott Ferguson
23rd Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited SeriesRiz Ahmed
23rd Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited SeriesJohn Turturro
67th ACE Eddie AwardsBest Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for TelevisionJay Cassidy
Society of Camera Operators AwardsCamera Operator of the Year – TelevisionBen Semanoff
Golden Reel AwardsBest Sound Editing:TV Long Form – Dialogue/ADRNicholas Renbeck, Sara Stern, Luciano Vignola, Odin Benitez, Marissa Littlefield
British Academy Television AwardsBest International ProgramThe Night Of
Peabody AwardsBest Entertainment ProgramThe Night Of
Rockie AwardsTelevision MiniseriesThe Night Of
33rd TCA AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and SpecialsThe Night Of

Ratings

In the United States, the miniseries experienced a TV ratings growth over its eight-episode run, with daily ratings tripling from its premiere to its finale. The premiere episode drew 2.1million viewers, before increasing to an average gross audience of 8.2million viewers on HBO.
In the United Kingdom, where it aired in September 2016, the first episode drew 468,000 viewers on Sky Atlantic. The show eventually drew an audience of 2.5million viewers across Sky's On Demand platforms.