The Alienist S1-S2

Seriously beautiful cinematography, art design, costumes, and acting. The show sticks with you.

Someone in the boardroom was thinking hard, "People love those fake CSI shows, but we've tried everything, magical bone recreation, fashionable CSI models, Navy crime stuff, medium.. but WAIT, what we haven't tried is a period piece, with ancient CSI and.. wait what? Somebody did that as well? Ah screw it.. throw in dead tranny children." And this is how this show came into being. Except it's based on a novel, but still, nothing mind blowing. TBH, only reason I saw the first three episodes was for Luke Evans, and he isn't even a main character. Hell, even the main character doesn't feel like a main character since everything he can do, just a random "STRONG WOMYN" with no degree can do. Speaking of STRONG WOMYN. Dakota Fanning still can't act. To make it worse, the idea of a "strong woman" for the feminist directors of this show means, "I don't like to dress girly, I smoke, I drink and try to be as butch as possible, WOHOO FEMINISM." Only three episodes in and I am already hating her character. Worst part is, they are turning her into a main character who can magically do everything (it'll happen, you know it) the men can. Her character doesn't even match the character in the book. Not saying other characters are any better. This whole show so far is a cliche-fest with terrible edgy writing with CGI eye-holes in children. Hell, after the first episode, they don't even bother showing the bodies of the victims properly (I guess CGI for that is way too expensive). They just casually mention "children are being killed all over the place".. well, where? When? We only see two, are there more and how exactly is this killer going around butchering so many in so little time when the show itself, shows him taking his time (as in, weeks) with ONE CHILD. Meh. I'll probably try to watch all 10 episodes. But if this show gets renewed, then it sure as hell isn't because it's good. Probably will be renewed cause of star power.

Honestly just binged through 5 episodes. It's obviously not unique, but it is well worth the watch. Now I haven't read the book or anything so this is my review just based on the episodes I have seen not from any books and comparing them to the show. So if you're like me - who likes; crime, a psycho, bit of weirdness and a good story. Then this is definitely for you.

In the first season, there was a great balance between the three primary characters, the two men (the Alienist and the artist) and the woman, who is NYC's first female employee (non-Janitorial) at the NYPD. There's a lot to recommend it, although the show is QUITE gory and as someone else mentioned, there's a lot of gratuitous animal cruelty in it. But in Season 2, suddenly it's the Sara Howard show! All Sara, all the time! The Alienist, Laszlo, might as well just jump off a cliff; he's hardly even consulted. The artist, John Schuyler Moore, is inveigled somehow into an engagement with an empty-headed socialite--the daughter of William Randolph Hearst--and that's about all he does, is follow her around and hold her dog. (yes, indeed, she carries her little PeekaDoodle or whatever it is with her, like a 21st-century Celebutwit! How...modern!). But Sarah, oh, yes, she's launched her own all-female detective agency, with employees and everything (don't make me laugh, and I'm a WOMAN, for crying out loud) and she does all the detecting; all the work; all the profiling and orders everybody around. Yet again, the endless push for Social Justice has utterly--I mean, UTTERLY--ruined the show. It's not worth watching and it's even more gross and gruesome than last season. All that being true, I'm giving it a hard pass. 4 stars b/c S1 was worth watching, but don't ruin your enjoyment by bothering with S2. It's truly PATHETIC in comparison.

Great first season with the lead character in full flow but then a spectacularly offshoot type second season - ideally should have been called "The Sara Howard detective agency show"-totally sidelining the main character and theme and name of the serial and the main essence ion dwelling into human mind and figuring out the riddle, per say. Very sad deviation in season 2.

I liked S1, let's be clear I watch it for DB, NOT LE or DF!! Season two was okay but like another commentators view, it's taken such liberties with history it's boring me. The strong female hear me roar thing and her female detective agency was the theme, a black woman walking into a high class whites only restaurant as if it nothing, right (I'm black FYI)! I hate history re-writers! It is what it was, work with it! I don't know if they know who their audience is even...DF was VERY MISCAST, her face has no range her acting at best okay, she is just wrong person for this role!

I don't really get what blood the creators of this show thought they were going to be able to squeeze out of this stone - it's a mine that's been all but exhausted already with all the 'Knicks' and 'Peaky Blinders' and 'Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmeses' out there. Daniel Bruhl is - or can be - a fine actor but here he has nothing to do, and his 'Alienist' character - essentially just a primitive psychiatrist - is just a dead end as far as crime-solving possibilities (and motivations) go, and the well of plausibility is pretty much drained even by the end of the first episode (what IS it about his training in psychiatry that enables him to lead advancements in forensics?). There is nothing happening internally to make his doctor a unique, appealing or intriguing protagonist, and the same goes for the other two leads. Diversity quotas and tiresomely obligatory feminist monologues shoehorned into the script only add to the mangled pile-up of anachronisms that take us out of the story throughout. In all, it's a handsome thing to look at but without any discernible purpose for existing, and there's absolutely nothing here you haven't seen at least a dozen times before.

Surprised at how many people are putting this show down because they read the book and its translation to the screen doesn't meet their expectations. When will we understand that literature and movies (or TV series) are different media, therefore need to be judged independently? I'm a fan, a big fan of Caleb Carr's Laszlo Kreizler novels and read them some 8 years ago. I've been waiting since then for someone to make a movie outta them and now that they have, I love the result! Daniel Brühl plays Kreizler perfectly! When I read the book I had envisioned Laszlo as a young Sean Connery but Daniel is perfect for the role. Yes, the Serial killer theme has been done before. But when the story is well developed and well told the repeating of a subject falls second. The script, the atmosphere, even the camera work are great. Give this show a chance

I've read the book and as a psych major I have to say that I really like this show. The people writing the rude reviews need to relax and realize that absolutely no show follows its book down the last detail. Freakin relax and watch a different show, it's only on its third episode.

I can't understand the negative reviews. I love the time period, it adds to the dark foreboding atmosphere that can't be captured in a modern era. The acting is superb. The story line frightful, yet realistic. Geraghty as Roosevelt is wonderful. I watch each episode a couple times. I really love the series, but like many other shows I've enjoyed, many others didn't share my enthusiasm and they were eventually canceled. Hopefully, that won't be the case with The Alienist.