HBO’s ‘The Night Of’ is highly recommended viewing (video)

Have you seen “The Night Of” yet? HBO has offered up the premiere episode across its digital platforms in preparation for Sunday’s premiere airing. If you have HBO GO or HBO NOW at your disposal, you should stop almost everything you’re doing and check it out.

We’re going to save real analysis and much more on the show after it airs, but for now we can say that this is one of the most powerful premieres we have seen in 2016. It feels almost like you are watching a Truman Capote or Theodore Dreiser novel, complete with the slow build and the origin story of a complicated case.

The story of “The Night Of” revolves around a young man who spends the night with a young woman, only to have things go terribly awry. He is accused of a heinous, horrible crime, but did it really do it? Even if he is innocent, will anyone believe him? The show examines the examination and the social politics behind the case in a realistic way, but while still keeping the soul of these characters. It’s not a gritty cop drama that is completely impersonal in terms of the people we watch. It also has a sensational cast, and is quintessential HBO programming: It’s aesthetically stunning and superbly written.

Basically, “The Night Of” should help fill the void left by “Game of Thrones” and “Outlander” coming off the schedule, at least in terms of quality. (There are no dragons or time-traveling women from England on this show.)

The review of the series premiere will be up tomorrow at this link. For now, watch the promo below to get a quick taste of what to expect.