‘The Night Of’ premiere: Is John Stone the bizarro Saul Goodman?

Sunday night’s premiere episode of “The Night Of” was, from our vantage point, something exemplary. It may have been long, but the pacing and the tension of it made for an immersive viewing experience. It’s funny in a way how many procedural crime shows make you numb to the human side of it, but this show ripped open that wound and poured salt right in there. It is still to early to know whether or not Nasir is really guilty of murder, but the show has constructed its narrative with at least a hope of innocence.

If there is one man who can help him get it, it’s none other than John Stone (John Turturro), a grizzled veteran attorney who is used to taking on low-rent clients. He almost doesn’t take Naz at all, choosing to do so seemingly out of sympathy for his disposition behind bars. It’s only later that he learns precisely what he is accused of.

When watching the character’s introduction, it was fairly clear to us the comparisons between this man and Saul Goodman / Jimmy McGill from the “Breaking Bad” / “Better Call Saul” universe. Both are smart, witty man with a unique personality, and they have a habit for taking on rather unseemly cases. Jimmy operates a little more spread-out in terms of the sort of law he covers, but the two even have some signature fashion accessories. (For Jimmy, it’s the suit; meanwhile, for John it’s the sandals, which he wears due to his eczema.)

Will the differences sprout between the two men over time? The assumption is yes, largely because Stone is in New York City, a place where he could be forced to play out some of the rules a little bit differently. Also, we’re speaking about murder here as opposed to trying to get someone out of a pettier crime.

For those wondering, some other comparisons we have seen for Stone so far include Columbo and Adrian Monk, though they were more about putting the bad guys away.