Let’s get this out of the way first: The Alienist is a horrible name for a television show. Sure not Better Off Ted bad where the name is so bad it keeps me from watching, but it just does not flow off the tip of the tongue and I doubt many people will be going to work or school asking “Did you watch The Alienist last night?”
But I will give TNT credit that they have really gone all in on trying to become a prestigious television network after being the CBS of cable for over a decade. Even if mixed results, their last period piece, Will, was dead on arrival, Animal Kingdom never really got me while Good Behavior and Claws are watchable, the both have glaring flaws. Which is why it continues to get shut out of awards contention. But The Alienist may be its most ambitious show as it just begs nominations with its meticulous period setting and top notch acting. (I am also very looking forward to the just greenlit Snowpiercer show based on the movie.)
The Alienist is set in 1896 New York City, Teddy Roosevelt is the police commissioner and cops communicate via banging their nightsticks on the lampposts. This is also a time when mental health practitioners are called “Alienist” because they treat people who alienate themselves from society. These doctors “Alleviate the conditions, not to cure them.” Daniel Brühl (Captain America: Civil War) is the titular character who links a teenage boy prostitute to a previous murder three years ago when the police for is ready to close the case with a murder already to die probably before it goes to trial.
The Alienist has a weird group around him making the weirdest superhero team up ever. Luke Evans (Professor Marston and the Wonder Women) is a newspaper illustrator who likes too much fun. On the other end of the fun spectrum is Dakota Fanning (Push) who only wants to be taken seriously as the first woman to hold a position with the police department in New York City. Oh and there is history between the two. She does not seem to care for him while he seems to be oblivious to it and still think they are good friends. This friction is the best part of the early episodes.
A close second is a pair of brothers who may have very well be the very first CSI team, they are one of the first to use fingerprints to help solve a case), who are the closest thing to comic relief this very serious show gets. But where the show lacks in humor, it more than makes up for in detail. The sets are exquisite, looking just as good as any movie set in the time period right down to the clothing. Although you may feel bad for Fanning that the corsets are too historically accurate as her character is very vocal of her displeasure of the eveningwear as we the audience get to see the busies they leave behind.
As good as the show looks; I fear the show may suffer from the same problem other shows that just focus on one case for another season. As good as The Killing was its first couple episodes; it became a growing slog with every new red herring. Hopefully The Alienist has found a way to keep the show fresh episode after episode instead of feeling like a two hour movie that is stretched into ten (or God forbid, more) episodes even though as of the first couple episodes there is nothing that comes close to a B-plot. On the bright side, none of the main characters have children they will have to spend an entire episode looking for.
The Alienist airs Mondays at 9:00 on TNT.
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