Apple TV’s New 6-Part Serial Killer Thriller With One Of Its Best Casts Is An Instant Streaming Sensation

Published Oct 30, 2026, 1:01 PM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." Apple TV's new thriller series is a serial killer tale that features one of the streaming service's best casts, and it has instantly become a major streaming sensation. Apple TV's roster of TV shows is filled with exciting thrillers. The genre in itself tends to be a major winner in the streaming age, as it lends itself well to the binge release model that streamers like Netflix have made so popular. 2026's TV show slate has been packed with new hit thriller series, including shows like HBO Max's War, Netflix's I Will Find You, Prime Video's Scarpetta, and many others. When it comes to Apple TV's successful series in 2026, thriller sits among genres like comedy and sci-fi as one of the best performers on the streamer. Apple TV has had many genre hits this year, including new seasons of returning shows, such as Jennifer Garner's The Last Thing He Told Me, and new TV shows debuting on Apple TV, such as Anya Taylor-Joy's Lucky. Now, the new Apple TV thriller series that is taking over the streamer's charts nationwide is Nocturne, which stars Liev Schreiber as Jonah Lynn, a former homicide detective dealing with a serial killer in a small town. Nocturne Has Swiftly Begun Its Apple TV Domination At the time of writing, Nocturne stands as the 5th most popular series on Apple TV's Top 10 TV Shows chart in the United States, according to data from FlixPatrol. This makes the serial killer thriller series an instant streaming hit, as Nocturne debuted with a two-episode premiere on Apple TV this Friday, October 30. Nocturne will air 10 episodes on the streaming service, with weekly releases until the finale on December 25. The new Apple TV crime thriller series is based on The Sandman novel by husband-and-wife duo Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril under the pseudonym Lars Kepler. Nocturne debuts on Apple TV leaving behind quite a few heavy hitters on the streamer's TV show chart nationwide. Right now, the new thriller series led by Schreiber stands above Rebecca Ferguson's dystopian sci-fi series Silo, the acclaimed horror comedy Widow's Bay, Jason Segel and Harrison Ford's emotional comedy Shrinking, and more. Nocturne holds a high 81% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 16 reviews. The Apple TV thriller series boasts one of the streamer's best casts, with Schreiber being joined by Adolescence's Stephen Graham as the serial killer Jurek Walter, and names like Joker's Zazie Beetz, Lanterns' Poorna Jagannathan, Black Mirror's Rory Culkin, and more. Nocturne Continues Apple TV's 2026 Thriller Streak Nocturne is the latest Apple TV thriller series to find success on the streaming service's US charts in 2026. It continues a streak that showcases just how popular the genre has become on the streamer, despite Apple TV's sci-fi series still being the talk of the town. Before Nocturne's release, Apple TV saw Amy Adams' Cape Fear, Last Seen, Timothy Olyphant's Lucky, Kerry Washington's Imperfect Women, and more new thriller series that debuted this year make their way to the streamer's charts. It remains to be seen just how high Nocturne can climb on Apple TV. Release Date October 30, 2026 Network Apple TV Showrunner John Hlavin, Rowan Joffe Cast Liev Schreiber Jonah Lynn Zazie Beetz FBI Agent Saga Bauer Landon Valentin Michael Frost Directors Tim Van Patten, Logan Kibens, Allen Coulter, Joe Chappelle Writers Rowan Joffe, John Hlavin, Dorothy Fortenberry, Lee Edward Colston, Jenina Kibuka, Matthew Newman Creator(s) Rowan Joffe, John Hlavin