I’ve been waiting for this trailer, and it does not disappoint.

Nocturne is coming to Apple TV just in time for Halloween, and its spooky vibes are perfect for the season.

And if you’ve ever wondered if Stephen Graham would be as good as a serial killer as he was as the distraught father of a killer kid, we may have your answer.

(Courtesy of Apple TV)

Here’s Nocturne’s official logline:

Nocturne tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. 

But as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. 

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When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his surrogate daughter, FBI Agent Saga Bauer (Zazie Beetz), up against Jurek, how far will Jonah go? 

First of all, as a native of Western Pennsylvania (a suburb of Pittsburgh, to be exact), I can tell you that Bill Camp’s accent as he addresses the press is so good, it’s frightening.

(Apple TV/Screenshot)

One thing that has annoyed me about The Pitt (which I otherwise appreciate and adore) is the lack of accents. Well, other than the delightful Emmy-award-winning Katherine LaNasa.

As much as I wish being from here didn’t come with its own distinct vocal pattern, I can’t escape it. When you know it, not hearing it is remarkable, especially when you’re supposed to be in Western Pennsylvania.

I could hear tinges of it in the other actors, too. Beetz could be walking down my street right now, and I’d think she was a local. It makes my heart sing!

With so many specific accents across the US, it is a real test to emulate them, but it goes a long way to put you somewhere specific. 

Yet that’s not the only distinctly Western PA evocation. 

(Apple TV/Screenshot)

The weather is perfectly gray and dismal. We don’t see much sunshine, and hunting a serial killer in the sun feels like an entirely different vibe than under gray skies with the constant threat of snow.

Why am I waxing poetic about Western PA when I could be talking about the story? Because we don’t know much about it at this point.

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The trailer works based on a feeling, and that feeling is of being slowly suffocated by the evil residing in Jurek Walter, as his history of killing leads to new victims.

The killer is locked beneath six feet of concrete, and somehow that does absolutely nothing to make Nocturne feel safer.

That’s the cleverest thing about this first full look. Jurek doesn’t have to be roaming the woods with a knife to dominate every frame. He’s behind walls, reflected in glass, and sitting calmly while everyone outside his cell seems to be coming apart.

(Apple TV/Screenshot)

Maybe I’m particularly susceptible to this kind of atmosphere. There was a point in college when criminology was on the table for me, and I visited more than one prison housing killers. They’re unsettling places, but the claustrophobia surrounding Jurek somehow feels worse.

The trailer shows that Jurek isn’t just the face of another case Jonah needs to close. One of Jonah’s walls has disappeared beneath maps, clippings, photographs, and missing-person flyers, yet there are too many faces and too much history for it to be wrapped up cleanly.

Even worse, Jonah isn’t being asked to send some anonymous agent into Jurek’s orbit to solve the case. He’s sending the woman he considers a daughter toward a man everyone agrees is frighteningly good at discovering exactly where people are most vulnerable.

She’s walking into the lion’s den, and they all know it.

In one scene, Saga is separated by a concrete wall and a prison toilet, but it reads as if Jurek could reach out and snatch her if he wanted to — but he’s too into the game to let it go that far too soon. Typical big cat behavior.

(Apple TV/Screenshot)

Pairing Schreiber and Graham is inspired casting. At this point in their careers, neither needs theatrical villain/hero behavior. 

Graham can make stillness menacing, and it’s almost maddening how much fun he seems to be having. 

And if you watched Ray Donovan, and I know you have, you know that few actors can do burdened, contained intensity like Schreiber. 

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The trailer appears to understand that putting them inches apart and letting them stare at each other is somehow more unsettling than somebody waving a weapon around. Their intensity is the weapon.

Graham’s Jurek barely needs to move. One creepy smile is enough to make you wonder what he knows.

(Apple TV/Screenshot)

Schreiber’s Jonah looks like a man who’s spent far too long trying to convince himself he has whatever this is under control.

He clearly does not.

Then there’s Beetz, whose Saga seems to believe being mentored by Jonah has prepared her for whatever Jurek can throw at her. But her scenes inside suggest preparation only gets you so far when the person across from you specializes in finding the weak spot.

You can almost feel the story boiling over before we’re even sure where it’s going. Who doesn’t love that?

Even better? Nocturne arrives just before Halloween, but this doesn’t look like Apple TV‘s attempt at seasonal horror. It looks colder than that, more intimate. 

(Apple TV/Screenshot)

It looks exactly like what it is — the kind of story where the monster has already been caught, is thankfully buried under six feet of concrete, and yet, somehow that’s when you really start worrying.

Maybe those Western Pennsylvania skies aren’t so bad after all.

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And if there is one serial killer in Western PA, I know there are more. I’m the girl who visited a few during college, when criminology was on the table. They’re frightening places, but not nearly as eerie as what Jurek Walter is giving in the Nocturne trailer.

Hey, if Jonah and Saga want to expand beyond ten episodes, I might be down for that. But before I get too far ahead of myself, let’s plan on meeting again on October 30. There’s a lot to look forward to before All Hallows’ Eve!

Take a look at the full trailer below and hit the comments if it looks as good to you as it does to this Western PA native!

Nocturne will make its global debut on Apple TV with two episodes on Friday, October 30, followed by new episodes every Friday through December 25, 2026.

The series is created for television, written and executive produced by Rowan Joffe, and developed for television, written and executive produced by John Hlavin. Both Joffe and Hlavin serve as co-showrunners.

The ensemble cast starring alongside Schreiber, Beetz, and Graham includes Bill Camp as Chief Ellison, Rory Culkin as Karl, Chrissy Metz as Ida, Poorna Jagannathan as Special Agent Alexandra Quinn, Landon Valentin as Michael, and Gary Carr as Officer Pollock. 

Now, what are you waiting for? Let me know what you think!

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