If You Love ‘Bodies,’ Watch This Max Crime Thriller Series

The Big Picture

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• Period piece murder mysteries are a growing subgenre on television, with shows like Bodies gaining popularity.
• The Alienist explores the brutality of murder in 19th-century New York City while addressing the oppression of marginalized groups.
• Fans of crime shows will enjoy The Alienist for its psychological and forensic elements, as well as its thrilling storylines across two seasons.

Period pieces have been a staple on television for decades. With forbidden romances, dowries, and secret rendezvous — on top of extravagant costumes — some of the most popular series in recent years have come out of this genre, including The Gilded Age, which is airing Season 2 on Max. But, throughout the past several years, a subgenre of the immaculately presented period piece has gotten a makeover and transformed into something uglier, darker, and violent. As it turns out, baffling murder mysteries go hand in hand with historical dramas like peanut butter and jelly, and while it’s not a completely new idea, it has become much more common on television.

This past October, the limited series Bodies hit Netflix, and it quickly became one of the most-watched series on the streamer. An excellent, time-traveling murder mystery that finds four detectives solving the same baffling case across four different time zones, Bodies pays homage to the period piece genre as it immerses viewers into the past, present, and future.

The series clearly won audiences over, but there still does not seem to be too many other options within the niche sub-genre of murder mysteries set in the days of corsets and balls. There is at least one other that doesn’t check off the science-fiction box that Bodies offers, but it makes up for that with one of the most disturbing, confounding serial killer cases. Based upon the novel of the same name by Caleb Carr, the TNT crime thriller The Alienist is a must-watch after binging Bodies. Currently streaming in its entirety on Max, here’s why it is worth watching for any crime or period piece enthusiast.

What Is ‘The Alienist’ About?

The Alienist stars Daniel Brühl as Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a criminal psychiatrist who uses unorthodox methods in treating his patients at a time when mental health was misunderstood and considered a taboo subject. At the time, psychiatrists were referred to as alienists due to their patients, who were often alienated from society. After the body of a male sex worker is discovered in the dark alleys of New York City during the nighttime, the shocking brutality of the murder causes a stir in the city. Dr. Kreizler instantly becomes intrigued about understanding the mind of the killer, as well as obsessed with profiling him. As more sex workers start to show up dead, Dr. Kreizler assembles an off-the-books team to track down the killer. Competing with an uncaring, unfit New York Police Department that doesn’t care about the victims due to their profession and sexual orientation, Dr. Kreizler’s team races to find answers as more bodies stack up.

For historical buffs who watch period dramas for their rich dives into the past, viewers will be thrilled to know that the series introduces a young Theodore Roosevelt, portrayed by Brian Geraghty, as police commissioner and an associate of Dr. Kreizler. At his wits’ end on the baffling slew of child murders, Roosevelt enlists Dr. Kreizler to work on the case alongside his colleague and newspaper illustrator, John Moore (Luke Evans). Dakota Fanning also stars as the first woman to work for the NYPD, as secretary Sara Howard, whose dreams of becoming a detective are constantly squashed by the harassment she faces each day in the workforce from her male co-workers. Fanning’s performance and character are a highlight in the series, and Dr. Kreizler sees the value of this reserved, cunning detective in bloom and enlists her to help solve the case.

The rag-tag team is rounded out by two other outsiders within the police academy, Jewish brothers Douglas and Lucias Issacson, played by Douglas Smith and Matthew Schear. Due to their religion, they are also ostracized like Sara, but their intelligence in the field of forensic evidence proves instrumental as they introduce new tactics such as fingerprints into the investigation. The Alienist is an engrossing, late 19th-century murder mystery smothered in grizzly death and destruction that demands viewers’ attention.

‘The Alienist’ Should Be Your Next Murder Mystery Binge

At a time when white men held all the power and were the only voices in places of leadership, The Alienist is well aware of that fact and doesn’t shy away from those implications. Most period pieces focus on high society and the most privileged of socialites as they live in absurd wealth in nice mansions with an abundance of decadence. The Alienist makes it clear it isn’t interested in being just another entry within the romanticization of history and instead imagines what it would be like for oppressed groups during olden times. The team dedicated to solving these murders is compromised of outsiders themselves, and they are the only ones who care about these horrendous deaths.

Yes, the series is a fantastic murder mystery that involves high-speed chases through dark alleys and tense interviews full of red herrings, but at its core, it is making a statement about whose life matters, and which victims get the attention they deserve in death. In Bodies, the series uses the time-traveling element to highlight DI Hillinghead’s experience living as a closeted gay man in the 1800s while simply trying to live his life. Similarly, in The Alienist, the series highlights various oppressed groups, from the LGBTQ community, sex workers, women, and those who live with mental illness to demonstrate that the 1800s was made for one group to live freely: white men.

The Alienist is a show for the underdog, just like Bodies is, and is inspiring to watch as a team of people who do not belong to society fight to find justice for the murders of a community who’ve long been mistreated by everyone. Featuring one of the scariest serial killers on television, the series is a horror movie, thriller, mystery, and drama all rolled into one. The chemistry between the cast members is fantastic, and the acclaim for their performances along with the series execution of a slow-burning thriller is long overdue. The series more than deserves to snag a spot to shine among the other various acclaimed mysteries that have become the most popular genre, thanks to true crime lovers who remain thirsty for more challenging series.

‘The Alienist’ Is a Must-Watch for Any Fan of Crime Shows

For those who love shows such as Criminal Minds or Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, The Alienist is a great companion series. Laying the groundwork for how psychology entered the fold where criminal investigations are concerned, it’s a must-watch for any crime buff. Also exploring the birth of forensic evidence, it lays the foundation for how detectives introduced both science and psychology while catching killers.

While The Alienist only ran for two seasons before its conclusion in 2020, each one focuses on a different serial crime unfolding in New York City. As Season 1 finds Dr. Kriezler and his crew chasing down a serial killer murdering young boys, Season 2 focuses on a new crime that is just as electrifying. Based upon the sequel to Carr’s first novel, The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, babies from prominent families begin to get kidnapped, and the team must hunt down a sadistic killer once more. Season 2 puts Dakota Fanning at the forefront of the investigation as she begins her own private practice as an investigator, and is just as dark and brutal in Season 1 thanks to its content.

Streaming in its entirety on Max, The Alienist is a fresh, one-of-a-kind period piece at a crucial turning point in New York City, giving a voice to the voiceless as they fight their way through the grittiest cobblestone streets any television series has ever dared show.

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