Apple TV’s ‘Nocturne’ Trailer Pits Liev Schreiber and Zazie Beetz Against Stephen Graham

Apple TV has released the first trailer for Nocturne, a new 10-episode crime drama starring Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz and Stephen Graham. The series will premiere globally on October 30, 2026, opening with two episodes before moving to a weekly Friday release through December 25.

The Nocturne Apple TV trailer establishes the central conflict between Schreiber’s former homicide detective Jonah Lynn, Beetz’s FBI agent Saga Bauer and Graham’s serial killer Jurek Walter. Apple’s official announcement also confirms that the series draws from The Sandman, part of Lars Kepler’s bestselling Joona Linna crime novels.

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The Nocturne Apple TV trailer introduces Jonah Lynn and Saga Bauer

Schreiber plays Jonah Lynn, an ex-soldier who became a homicide detective before leaving the streets of Philadelphia for what he expects to be a quieter life in a small Western Pennsylvania town. That retreat does not last.

Apple’s synopsis says Jonah’s town and family become targets of Jurek Walter, the serial killer played by Graham. The search for Jurek’s last missing victim eventually requires Jonah to send Saga Bauer, his surrogate daughter and an FBI agent played by Beetz, against him.

The trailer makes the relationships among those three characters central to the series rather than positioning the story as a conventional case-of-the-week procedural. TV Insider’s trailer coverage independently confirms the October premiere and the Schreiber-Beetz-Graham setup.

The principal cast extends beyond the three leads. Bill Camp, Rory Culkin, Chrissy Metz, Poorna Jagannathan and Gary Carr also appear in the series.

Nocturne adapts Lars Kepler’s The Sandman

Nocturne comes from the crime-fiction world created by Lars Kepler, the pen name used by Swedish writing duo Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril.

Apple says the pair’s 10 published Joona Linna novels have sold 20 million copies and been translated into 40 languages. Rather than using the original book title for the television series, the adaptation arrives under the new Nocturne name.

Rowan Joffé created the series for television and serves as co-showrunner, writer and executive producer. John Hlavin developed it for television and is also a co-showrunner, writer and executive producer.

Tim Van Patten, whose television directing credits span major crime and prestige dramas, directs the first two episodes and executive produces. Additional executive producers include Schreiber and Beetz, with Beetz producing through her Sleepy Poppy company. A+E Studios produces the series for Apple TV in association with Range Studios.

Stephen Graham takes another dark television role

Graham’s Jurek Walter places the actor on the opposite side of the investigation from Schreiber and Beetz. The trailer centers the psychological danger around Jurek as much as the physical search for his missing victim.

The A.V. Club’s independent assessment of the trailer similarly focuses on Beetz going undercover and the confrontation with Graham’s character, while noting the combination of Schreiber, Beetz and Graham at the center of Apple’s latest thriller.

The series also arrives as Apple continues building a substantial crime and thriller lineup. TSJ’s recent guide to the best shows on Apple TV includes established thrillers such as Slow Horses, Severance and Silo, illustrating the competitive catalog Nocturne will enter when it premieres.

When does Nocturne premiere on Apple TV?

Nocturne premieres Friday, October 30, with its first two episodes. Apple will then release one new episode every Friday through December 25.

That gives the 10-episode drama an eight-week rollout rather than an all-at-once release. Apple has already released both the first trailer and key art, giving viewers their clearest look yet at the adaptation one month before its debut.

The trailer does not resolve how closely the television story will follow every element of Kepler’s source novel, and Apple has not framed the series as the beginning of a broader Joona Linna television franchise. For now, the confirmed story is a 10-episode confrontation linking Jonah, Saga and Jurek, with the first two chapters arriving October 30.