The Sinner (TV series)


The Sinner is an American anthology crime drama mystery television series developed by Derek Simonds for USA Network. The series is named after Petra Hammesfahr's 1999 novel, which serves as the basis for the first season. Bill Pullman stars as a police detective who investigates crimes committed by unlikely culprits and attempts to uncover the culprits' motivations. Only Pullman appears in each season, with the rest of the cast alternating for the standalone stories of the seasons.
Originally intended as an eight-part miniseries, The Sinner premiered on August 2, 2017, to critical acclaim and high ratings. The show's success led to USA Network turning it into an anthology series, with a second season airing in 2018 and a third season airing in 2020. A fourth season has also been ordered.
The first season of The Sinner received two nominations at the 75th Golden Globe Awards: Best Miniseries or Television Film and Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for Jessica Biel. Biel was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.

Premise

In the first season, Detective Harry Ambrose delves into the past of Cora Tannetti, a troubled woman, to determine why she stabbed a man to death.
In the second season, Ambrose returns to his hometown after a young boy named Julian Walker confesses to poisoning a couple and learns secrets that the inhabitants are determined to keep buried.
In the third season, Ambrose investigates a fatal car accident in Upstate New York and uncovers a much larger and disturbing case behind it.

Cast

Main

Season 1

Season 1 (2017)

Season 2 (2018)

Season 3 (2020)

Production

Development

The series, described as a "close-ended series" by the network, was adapted from the novel of the same name by Petra Hammesfahr; however, the book's darker outlook was toned down and the location shifted from Germany to Upstate New York in the United States. It is the first time that Biel has served as an executive producer on a series, a role she said was "gold". Biel stated that she moved into production so that she could develop projects with challenging and interesting roles rather than wait for them to happen.
The series was ordered on January 17, 2017, and the eight episodes were broadcast on USA Network between August 2 and September 20, 2017. Originally, the series was created as a miniseries; however, in March 2018, it was announced that The Sinner would return for a second season. The second season premiered on August 1, 2018, comprised eight episodes and concluded on September 19, 2018. On March 6, 2019, USA Network renewed the series for a third season. which premiered on February 6, 2020. On June 15, 2020, USA renewed the series for a fourth season.

Music

The main song featured in the first-season storyline is "Huggin and Kissin" by Big Black Delta.

Casting

In May 2018, Carrie Coon, Natalie Paul and Hannah Gross were cast for the second season as Vera, Heather and Marin respectively. With the announcement of the third season renewal, it was announced that Matt Bomer would star in the third season. On August 16, 2019, Jessica Hecht, Parisa Fitz-Henley, and Eddie Martinez were cast in starring roles for the third season.

Filming locations

The fictional Beverwyck Club from the first season was filmed at the Belvedere Estate in Tarrytown, NY.

Reception

Critical response

Season 1

The season received critical acclaim, with Biel's performance being praised. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 94% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Smartly unpredictable and led by powerful performances from a talented cast, the darkly compelling The Sinner sinks its hooks in fast and doesn't let go." Metacritic, which assigns a rating to reviews, gave the series an average weighted score of 71 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". It was the no. 1 new cable series of 2017, according to Nielsen delayed viewing data.

Season 2

A 97% approval rating for the second season was reported by Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.54/10 based on 33 reviews, and a critical consensus reading, "In its second season, The Sinner establishes itself as an engrossing why-dunnit thriller series with staying power." Metacritic assigned a score of 75 out of 100 based on 16 critics for the second season, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Once again praising the writing and performances, several critics noting that the follow-up series surpassed expectations for season two, as star Jessica Biel's character did not return from the first season. That series had used up the source material from the original book.
Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club wrote a rave review of the first few episodes, in particular the performance of Carrie Coon as the mysterious Vera Walker. McLevy wrote that the second season could be even better than the first, noting,
"Two things keep it from feeling like a rehash of season one: the excellent choices in new narrative twists made by writer-creator Derek Simonds, and the caliber of talent involved in bringing it to life. Chief among the latter group is Carrie Coon, who... brings a wonderful fusion of frazzled humanism and sinister duplicity to the part, another magnetic performance by the actor that elevates the material and lends gravitas to some of the more daffily implausible turns."

Ben Travers of indieWire wrote,
"Derek Simonds assembled a helluva team for an intriguing follow-up season. The first three episodes of Season 2 match the tone and intensity of the writer's gripping debut, while new cast members Tracy Letts, Natalie Paul, and Carrie Coon more than make up for any holes left by the original cast.... Season 2 has enough going on it could spin off the rails, but the mere fact it has so much working for it thus far is a big win for everyone involved. The Sinner is no one-hit wonder."

Season 3

In Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 100% with an average rating of 7.85/10 based on 11 reviews. Metacritic has assigned a score of 81 out of 100 based on five critics for the third season, indicating "universal acclaim".

Ratings

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Awards and nominations