History Series / TheAlienist

In the midst of all this, a heinous crime is discovered. A young boy is found murdered, his body horribly mutilated. The scandalous and unusual details of the crime - the boy was a prostitute who would dress like a girl, he was sexually assaulted and his body was left on a barely-accessible rooftop - get Kreizler's attention. He theorizes that this is a new kind of criminal - a serial killer - and that he must be found before he kills again. But the case is so disturbing and unseemly - and Roosevelt already has his hands full - that the regular police are content to simply sweep this thing under the rug. With Roosevelt's tacit approval, Kreizler assembles a team consisting of his friend Moore, Roosevelt's secretary Sara Howard, and two young detectives who dabble in the new science of forensics. They plunge into the investigation, trying to determine who this killer is, why he's killing, and how to stop him from killing again.

* SerialKiller: As in the novel, the series talks about the idea of a serial killer - a murderer who kills repeatedly, in adherence with a pattern, for seemingly no material motive - as a relatively new concept. UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper is briefly discussed in reference.

* AmbiguousGenderIdentity: There is a subtle Trans theme in the series that was not present in the original book (the concept barely existed in 1994, and certainly not in 1896). In some cases it's not clear if the boy prostitutes identify as girls or just as boys who dress like girls for work. The backstory of at least one of the victims - Kreizler's former patient - points to him having some kind of non-Cisgendered identity: he apparently liked to dress and act like a girl, and rather than "cure" him of these tendencies, Kreizler advised acceptance and understanding. When the victim's mother learns that her son was most likely targeted ''because'' of his proclivities, she blames Kreizler for his death.

* MyGreatestFailure: Kreizler takes the case very personally and very seriously, once he learns that one of the victims was a former patient of his, and the victim's mother blames him for her son's death.

* TurnInYourBadge: [[spoiler: After Connor misdirects Roosevelt's strike force about Willem Van Berger's location, a seething Roosevelt kicks him off the force right there.]]

* DirtyCop: Captain Connor. He's on the Van Berger's payroll, and seems to have dealings with every brothel in New York.

* TurnInYourBadge: [[spoiler: After Connor misdirects Roosevelt's strike force about Willem Van Berger's location, a seething Roosevelt kicks him off the force right there.]]
* TranquilFury: Everything that's happening puts Theodore Roosevelt in an almost constant state of slow burn.

* AmbiguousGenderIdentity: There is a subtle Trans theme in the series that was not present in the original book (the concept barely existed in 1994, and certainly not in 1896). In some cases it's not clear if the boy prostitutes identify as girls or just as boys who dress like girls for work. The backstory of at least one of the victims - Kreizler's former patient - points to him having some kind of non-Cisgendered identity. The victim's mother blames Kreizler's refusal to "cure" him of these proclivities for her son's death, reasoning that he'd never have been a victim of a killer that likes boys who dress like girls if Kreizler had done something about it.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: The team meshes quite well the book, despite a few differences that they quickly put aside. Not so in the series. Moore and Kreizler in particular almost hate each other.

* AttractiveBentGender: A dark twist, almost to the point of Deconstruction: some of the boys who dress like girls actually make very convincing and very pretty girls...which is, of course, the reason they're being preyed upon. [[spoiler: When the team dresses Stevie up as part of a sting, he actually makes a pretty girl too, much to his own consternation.]]

* SerialKiller: As in the novel, the series talks about the idea of a serial killer - a murderer who kills repeatedly in accordance with a pattern - as a relatively new concept. UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper is briefly discussed in reference.

* CrapsackWorld: You don't get much more crapsack than 1890's New York City. This is a place where thousands of impoverished immigrants are crammed into stinking hovels that the police don't bother coming to unless they want something, and a brutal serial killer can work with impunity so long as he preys on nameless poor boys.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: John Schuyler Moore is a cynical, ill-tempered drunk, but he's basically a good guy. He genuinely cares for Sara, he loves his randmother, and he befriends the boy prostitute Joseph, making sure he stays safe and talking to him about how he might help him escape this life.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: John Schuyler Moore is a cynical, ill-tempered drunk, but he's basically a good guy. He genuinely cares for Sara, he loves his Grandmother, and he reaches out to one of the boy prostitutes to make sure he stays safe.

* ScaryTeeth: The main suspect in the case is a regular the prostitutes refer to as "The Man with the Silver Smile." This turns out to be a side effect from contemporary medical treatment: at the time, syphilis was treated with mercury, which could stain the teeth. [[spoiler: Willem Van Berger has such silver-colored teeth. It's not clear yet if the actually killer has the same issue, however.]]

* RapeAsDrama: Early in the investigation, Moore is drugged by a brothel keeper and has...something done to him by the boy prostitutes. It's not clear what, exactly, but he's assaulted in some way and then just dumped back on the street half-naked.

''The Alienist'' is a Television miniseries broadcasting on the TNT Network beginning in January 2018. Based on [[Literature/TheAlienist the 1994 novel written by Caleb Carr]], it stars Creator/LukeEvans, Creator/DakotaFanning, and Daniel Bruhl.

* TurnInYourBadge: [[spoiler: After Connor misdirects Roosevelt's strike force about Willem Van Berger's location, a seething Roosevelt kicks him off the force right there.]]

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: A running theme in the narrative. The Van Bergers use their money and influence to shield their son Willem from the investigation despite him being a prime suspect. [[spoiler: Willem tries to invoke this when Connor chases him down, but it doesn't save him.]]

* RedHerring: [[spoiler: Willem Van Berger, the most likely suspect, is not the killer, as evidenced by the fact that Connor tracks him down and shoots him dead right when another murder is being committed.]]

* PoliceAreUseless: The New York City police department is so corrupt that they'd rather sweep these horrible murders under the rug than actually investigate them, for fear of opening a number of worm-filled cans about their own activities or those of their wealthy patrons. Roosevelt's trying to change that, but he's got a steep uphill battle to fight.

* PoliceAreUseless: The New York City police department is so corrupt that they'd rather protect the interests of wealthy families than actually try and solve a series of horrible murders. Roosevelt's trying to change that, but he's got a steep uphill battle to fight.

* PoliceAreUseless:

->''In the 19th century, people suffering from mental illness were considered to be alienated from their true natures. The people who studied them were therefore referred to as Alienists.''

''The Alienist'' is a Television miniseries broadcasting on the TNT Network beginning in January 2018. Based on [[Literature/TheAlienist the 1994 novel written by Caleb Carr]], it stars Creator/LukeEvans, Creator/DakotaFanning, and Daniel Bruhl.

New York City, 1896. The city is expanding under a new wave of immigration. Poverty and street crime are rampant, and no less rampant is police corruption. The newly-appointed Commissioner, one UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt, strives to clean up the police department, navigating a minefield of crooked cops, corrupt politicians, and decadent aristocrats. Meanwhile, the Alienist Lazlo Kreizler practices his emerging field of medicine with troubled children, and freelance artist and notorious cad John Schuyler Moore drinks and whores his way through high society.

In the midst of all this, a heinous crime is discovered. A young boy is found murdered, his body horribly mutilated. The scandalous and unusual details of the crime - the boy was a prostitute who would dress like a girl, he was sexually assaulted and his body was left on a barely-accessible rooftop - get Kreizler's attention. He theorizes that this is a new kind of criminal - a serial killer - and that he must be found before he kills again. But the case is so disturbing and unseemly - and Roosevelt already has his hands full - that the regular police are content to simply sweep this thing under the rug. With Roosevelt's tacit approval, Kreizler assembles a team consisting of his friend Moore, Roosevelt's secretary Sara Howard, and two young detectives who dabble in the new science of forensics. They plunge into the investigation, trying to determine who this killer is, why he's killing, and how to stop him from killing again.

As a miniseries adaptation of a novel, the story is expanded significantly from the source material, exploring some elements in more detail that were present in the background of the book: classism and racism in 19th Century America, and some exploration into Gender Identity issues.

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!!This series provides examples of:

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: The team meshes quite well the book, despite a few differences that they quickly put aside. Not so in the series. Moore and Kreizler in particular almost hate each other.
* AdaptationalExpansion: The series delves more deeply into the decadence of New York high society, as well as the class struggle taking place at the same time.
* TheAlcoholic: Moore. His grandmother gets him to quit drinking partway through the series, and he's got clear withdrawal symptoms from then on.
* CrapsackWorld: You don't get much more crapsack than 1890's New York City. This is a place where thousands of impoverished immigrants are crammed into stinking hovels that the police don't bother coming to unless they want something, and a brutal serial killer can work with impunity so long as he preys on nameless poor boys.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Sarah Howard is frequently harassed and looked down on by the police force, as the first female employee of the department. She's even marginalized by Kreizler's team, although that's mostly out of a misguided desire to protect her.
* DirtyCop: Captain Connor. He's on the Van Berger's payroll, and seems to have dealings with every brothel in New York.
* EverybodySmokes: As appropriate for the time period. Moore in particular steps up his smoking habit once he stops drinking.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Teddy Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan, to name a few.
* PoliceAreUseless: The New York City police department is so corrupt that they'd rather protect the interests of wealthy families than actually try and solve a series of horrible murders. Roosevelt's trying to change that, but he's got a steep uphill battle to fight.
* PsychopathicManChild: Willem Van Berger, one of the team's prime suspects. He likes to drug and rape young boys, and when confronted by it he throws a temper tantrum like a spoiled eight-year-old.