''The Sinner'' is an American police procedural

anthology television series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a ...

developed by Derek Simonds for

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

. It is named after

Petra Hammesfahr Petra Hammesfahr (; born 10 May 1951) is a German crime writer. She has won several awards, including the Crime Prize of Wiesbaden and the Rhineland Literary Prize. Hammesfahr was born in Immerath (Erkelenz), North Rhine-Westphalia. Her first ...

's 1999 novel, which served as the basis for the first season.

Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. He made his film debut in ''R ...

stars as a police detective who investigates crimes committed by unlikely culprits and attempts to uncover their motivations. Only Pullman appears in every season, while the rest of the cast mostly changes for each season's story. Intended as an eight-part miniseries, ''The Sinner'' premiered to critical acclaim and high ratings. The show's success led to USA Network turning it into an anthology series, which aired for four seasons from August 2, 2017, to December 1, 2021. The first season of ''The Sinner'' received nominations for the

Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film is one of the annual Golden Globe Awards given to the best miniseries or made-for-television film. Winners and nominees 1970s Best Television Film 1980s Best Minise ...

and Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for

Jessica Biel Jessica Claire Timberlake ( née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and model. She has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bie ...

. Biel was also nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstandin ...

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 Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

and uncovers a much larger and disturbing case behind it. In the fourth and last season, the now-retired Ambrose travels to northern

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

to recover from the previous case. A tragedy occurs there involving the daughter of a prominent family, and he is recruited to help the investigation.

Cast

Main

as Harry Ambrose, a police detective ** Brady Jenness portrays the young Harry Ambrose in season 2 *

Jessica Hecht Jessica Hecht is an American actress and singer who played Gretchen Schwartz on ''Breaking Bad'', Susan Bunch on ''Friends'', and Carol on '' The Boys''. She has also made numerous Broadway appearances. Early life and education Hecht was born ...

as Sonya Barzel (seasons 3–4), an artist whom Harry begins dating in season 3

Season 1

as Cora Tannetti * Christopher Abbott as Mason Tannetti * Dohn Norwood as Dan Leroy (guest season 2), a police detective * Abby Miller as Caitlin Sullivan, a police sergeant

Season 2

* Elisha Henig as Julian Walker *

Carrie Coon Carrie Alexandra Coon (born January 24, 1981) is an American actress. In television, she is known for her starring roles as grieving mother Nora Durst in the HBO drama series '' The Leftovers'' (2014–2017) and as Gloria Burgle in the third s ...

as Vera Walker *

Hannah Gross Hannah Gross (born ) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Debbie Mitford in the Netflix drama '' Mindhunter''. Early life Gross grew up in Toronto. She is the daughter of actors Martha Burns and Paul Gross. She attended N ...

as Marin Calhoun *

Natalie Paul Natalie Paul is an American actress. She has acted in several television shows such as '' The Deuce'', '' Smash'', '' The Sinner'', and ''Power''. She is best known for playing Doreen Henderson on ''Show Me a Hero'' and for her role as Antoinette ...

as Heather Novack, a police detective *

Tracy Letts Tracy S. Letts (born July 4, 1965) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He started his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre before making his Broadway debut as a playwright for '' August: Osage County'' (2007), for which he received ...

as Jack Novack

Season 3

Matt Bomer Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In 2000, he made his television debut o ...

as Jamie Burns, an expectant father and Dorchester resident who seeks Harry's support after an accident *

Parisa Fitz-Henley Parisa Fitz-Henley (born July 22, 1977) is a Jamaican-born American actress, best known for her role as Reva Connors in ''Jessica Jones'' and ''Luke Cage''. From 2017 to 2018, Fitz-Henley starred in the NBC drama ''Midnight, Texas''. Early life ...

as Leela Burns, Jamie's wife who is expecting their first child * Eddie Martinez as Vic Soto, a Dorchester police detective who helps Harry on the case *

Chris Messina Christopher Messina (born August 11, 1974)Hochberg, Mina.Chris Messina stars in 'Ruby Sparks'��. ''Newsday'' (Long Island, New York). August 8, 2012: “...the actor, who turns 38 Saturday ugust 11, 2012 After graduating from Northport ew Yor ...

as Nick Haas, Jamie's friend from college

Season 4

* Alice Kremelberg as Percy Muldoon * Michael Mosley as Colin Muldoon *

Frances Fisher Frances Louise Fisher (born May 11, 1952) is a British-born American actress. She began her career in theatre and later starred as record executive Suzette 'Red' Saxon in the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Guiding Light'' (1985). In film, she is ...

as Meg Muldoon *

David Huynh David Huynh (born February 5, 1983) is a Canadian actor. Early life Huynh was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, briefly studied at the University of Manitoba focusing on a major in theater and a minor in film studies. Huynh continue ...

as CJ Lam * Cindy Cheung as Stephanie Lam * Ronin Wong as Mike Lam * Neal Huff as Sean Muldoon

Recurring

Season 1

* Joanna Adler as Anne Farmer, a police captain * Danielle Burgess as Maddie Beecham *

Patti D'Arbanville Patricia D'Arbanville is an American actress known for her appearance in Andy Warhol projects. Career After ''Flesh'', D'Arbanville performed in Warhol's '' L'Amour'' (1973), and as the title character in the David Hamilton film '' Bilitis'' ...

as Lorna Tannetti, Mason's mother * Kathryn Erbe as Fay Ambrose, Harry's wife * Enid Graham as Elizabeth Lacey, Cora's mother * Jacob Pitts as J.D. Lambert *

C. J. Wilson Christopher John Wilson (born November 18, 1980) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional baseball pitcher. Wilson pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers from 2005 to 2011 and the Los Angeles Angel ...

as William Lacey, Cora's father *

Nadia Alexander Nadia Alexander (born April 5, 1994 in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American actress. She has performed in several television series, including '' The Sinner'' (2017) and '' Seven Seconds'' (2018)''.'' She won the award for Best Actress in a U. ...

as Phoebe Lacey, Cora's sister *

Rebecca Wisocky Rebecca Wisocky (born November 12, 1971) is an American actress. Best known for her role as Evelyn Powell in the Lifetime comedy-drama series ''Devious Maids'' (2013–16), as of 2021 she is starring as Hetty Woodstone on the CBS sitcom ''Ghosts' ...

as Margaret Lacey, Cora's aunt * Eric Todd as Frankie Belmont, a beach-goer stabbed to death by Cora * Robert Funaro as Ron Tannetti, Mason's father * Grayson Eddey as Laine Tannetti, Cora's son

Season 2

* Ellen Adair as Bess McTeer, one of Julian's victims * Adam David Thompson as Adam Lowry, one of Julian's victims *

David Call David Steven Call (born August 14, 1982) is an American actor. Personal life Call was born in Issaquah, Washington. He is a graduate student of the Tisch School of the Arts and the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School. Acting career Call's ...

as Andy "Brick" Brickowski, an officer working with Heather *

Jay O. Sanders Jay Olcutt Sanders (born April 16, 1953) is an American film, theatre and television actor and playwright. He frequently appears in plays off-Broadway at The Public Theatre. Early life and education Sanders was born on April 16, 1953 in Austin, ...

as Tom Lidell, the police department's chief * Allison Case as Rosemary Ambrose, Harry's mother *

Brennan Brown Brennan Brown (born November 23, 1968) is an American film, television, and stage actor. He currently plays Dr. Samuel Abrams on NBC's ''Chicago Med''. He played Robert Childan on Amazon's ''Man in the High Castle''. Career He received his MF ...

as Lionel Jeffries * Maceo Oliver as Garrett, the manager of the boys' home where Julian is held in protective custody

Season 3

* Layla Felder as Emma Hughes, Jamie's student * Leslie Fray as Melanie, Harry's daughter * Luke David Blumm as Eli, Harry's grandson

Season 4

Joe Cobden Joe Cobden (born October 7, 1978 in Halifax, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. Joe started performing at age 10 as a street vaudevillian, touring festivals worldwide. In 1996, at age 17, Joe enrolled at Concordia University’s Theat ...

as Lou Raskin, Hanover Island's chief of police * Kim Roberts as Greta

Episodes

Season 1 (2017)

Season 2 (2018)

Season 3 (2020)

Season 4 (2021)

Production

Development

The series, described as a "close-ended series" by the network, was adapted from the novel of the same name by

; 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

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, which premiered on October 13, 2021. On November 17, 2021, it was reported the fourth season would be its last.

Music

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

Big Black Delta Big Black Delta is a solo project of Mellowdrone vocalist/bassist Jonathan Bates. History Bates began the project in 2010 after becoming frustrated with the logistics of a band. Thanks to help from Alessandro Cortini, of Nine Inch Nails, he dis ...

Casting

In May 2018,

and

were cast for the second season as Vera, Heather and Marin respectively. During the third season renewal, it was announced that

would star in the third season. On August 16, 2019,

, and Eddie Martinez were cast in starring roles for the third season. On March 17, 2021, Alice Kremelberg was cast for the fourth season as Percy Muldoon, a member of a fishing family who faces a tragedy. On April 21, 2021, Michael Mosley joined the cast as a new series regular for the fourth season. On June 9, 2021, Cindy Cheung, David Huynh, Ronin Wong, and Neal Huff were cast as series regulars for the fourth season.

Filming locations

The series is primarily filmed in New York state; various towns were used in the first season to depict the fictional Dorchester in New York. The exterior of the Mt. Pleasant Justice Court building in

Valhalla, New York Valhalla is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The name was in ...

, was used for the Dorchester police building. The fictional Beverwyck Club in the first season was filmed at the Belvedere Estate, a private residence surrounded by forest in

Tarrytown, New York Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North ...

. The production used some of the rooms, the basement, the Agora House building, and the wooded area on the property. Some filming for the first season was also completed in Summerville, South Carolina, and in

North Charleston, South Carolina North Charleston is the third-largest city in the state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of North Charlest ...

. The county jail scenes were filmed at the former county detention center in St. George, South Carolina, 30 miles from Summerville. At that time, the first episode was still considered to be the pilot for the series. The hamlet of Purchase, New York, was used to film "a sizeable chunk" of the second season; one location is the Cobble Stone Restaurant. The Pier 701 Restaurant & Bar in the village of

Piermont, New York Piermont is a village incorporated in 1847 in Rockland County, New York, United States. Piermont is in the town of Orangetown, located north of the hamlet of Palisades, east of Sparkill, and south of Grand View-on-Hudson, on the west bank of th ...

, was used for some filming in the first season. Some filming was completed at Prospect Point in Niagara Falls, New York; Bill Pullman was included in those scenes. In the third season, Dorchester is specified as being "by the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

in Somerset County". The third season was mainly filmed in New York State, especially in the town of

Hartsdale, New York Hartsdale is a hamlet located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of New York City. History Hartsdale, a CDP/hamlet/post-office in the town of Green ...

, in Westchester County. Some filming for the third season was completed at the Hartsdale train station, rebranded as Dorchester. Crews were also filming in summer 2019 at

Hastings-on-Hudson, New York Hastings-on-Hudson is a village in Westchester County located in the southwestern part of the town of Greenburgh in the state of New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of midtown Manh ...

, at the Found Herbal Apothecary Herb shop, and at the Hastings Center Diner. A car chase was shot in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, and scenes set at the fictional Briarton school were shot at the Synod of Bishops Russian Church on East 93rd Street. Other New York City locations included the STK Midtown Steakhouse and the City College of New York, both in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. The fourth season began filming in late April 2021 in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

and wrapped in August 2021. Most of the town and harbor scenes were shot in

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Lunenburg is a port town on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. Founded in 1753, the town was one of the first British attempts to settle Protestants in Nova Scotia. The economy was traditionally based on the offshore fishery and today ...

Reception

Critical response

Season 1

Critics acclaimed the first season and praised Biel's performance. On the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the season has an approval rating of 90% based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. 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 Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a rating to reviews, gave the series an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...

weighted score of 71 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". It was the number one 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 noted that the follow-up season surpassed expectations, as star

's character did not return from the first season. Alex McLevy of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' wrote a rave review of the first few episodes, in particular the performance of

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 IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

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 Tracy S. Letts (born July 4, 1965) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He started his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre before making his Broadway debut as a playwright for '' August: Osage County'' (2007), for which he received ...
,
Natalie Paul Natalie Paul is an American actress. She has acted in several television shows such as '' The Deuce'', '' Smash'', '' The Sinner'', and ''Power''. She is best known for playing Doreen Henderson on ''Show Me a Hero'' and for her role as Antoinette ...
, 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

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has an approval rating of 85% with an average rating of 7.28/10 based on 13 reviews. Metacritic has assigned a score of 81 out of 100 based on five critics for the third season, indicating "universal acclaim". Season 4 On Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season has an approval rating of 86% with an average rating of 7.8/10 based on 13 reviews.

Ratings

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links