Serial killers have never been more popular. The taboo, frightening topic has always had a place in pop culture, but recently there has been an abundance of programs about serial killers and grisly murders. TNT has recently thrown their hat into the ring in this category with The Alienist, which is based on Caleb Carr’s series of books. The Alienist is set at the end of the 1800s in New York City and follows the unusual group of professionals who are brought together to take down a murderer who targets young boy prostitutes. One of the reasons that The Alienist works so well is that it’s an original, fictionalized crime, but it pulls many actual details from history and involves real historical figures. It has the feeling of a great true crime story, even though it’s not.

The Alienist also features an incredible cast that features the likes of Luke Evans, Dakota Fanning, and Daniel Brühl. Brühl portrays Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, an “alienist” (1900s criminal psychologist), who finds himself trying to get into this serial killer’s head in order to catch him, but he must also be careful to not lose himself in the process. Brühl brings a strong, nuanced performance to the role and we got the opportunity to chat with him about Laszlo Kreizler, the show’s grisly subject matter, and if he’s a big crime junkie himself.

DEN OF GEEK: The Alienist isn’t exactly true crime, but it uses a lot of historical figures and accuracies to tell its story. Why do you think this genre and serial killers have exploded so much lately?

DANIEL BRUHL: There’s always been a huge interest in stories dealing with serial killers because darkness and evil lies within us all and we normally, as human beings, try to bury the horrible impulses that we have, I guess that makes the subject fascinating. Violence is such a big human theme. We’re captivated by it in this particular show. I think it’s thought-provoking to see the forensic experts and psychologists who started to chase and follow serial killers all that time ago.