Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/974985
T H E A L I E N I S T | P E R S P E C T I V E 8 1 The Alienist's journey to the screen was a multi- decade-long saga that deserves its own dedicated novel with all of its associated intrigue, power players and complications. My involvement alone lasted over two years, took me to three countries, and saw the tenure of at least seven different line producers. Prior to my arrival, the show had been in the works for 20 years. The beloved novel of the same name by Caleb Carr is a dense, sprawling detective story that has captivated fans for decades. The Alienist is not just a story of a serial killer wreaking havoc on the city of New York at the turn of the century, but also delves into the beginnings of forensic pathology and early psychotherapy. It is a story of major class disparity and unrest in the Gilded Age. It tells of the tenure of Teddy Roosevelt as the police commissioner of NYC, and about the personal lives and troubled histories of a group of protagonists that are each compelling and nuanced in their own right. Though I had heard rumors of the possibility of working on The Alienist for months, I was shocked when I got the call from Cary Fukunaga "These were landmarks, most of which are still around today, that needed to not only be seen, but be occupied by the characters in order for the investigation and storytelling to take place." A. ILLUSTRATION OF THE CONSTRUCTION CATWALKS AND THE CRIME SCENE AT THE TOP OF THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE AT NIGHT BY CONCEPT ARTIST VINCENT MORIN. B. HISTORIC PHOTO OF THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.