EPISODE 1.1
2 April 2021
Episode 1
The Serpent: Season 1
Set in the mid-'70s, this crime-thriller retells the true manhunt for one of Interpol's most wanted murderers, responsible for the deaths of Western travellers walking the 'Hippie Trail'. Stars Golden Globe-nominee Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian) and Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who).
2021UKNetflix
CrimeDramaTrue Story & BiographyHistorical
The Serpent: Season 1 / Reviews
The Age
It's Rahim's portrayal of the ice-cold psychopathic conman that will stay with you.
Full reviewVariety
The Serpent, true to its title, treats Sobhraj as something more dangerous and otherwise less than human, but in doing so, it leaves the possibility of real insight behind.
Full reviewSan Francisco Chronicle
There's enough audacity and confidence on display to cast a firm, often spellbinding grip.
Full review
CNN
Drags in places, but gradually becomes the kind of binge that those who get drawn in might well consume in a weekend.
Full review
Salon
A central irritant with this series is the script's incessant leaps back and forth through time.
Full review
USA Today
Fewer episodes, more creative license and fewer twists would have helped condense Serpent into a consistently stirring series.
Full review
Chicago Sun-Times
A fascinating, exotic, lurid period-piece true-crime story about a suave, identity-switching serial killer who makes Tom Ripley seem like an amateur.
Full review
Decider
The Serpent is certainly a slow burn, and its jumpy timeline will take some getting used to. But the lead performance by Rahim, and fine supporting performances by Coleman, Howle and Bamber help us stay engaged...
Full review
Hollywood Reporter
An infuriating blueprint for how bad storytelling choices, bad accents and an opaque central performance can thwart even the most inherently gripping of yarns.
Full review
RogerEbert.com
...Would be fine if the show’s lack of insight were replaced by thriller tension or even entertaining performances, but that’s not the case here.
Full review
IndieWire
Rahim brings such a specific charismatic energy to the performance that it’s possible to see how enough people could have been drawn into such a dangerous and morally compromising web.
Full review
Independent
There's a fine line between inscrutable and dull, and Rahim stays mostly on the right side.
Full review
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