Criminal: Netflix Reveals Mysterious “Format Bending” Series

A new series is in the works at Netflix, set to put a fascinating spin on the near-primordial format of the “police procedural.”

Criminal will take place exclusively within one room – a police interview suite – and will cover stories happening in four separate countries within its 12-episode first season. Netflix has pitched it as a “stripped down, cat-and-mouse drama” that will focus on “the intense mental conflict between the police officer and the suspect in question.”

The streaming giant has rounded up quite a team to pull this gamble off. The UK episodes boast the duo of George Kay (Killing Eve) and Jim Field Smith (Endeavour), while the French episodes will be written and directed by the likes of Frederic Mermoud (Spiral, The Returned), Antonin Martin-Hilbert (Nina) and Mathieu Missoffe (Profilage).

Meanwhile, the German-set episodes will be directed by Downfall‘s Oliver Hirschbiegel. In the Spanish episodes, Mariano Barroso (El día de mañana, Éxtasis) will direct, with Alejandro Hernández and Manuel Martín Cuenca (El autor) penning the scripts. Each country’s story will play out over three episodes.

Further Reading: The Best Documentaries on Netflix

Honestly, they had us at “an entire series set in one room.” Though technically, it’ll be four rooms. You know what we mean.

More as we get it.