Nemesis premieres May 14 on Netflix.
By Elazar Abrahams
A hardened detective chases a charismatic criminal who always seems one step ahead in the new Netflix series Nemesis. It’s a show that’s sturdily built, with propulsive action and a well executed plot that’s anchored by two magnetic lead performances.
The eight episode season centers on LAPD Detective Isaiah Stiles (Matthew Law) and master thief Coltrane Wilder (Y’lan Noel), two men on opposite sides of the law whose lives start to knot together in ways that become increasingly personal. It’s a classic cat-and-mouse, cops-and-robbers story, and the show is certainly at its best when the two are at each other’s throats.
The characters fit recognizable molds and archetypes of the genre. Isaiah is the hardened cop with a complicated home life, a man who wants justice but is slowly letting the job hollow him out. Coltrane is the criminal with charm and intelligence. In a lesser show, this would feel familiar in a boring way. Here, the familiarity of these sorts of roles becomes a strength, because the writing gives the characters depth and really fleshes out the support systems around them.
Y’lan Noel is the MVP, absolutely fantastic as Coltrane. While certainly the antagonist of the story, he has a killer smile and charming screen presence that will seduce viewers the same way the character woos the public and disarms those coming after him. Noel had charisma in his role in Insecure, but Nemesis gives him a much bigger canvas, and he makes the most of it.
Matthew Law is also very strong, and the dynamic between the two men becomes the show’s addictive core. Their scenes together have that delicious “can’t quit each other” energy. Isaiah keeps chasing even when it’s clearly costing him at home. Coltrane could stay safer if he stopped poking the bear, but he can’t resist taunting Isaiah, pulling him back in, turning the chase into a deeply personal vendetta.
Nemesis is also authentically rooted in its characters’ world of the Black community in Los Angeles. That aspect gives this genre fare real flavor and identity.
The twists are strong and the action shootouts and car chases are gripping. The season keeps escalating in a way that makes you sit forward. In other words, there’s many an “oh shit” moment.
Honestly, Nemesis is an impeccably done version of this sort of series. Fans of crime shows will devour it. It’s like an airport novel – not philosophically groundbreaking, but you keep turning the pages in excitement.
I give Nemesis an A.
