Netflix viewers are already buzzing about the new cop drama Nemesis, after the series landed on the platform yesterday.
The show comes from Power creator Courtney A. Kemp alongside Tani Marole, and early reactions suggest it’s quickly finding an audience.
“Nemesis on Netflix is one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long long time,” somebody said on Twitter.
A second penned: “Nemesis was so damn good. The BEST series I seen on Netflix in a while. 10/10.”
Another Netflix viewer raved about the series: “I just watched the first episode of Nemesis on Netflix and I’m hooked.”
Critically, it’s also started strongly. At the time of writing, Nemesis is sitting at 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. So what drives the eight-episode first season?
Nemesis centers on two men locked on opposite sides of the law: Detective Isaiah Stiles and master thief Coltrane Wilder. Both are relentless, and each is determined to ruin the other.
“It’s like a 100-year blood feud,” Nemesis‘ creator Marole told Tudum. “If everyone keeps going for revenge, it never stops. And these gentlemen, they never stop until the last frame.”
Kemp also explained the show’s key dynamic and how the two leads were designed as contrasts.
“We wanted a cop who was basically acting like a criminal: loud, boorish, cursing. And then the other side of that, we really wanted the criminal [to be] controlled in every aspect of his life.”
The series also boasts a strong ensemble. Among the most familiar faces is Matthew Law, who plays Detective Stiles.
Law, 34, already has several notable credits, including Tyler Perry’s A Fall from Grace. He’s also appeared in Magic Carpet Rides, The Oval, and The Paynes.
Gabrielle Dennis stars opposite him as Stiles’ wife, Candace Stiles.
On the other side of the feud, Coltrane Wilder is played by 37-year-old Y’lan Noel, known for The First Purge, Lady in the Lake, A Lot of Nothing, and Issa Rae’s Insecure.
Cleopatra Coleman appears as Wilder’s wife, Ebony.
If Nemesis has you looking for something else featuring Matthew Law, there’s another popular series many viewers will recognise him from: Abbott Elementary, which has five seasons available to binge.
In the sitcom, Law plays O’Shon — the school’s tech guy and a love interest for Principal Ava Coleman. Premiering in 2021, the show has earned near-universal praise and a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
The synopsis for Abbott Elementary given on IMDb reads: “A workplace comedy centered on a group of dedicated teachers – and an oblivious principal – in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life.”
Abbott Elementary is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.