Claim: Steven Zaillian helped write and direct The Night Of.

The Night Of is an American eight-part crime drama television miniseries based on Criminal Justice , a 2008 -- 09 British television series . The miniseries was written by Richard Price and Steven Zaillian and directed by Zaillian and James Marsh . Broadcast on HBO , The Night Of premiered on July 10 , 2016 to critical acclaim . The first episode premiered on June 24 , 2016 , via HBO on-demand .