'The Alienist' season 1 premiere spoilers: Doctor explores psychology to find serial killer

Promotional image of "The Alienist" from TNT.Facebook/TheAlienistTNT

In the season premiere of "The Alienist," psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Bruhl) investigates a series of murders in New York in the late 1800s.

The trailer for the upcoming installment, which is titled "The Boy on the Bridge," was just released recently, and it shows a policeman doing his rounds on the quiet streets of New York when he suddenly feels a liquid dropping on his head. He looks up to discover a dead body several feet overhead, and it startles him to no end.

He immediately sounds a siren to alert other cops nearby. Soon enough, Kreizler is on the scene and starts investigating the gruesome murder. However, his approach is different from that of other medical doctors that prowl the scene. He explores the psychology of the killer and the motives behind his or her actions.

He tells a colleague of his, "I'm an alienist. That is a doctor. But instead of looking to cure a disease of the body, I look to help those who are suffering from an illness of the mind. Sometimes society looks upon people as crazy, but they only mean that they are alienated from their own true natures."

Together with a newspaper illustrator named John Moore (Luke Evans), a secretary, Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning), and a police commissioner by the name of Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Geraghty), they embark on an unorthodox investigation outside of the law to find the elusive serial killer.

In a recent interview with the Observer, Bruhl expressed, "I think this series has all the ingredients and quality... It will hopefully attract many people who will be surprised to see such a show from TNT." It remains to be seen how fans will react to Bruhl's latest project.

"The Alienist" season 1 episode 1 will hit the airwaves on Monday, Jan.22, at 9 p.m. EST on the TNT network.