Netflix’s New Crime Thriller Nemesis Divides Critics & Audiences On Rotten Tomatoes

A new Netflix crime thriller series is dividing critics and audiences.

Coming off the end of big shows like Stranger Things and Squid Game, Netflix has gone into 2026 with a variety of different shows to appeal to its subscribers’ varying tastes. There’s been the rock-fueled anime Devil May Cry, which is back for season 2, as well as the horror drama Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and the action-packed Man on Fire.

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But it is the new crime thriller Nemesis that is dividing critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The eight-episode series sits at 90% among critics, based on 10 reviews, but regular viewers are less impressed. The audience score is currently at just 51% based on more than 50 submissions. Those numbers could change once more reviews and ratings are added.

Nemesis focuses on Isiah Stiles (Matthew Law), who works for the LAPD. His personal life as a husband and a father is hanging by a thread because he is obsessed with putting Coltrane Wilder (Y’lan Noel) behind bars. Coltrane is seemingly an upstanding and reformed businessman, but Stiles knows the truth: Coltrane is actually a criminal mastermind responsible for several dangerous robberies.

That dynamic is made more complicated because of the fact that the wives of Stiles and Coltrane are friends. Critics have praised the Netflix series, which is co-created by Power franchise creator Courtney A. Kemp and Tani Marole, saying that it does a good job of bringing to mind absolute thriller classics such as Michael Mann’s Heat, which set the bar for a crime saga that plays out like a cat-and-mouse game.

Critics also have big praise for the Nemesis cast, which also includes Gabrielle Dennis, Cleopatra Coleman, Sophina Brown, Ariana Guerra, Michael Potts, Domenick Lombardozzi, Shane Johnson, Stephanie Sigman, Quincy Isaiah, Jay Reeves, Mike O’Malley, and Khalilah Joi. The reviews note that the actors elevate the material, which can sometimes veer into soapy territory.

Cleopatra Coleman's Ebony and Y'lan Noel's Coltrane kissing each other in Nemesis — Cleopatra Coleman’s Ebony and Y’lan Noel’s Coltrane kissing each other in Nemesis

Although several audience assessments are positive, others are less enamored. They say the Netflix Original is cliched and tropey, failing to surprise and hold interest. While it is certainly true that the drama has its flaws, it is a brisk watch that hits the ground running. It won’t take long at all to realize whether the hook of Nemesis is appealing or not.

All episodes of Nemesis are on Netflix.