People Can't Get Enough of 'Big Bang Theory' Star's Kunal Nayyar As A Murderer In Netflix's 'Criminal'

The Big Bang Theory fans were in for quite a shock when they tuned into the new series of Criminal only to discover that one of the killers had a rather familiar face.

Yep, playing a manipulative and evil killer, Sandeep Singh, was none-other-than Raj Koothrappali actor Kunal Nayyar.

Quite the step away from the loveable and geeky scientist we know him as!

Check him out in the show below:

In the drama, Kunal's character attempts to play mind games with the detectives who are interviewing him, in the hopes of gaining an early release from prison.

"I loved Kunal Nayyar as Raj, but his performance as Sandeep was so good in Criminal UK #CriminalUK #Netflix #bigbangtheory," one fan wrote after binging the series, which landed on Wednesday (17th September).

While another penned: "Watching Criminal U.K. on Netflix and was shocked to see Raj from Big Bang Theory playing a murderer".

The actor said that a move to such a drastically different character was very much a deliberate career move.

Speaking to Metro, he said: "It was not like, 'Oh I'm only going to do this kind of work', but it came at the right time. It was definitely what I wanted to do.

CBS)

"Also physically, I'm so recognisable from my voice, I'm so recognisable from my face... it was important to do something that completely breaks the barrier.

"I still have some mannerisms of Raj. Just as I have some mannerisms of this character, but I wanted to make sure that whatever I did next was like, 'Wait, who is this? Oh my God. Is that the guy from The Big Bang?!' as opposed to 'Oh there's Raj, playing a killer'."

Before the series aired, fellow co-stars Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf had also spoken highly of Kunal's performance.

Other guest stars include Game Of Thrones star Kit Harrington, Wild Rose actress Sophie Okonedo and Catastrophe star Sharon Horgan.

Netflix)

Described as a "stripped down, cat-and-mouse drama" which "focuses on the intense mental conflict between detectives and suspects," like the first, the entire second series of Criminal takes place within the confines of a police interview suite... you know, to really ramp up that claustrophobia.

Season one had some rather big names as guest stars, too, including Doctor Who and Broadchurch actor David Tennant, The Duchess star Hayley Atwell and Marcella's Youssef Kerkour.

And this instalment looks sure to be just as juicy.

You can watch Criminal season 2 on Netflix now.

Topics: TV Entertainment, Netflix

Joanna Freedman

Joanna is a journalist at Tyla with a particular interest in highlighting women's issues and telling inspiring first person stories. She's also their resident foodie, and loves covering exciting new beauty launches, too. Contact her at [email protected].

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