This steamy new thriller is about to be your next Netflix obsession

The steamier side of Netflix’s content library hasn’t always produced the most, shall we say, critically acclaimed material. Nevertheless, those kinds of series and movies — ranging from Sex/Life to the 365 Days movie franchise — tend to be a guarantee of viewership at least (for obvious reasons), and the new four-part limited series Obsession coming just over a month from now will no doubt continue that trend.

Obsession is an adaptation of the Josephine Hart novella Damage, and the story involving a British politico’s affair with his son’s fiance has all kinds of Fifty Shades of Gray meets Anatomy of a Scandal vibes.

Per Netflix, the story here “centers around a dangerous love triangle that emerges when the enigmatic Anna Barton embarks on a passionate affair with her fiance’s father, William. Whilst Anna fights to sustain both relationships, William is drawn into an obsessive spiral. But how long can they keep their secret hidden before someone gets hurt?”

Who stars in Netflix’s Obsession?

The Obsession cast includes several familiar faces, such as:

• Richard Armitage as William Farrow
• Charlie Murphy as Anna Barton
• Indira Varma as William’s wife Ingrid
• and Rish Shah as Anna’s fiance Jay.

Behind the camera, Obsession’s writers include Morgan Lloyd-Malcolm and Benji Walters, while the directors include Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’sa.

“I loved the book, which is an amazing page-turning, erotic thriller, but it was written entirely from a man’s point of view,” Malcolm said in an interview included with Netflix’s press material for the show. “Anna, his lover, is portrayed as a kind of vamp who comes into the family, blows everything up, and then disappears. Her primary function is to serve the purpose of what the male lead needs.

“I said, ‘If I’m going to do this, I want to make sure I dig into Anna and why she behaves in the way she does.’ I wanted to try and understand the characters in the story — and especially Anna — in a way that wasn’t just two-dimensional.”

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The streaming giant, meanwhile, also recommends Obsession for fans of other Netflix shows that include:

For suggestions of other great Netflix content to watch while you wait for Obsession to arrive, you can also check out our comprehensive list that’s updated regularly and which includes the best shows and movies to stream on the platform right now.