The Couple Next Door is a British psychological thriller television series written by David Allison, based on the Dutch series Nieuwe Buren. Developed by Eagle Eye Drama for Channel 4 and Starz, the first series stars Eleanor Tomlinson, Sam Heughan, Alfred Enoch, Hugh Dennis and Jessica De Gouw. The programme was renewed for a second series.[1]
| The Couple Next Door | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Psychological thriller |
| Based on | Nieuwe Buren |
| Written by | David Allison |
| Directed by | Dries Vos |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Hannes De Maeyer |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Jen Burnet |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | 27 November 2023 – present |
Synopsis
editEvie and her husband Pete move next door to traffic-cop Danny and yoga instructor Becka and strike up a friendship, but a night of passion between Evie and Danny could have consequences.[2]
Cast
edit- Eleanor Tomlinson as Evie Greenwood, a primary teacher
- Alfred Enoch as Pete Thomas, a journalist and Evie's partner
- Sam Heughan as PC Danny Whitwell, a traffic policeman
- Jessica De Gouw as Becka Whitwell, a personal trainer, social media influencer, and Danny's wife
- Hugh Dennis as Alan Richardson, a bookkeeper and creepy neighbour
- Kate Robbins as Jean Richardson, Alan's wife
- Deirdre Mullins as Lena, the single mother of Danny's son from a brief relationship they had before he met Becka
- Joel Morris as PC Gary Hudson, Danny's friend and fellow traffic cop
- Ioanna Kimbook as Sophie Foxton, Pete's colleague and a junior reporter
- Janine Duvitski as Gloria, an eccentric neighbour[3]
- Katie Clarkson-Hill as Rachel, Evie's sister.[4]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [5] | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "New on the Block" | Unknown | Unknown | 27 November 2023[a] | N/A |
| 2 | "Little Kids Full of Sin" | Unknown | Unknown | 28 November 2023 | N/A |
| 3 | "Don't Stop" | Unknown | Unknown | 4 December 2023 | N/A |
| 4 | "I Know It's a Secret" | Unknown | Unknown | 5 December 2023 | N/A |
| 5 | "Inside You" | Unknown | Unknown | 13 December 2023 | N/A |
| 6 | "The Cottage" | Unknown | Unknown | 14 December 2023 | N/A |
Production
editThe Couple Next Door is based on the Dutch series Nieuwe Buren, with Dries Vos directing from scripts by David Allison. The six-part thriller series is produced by Jen Burnet for the London-based Eagle Eye Drama, and executive produced by Jo McGrath, Walter Iuzzolino and Alison Kee.[6]
Casting
editIn March 2023, it was announced Eleanor Tomlinson, Sam Heughan, Alfred Enoch, and Jessica De Gouw had been cast in the principal roles. Tomlinson described playing Evie as a "great challenge" because "she navigates devastating trauma, which isn't helped by unresolved issues from her past."[7] Heughan said he was "thrilled to be working with Eagle Eye Drama and director Dries Vos again ... Dries has a unique visual flair and I'm sure we're going to make something special."[8] Hugh Dennis described his character as someone who is dealing with ageing very badly, which made him "interesting" to him.[9]
In November 2024, it was reported that Dennis would return for season two along with characters played by Sam Palladio, Annabel Scholey, Aggy K Adams and Sendhil Ramamurthy.[10]
Filming
editPrincipal photography was reported to have begun in March 2023, taking place in Leeds, England, Belgium and The Netherlands.[11] Filming took place in Baildon in April 2023.[12]
Broadcast
editThe first series aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 27 November 2023, and on Starz in the United States and Canada. It was available on Lionsgate+, the international premium streaming service from Starz, in Brazil and Latin America. It was distributed further worldwide by Beta Film.[13]
Reception
editCritical reception
editAnita Singh in The Daily Telegraph described it as "nonsensical, ridiculous – and very, very bingeable".[14] Lucy Mangan in The Guardian gave the series four stars out of five and praised the script which helped the show be "sexy rather than cringeworthy".[15] There was a less positive review from Carol Midgely in The Times who found the series "cliched".[16][17]
Notes
edit- ^ All 6 episodes were available on Channel 4 online on 27 November
References
edit- ^ Deadline Hollywood
- ^ Chapman, Wilson (29 March 2023). "Sam Heughan Staying at Starz with Suburbia Thriller 'The Couple Next Door'". Indie Wire. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "The Couple Next Door: Cast & crew credits and character biographies". Channel 4 Press. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ Robinson, Abby (6 December 2023). "The Couple Next Door cast: Meet the characters in Channel 4 thriller". Radio Times. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ "The Couple Next Door on Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ Goldbart, Max (29 March 2023). "Starz & Channel 4 Greenlight Psychological Thriller 'The Couple Next Door' With Eleanor Tomlinson & Sam Heughan". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ Hibbs, James (29 March 2023). "Outlander's Sam Heughan and Poldark's Eleanor Tomlinson lead new thriller". Radio Times. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ Shillcock, Francesca (29 March 2023). "Outlander's Sam Heughan announces exciting news in major new update – and fans will be thrilled". Hello. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ Mensah, Katelyn (27 November 2023). "Hugh Dennis reveals Sam Heughan throws him in a bin in The Couple Next Door". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Cormack, Morgan (12 November 2024). "The Couple Next Door gets brand new cast including The Split star as season 2 confirmed". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ Lawrence, Daniel David (29 March 2023). "Sam Heughan & Eleanor Tomlinson to Lead Psychological Thriller Series 'The Couple Next Door'". Collider. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ Broomhead, Michael (25 November 2023). "The Couple Next Door: Thriller partly filmed in area to air". The Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Creamer, Jon (29 March 2023). "Shoot starts on C4, Starz drama The Couple Next Door". Televisual.com. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ Singh, Anita (27 November 2023). "The Couple Next Door, Channel 4, review: nonsensical, ridiculous – and very, very bingeable". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Mangan, Lucy (27 November 2023). "The Couple Next Door review – a sexy, fantastic time with hot swingers". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Midgely, Carol (27 November 2023). "The Couple Next Door review — not king of the swingers". The Times.
- ^ "'The Couple Next Door' Defended By Channel 4 As Producers Raise Nepotism Questions". Deadline. December 2023.