Starz Sets a January Move-In Date for 'The Couple Next Door'
Sam Heughan in "The Couple Next Door"
(Photo: Starz)
Starz has confirmed a January premiere date for its buzzy psychological thriller The Couple Next Door. The six-part series, which stars Anglophile favorites Sam Heughan (Outlander) and Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) aired on the U.K. network Channel 4 late last year, and will finally come to America to kick off 2025.
Loosely adapted from the Dutch series New Neighbours, The Couple Next Door follows the story of Evie (Tomlinson) and Pete (Alfred Enoch), a couple who move into an upscale neighborhood full of status seekers and nosy voyeurs and immediately feel the pressure to keep up the appearance of success and happiness. But the grass isn't always greener in this seemingly idyllic cul-de-sac where danger lurks behind twitching curtains and secret fantasies and desires don’t stay hidden for long.
When the pair strikes up an unexpected friendship with the literal couple next door --- traffic cop Danny (Heughan) and his yoga instructor wife Becka (Jessica De Gouw) --- things seem to be looking up. But when the attraction simmering between Evie and Danny inevitably leads the two to spend a passionate night together, it unexpectedly changes everything for both couples.
The trailer leans into the steamy, dark vibes of the series' premise, overlaying shots of grasping hands and hidden weapons with voiceovers promising sexy danger and social judgment. "We always want what we can't have," Tomlinson's voice intones over a shot of a rain-soaked Heughan. (The wet white shirt thing doesn't just work for Coilin Firth is what I'm saying.) All in all, it looks like perfect, perhaps slightly disturbing escapism for the drab winter months to come.
Here's the synopsis.
When Evie and Pete move into the upscale neighborhood with the dream of starting a family, they soon find friendship in the shape of the couple next door, alpha traffic cop Danny and his wife, glamorous yoga instructor Becka. As time goes on, these two couples get increasingly close to each other and one fateful night, become sexually entangled in a way that will change their lives forever.
The Couple Next Door was U.K. network Channel 4's biggest scripted streaming launch ever, with its first episode achieving over a million streams in the first seven days. The show has --- unsurprisingly --- already been renewed for a second season, thanks to its initial U.K. ratings success. But fans will want to note that drama is shifting gears to an anthology for its second outing and will change its focus to a pair of characters played by Sam Palladio (Catherine the Great) and Annabel Scholey (The Sixth Commandment). So enjoy these original leads while you can, folks!
Directed by Dries Vos (Suspect) and written by David Allison (Marcella), the six-part series is described as an addictive, emotional roller coaster that explores how we can never truly know what's going on in other people's private lives. Jo McGrath, Walter Iuzzolino, and Alison Kee serve as executive producers and the producer is Jen Burnet.
The Couple Next Door will premiere January 17 on Starz.
