'Obsession' on Netflix will be your new favorite dirty little secret

NSFW in *every* sense, the 'Obsession' Netflix series, 2023's new British erotic thriller, ups the ante

charlie murphy as anna in the obsession netflix series (2023)
(Image credit: Netflix)

The Obsession Netflix series, 2023's hottest release to date, is definitely going to make you blush. 

Putting romance picks on #BookTok to shame, the new limited series shows us what happens when a sexual fantasy is pursued and reality comes crashing down as a result. It's all the drama and sexual tension you never saw coming from a Netflix binge.

"I knew that it would be intense before I even read the script," Richard Armitage, who plays William on the show, told RadioTimes. "Everyone was asking, 'Is this a temperature you’re comfortable with?' I said, 'Bring it on. Let’s not be British about this.'"

While we know you've been keeping busy with the Love Is Blind season 4 couples, it's time to take a dramatic turn to the erotic thriller everyone's talking about.  

'Obsession' Netflix series: what to know

The story starts out innocently enough, as young Jay falls for and proposes to Anna. But what happens when Anna meets her father-in-law-to-be? Things get...complicated, to say the least, when William also falls for Anna, and the feeling is mutual.

"Watching Episode 1, I felt like I was on the edge of my seat and going 'Oh I so want them to get together. I want Anna and William,' and I'm playing Ingrid [his wife]!" Indira Varma confessed to Newsweek. "But I was like, 'Yes! Do it, do it.' And then the minute they do it, I think 'oh that's awful' I will have to watch the fallout, it's going to be a car crash."

And that it is—and then some. As Anna (Charlie Murphy) states in the trailer, "Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive."

But will Anna and William ultimately survive? Will their secret be exposed? Armitage hopes that viewers are able to look at the very daunting situation from William's point of view. 

"I want the audience to put themselves in the shoes of that character and ask, ‘What choice would I make?'"

Watch the 'Obsession' Netflix trailer:

Who stars in the 'Obsession' Netflix cast?

You're going to become very well-acquainted with these faces soon enough. Here's who's who in Obsession:

  • Richard Armitage as William
  • Charlie Murphy as Anna Barton
  • Indira Varma as Ingrid
  • Rish Shah as Jay Farrow

Is 'Obsession' based on a book?

Like plenty of other steamy series, Obsession got its start in print: the Netflix show is a modern retelling of Josephine Hart's Damage, which was published in 1991.

Damage: A Novel by Josephine Hart
RRP:

Damage: A Novel by Josephine Hart
RRP:
$16.95

A nameless protagonist seemingly has a perfect life: a successful political career, a loving wife, a family. Behind the facade, he's deeply depressed but seems to come alive in an engrossing, forbidden love affair with his son's fiancée. What happens when his fantasies come to an end?


When does 'Obsession' begin streaming on Netflix?

Obsession hits Netflix on Thursday, April 13. Each of the eight episodes is immediately available.

(Should the erotic journey make you feel a little frisky, have a look at the 2023 sex trends experts say are taking over this year.)

Danielle Valente
Digital News Writer

Need a TV show recommendation? Maybe a few decor tips? Danielle, a digital news writer at Future, has you covered. Her work appears throughout the company’s lifestyle brands, including My Imperfect Life, Real Homes, and woman&home. Mainly, her time is spent at My Imperfect Life, where she’s attuned to the latest entertainment trends and dating advice for Gen Z.


Before her time at Future, Danielle was the editor of Time Out New York Kids, where she got to experience the best of the city from the point of view of its littlest residents. Before that, she was a news editor at Elite Daily. Her work has also appeared in Domino, Chowhound, and amNewYork, to name a few. 


When Danielle’s not writing, you can find her testing out a new recipe, reading a book (suggestions always welcome), or rearranging the furniture in her apartment…again.