The Couple Next Door

I watched the original Dutch TV version of this show which ran for 4 series 10x40m from 2014-2019. It was a bit cheesy at times but enjoyable with well-grounded characters and a dramatic storyline full of unexpected twists and some pretty raunchy scenes.

The remake seems to have been drained of drama and toned down and as a consequence comes a distant second to the original (Which was titled 'New Neighbours' but can still be found on C4 Catchup with subtitles as 'The Swingers'. If you haven't watched either definitely seek out the original.

The remake didn't feel authentic if felt tepid with a lot of one-dimensional performances, Hugh Dennis aside. For some reason it was shot in Leeds and The Netherlands and Belgium but meant to be set in Yorkshire, so a lot of it just looked plain wrong.

I'm afraid I very quickly lost all interest, it was naffly made in all respects, including acting, writing and direction.

The only reason I don't give this one star is because it's so bad it's almost entertaining.

Slow boring story with terrible acting set in an eternally warm, sunny, tropical ___location that's apparently in Leeds.

There is one attempt at a Yorkshire accent but Joey Tribiani could do a better job.

It also seemed to be filmed with 80s soap opera effect.

Nothing erotic about it and a very strange time scale, days, weeks and months seem totally interchangeable.

The more I write the more I wonder if this is in fact actually a very clever comedy that I just don't get

Hugh Dennis was the only saving grace but even that was touch and go - non pun intended.

Really enjoyed the first few episodes but then it started getting more and more ridiculous, with the final episode the worst of all. Whoever came up with that ending should never write a script again and I can't believe even after the final episode was shot, it got the green light to air. Absolute rubbish, disappointing to have sat through it all for that conclusion. The acting was okay. Sam stood out for me, with Pete being quite wooden and I think poorly cast. Overall, not very likeable characters. I have run out of things to say but haven't hit the required characters yet so ignore the rest of this sentence.

To be honest, it's not my type of series, although I decided to watch it because the English ones are usually pretty good. To start, the ___location confused me a lot, it seems like a good suburban neighborhood in America because of the materialism and the manners of the neighbors. Don't get me wrong, I'm just saying it as a compliment, for the English of course.

The first episode left me wanting more, and I just watched it until the end, it has something that hooks you. It is entertaining and exciting at various times, the police investigation and the religious theme kept me very intrigued. And just to make things a little more interesting, Becka is being stalked by Alan, a neighbour, the actor Hugh Denis, whom I mention and highlight for his excellent work, is the best performance in the series.

I didn't see any type of betrayal or secrets between the couples, the two participate in the sexy game, and later the psychopathic evolution of Evi, who is always laughing, is well done, but the continuous and annoying smile almost becomes a pantomime of a diabolical doll.

Like many other series, many of the decisions made are not at all realistic, and the ending, even so being very exciting, exceeds psychopathy and radical religious positions that never lead to anything good.

This short series may not be epic, but it remains watchable and exciting, offering a mix of entertainment and moments that really engage.

I notice there are some 10/10 reviews here. Well it's Hardly in the same league as Line Of Duty! It's a totally ridiculous story of a middle class suburban neighbourhood, that starts when a young attractive couple move in to one of the houses. They become friends with a couple across the road and this leads to a an affair and it all starts to kick off, especially when a creepy resident from across the road played nicely by Hugh Dennis starts spying on them through a telescope.

There are several other sub plots along the way including corrupt police, diamond smuggling and a local online paper trying to catch a major criminal.

To be fair they cram hell of a lot in these six episodes and it moves along at such a fast pace you don't stop to think how daft the plot is. 6/10.