Quick verdict: Obsession is a polished, easily bingeable thriller with committed performances, especially from Charlie Murphy and Indira Varma. Its central affair, however, is not developed with enough psychological detail to make the characters’ extreme choices fully convincing.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Netflix’s Obsession has an irresistible setup for a psychological thriller. A respected surgeon begins an affair with his son’s girlfriend, then becomes unable to separate desire from possession. The secrecy is dangerous, the family relationships are fragile and every private meeting carries the possibility of exposure.
The four-part series is stylish and fast, but it is also frustrating. Richard Armitage, Charlie Murphy, Rish Shah and Indira Varma approach the material seriously, while the script often asks the audience to accept an overwhelming attraction before it has shown why that attraction is so powerful.
This review avoids major plot and ending spoilers. It discusses the premise, performances, pacing, adult content and overall quality so viewers can decide whether the series is right for them.
Obsession review scorecard
| Category | Score | What works or does not |
|---|---|---|
| Performances | 4/5 | A committed ensemble, with Charlie Murphy and Indira Varma providing the most layered work |
| Story | 2.5/5 | A strong premise weakened by thin motivation and rushed psychological development |
| Pacing | 3.5/5 | Four short episodes make it easy to finish, although important character turns feel compressed |
| Visual style | 4/5 | Controlled interiors, elegant London settings and a deliberately tense atmosphere |
| Emotional impact | 3/5 | The consequences land harder than the romance that causes them |
| Overall | 3/5 | Watchable and provocative, but less insightful than its source material invites it to be |
What is Obsession about?
William Farrow is a successful London surgeon with a respected career, a devoted wife and two adult children. Before he is formally introduced to his son Jay’s girlfriend, Anna Barton, William meets her at a political event. Their attraction is immediate, and they soon begin a secret affair.
Anna tries to control the relationship through strict rules. William is expected to wait for her instructions, avoid intruding on her life with Jay and accept that their connection has limits. Instead, he becomes more curious, more jealous and more willing to risk exposure. The thriller asks what happens when a man who is used to control discovers a desire he cannot manage.
The series is based on Josephine Hart’s 1991 novel Damage and was directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn. Netflix released all four episodes on April 13, 2023.
A strong premise with a missing emotional step
The central problem with Obsession appears almost immediately. William and Anna look at each other, recognise a mutual attraction and begin making decisions that could destroy several lives. Attraction does not need a detailed explanation in every thriller, but obsession requires escalation. The audience needs to understand why ordinary desire becomes a need powerful enough to replace judgement, loyalty and self-preservation.
The series shows the symptoms of William’s fixation very clearly. He waits, watches, follows instructions and becomes distressed when Anna is unavailable. What it does not explore as effectively is the emotional emptiness or personal history that makes him vulnerable to this particular relationship. His life before Anna appears stable, so his transformation can feel imposed by the plot rather than discovered through character.
Anna is more psychologically complicated, but the series delays important information about her until late in the story. That choice maintains mystery, yet it also limits the audience’s ability to understand her decisions while they are happening. The result is a thriller that is easy to watch but harder to believe.
Charlie Murphy gives the series its mystery
Charlie Murphy has the most difficult role. Anna must be convincing as Jay’s partner, William’s lover and a person whose private rules are connected to experiences she does not openly discuss. Murphy keeps the performance controlled and avoids turning Anna into a familiar fatal-attraction stereotype.
Her best moments are quiet. Anna often pauses before answering, changes the emotional temperature of a scene without raising her voice and appears to be observing herself as carefully as she observes William. The restraint creates intrigue, even when the writing does not provide enough context.
Murphy cannot solve every gap in Anna’s characterisation, but she makes those gaps feel intentional for much of the runtime. Viewers may not agree with Anna or understand her completely, yet she remains the character most likely to invite discussion after the series ends.
Richard Armitage commits to William’s loss of control
Richard Armitage plays William as a man whose professional confidence does not prepare him for emotional uncertainty. In public, William is composed and authoritative. Around Anna, his posture tightens, his speech becomes cautious and his need for reassurance becomes increasingly visible.
The performance is physically committed, but the role sometimes pushes Armitage into expressions and actions that feel more awkward than dangerous. This is partly intentional. Obsession is not meant to make William look impressive. It is showing a respected man becoming smaller, less rational and less dignified as his fixation grows.
The limitation is in the screenplay. Armitage convincingly portrays obsession once it exists, but he is given too little material to explain where it comes from. The character’s collapse would be more powerful if the series had spent more time establishing the emotional fault line beneath his apparently perfect life.
Indira Varma is the emotional centre
Indira Varma brings the most immediate credibility to the drama. Ingrid is not written as a cold spouse who has ignored her marriage. She is intelligent, affectionate and invested in her family. That makes William’s betrayal feel like a choice rather than a reaction to neglect.
Varma is especially effective at showing suspicion before Ingrid has evidence. A look that lasts slightly too long or a change in her voice communicates that she is processing information the other characters assume she has missed. The series would have benefited from spending more time with her point of view.
When the story finally allows Ingrid to express the full force of what has happened, Varma gives the thriller the emotional gravity it has been seeking. She turns a supporting role into the clearest measure of the damage William has caused.
Rish Shah makes Jay more than a plot obstacle
Rish Shah gives Jay warmth and sincerity. He is not presented as a foolish boyfriend who exists only to be deceived. He loves Anna, trusts William and wants the two most important relationships in his life to fit together.
That trust is essential. Without it, the affair would be merely scandalous. With it, William’s behaviour becomes a profound betrayal of his role as a father. Shah’s performance helps the series retain a human cost even when its erotic tension is unconvincing.
The supporting cast adds depth in limited time
Pippa Bennett-Warner plays Peggy, Anna’s close friend and confidante. Peggy understands that Anna’s behaviour is part of a larger emotional pattern, and her concern gives viewers a perspective outside the affair. Sonera Angel plays Sally, Jay’s sister, whose family scenes establish what William risks destroying.
Marion Bailey appears as Anna’s mother, Elizabeth, and Anil Goutam plays Edward, Ingrid’s influential father. These characters are used sparingly. Their scenes are valuable, but the short format leaves several relationships feeling like explanations rather than fully developed parts of the story.
The visual style is controlled and deliberately cold
Obsession looks more confident than it is written. London interiors are polished but often emotionally empty. Large rooms, clean lines and carefully framed doorways reinforce the sense that the characters are living inside structures that can no longer contain them.
The direction frequently places William at the edge of Anna’s space, waiting to be invited closer. That visual pattern supports the power dynamic between them. Anna appears to control access, while William becomes increasingly unable to tolerate distance.
The series also uses silence and observation effectively. The tension is often strongest when characters are sharing a family meal or standing in the same room while hiding different pieces of information. These scenes are more persuasive than some of the deliberately provocative set pieces.
Does Obsession work as an erotic thriller?
Only partly. The series contains frequent intimate scenes, but erotic tension depends on more than nudity or unusual locations. It comes from anticipation, conflict, power and the feeling that two characters understand something about each other that no one else can reach.
Obsession is most interesting when Anna controls the rules and William struggles with being denied access. That dynamic raises questions about possession, consent and emotional dependency. The series is less successful when it assumes the intensity of the physical relationship is enough to explain the characters’ psychological bond.
Several critics made a similar complaint when the series was released. The Guardian argued that the production lacked credible psychological detail, while reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes frequently noted that the drama confused explicitness with intrigue. Those criticisms are fair, although the cast and short runtime make the finished series more watchable than its reputation may suggest.
The four-episode format helps the binge but hurts the characters
Netflix lists episode runtimes of 33, 41, 43 and 38 minutes. The entire story can be completed in under three hours, which is one of its strongest practical advantages. There is little filler, and each episode moves the affair closer to exposure.
The same speed creates the show’s biggest weakness. William moves from attraction to reckless fixation too quickly. Anna’s history is revealed late. Ingrid and Jay are given limited time to exist outside their relationships to William and Anna. A slightly longer series could have deepened the psychology, although it might also have exposed how slight the central plot is.
How does it compare with Damage?
Obsession adapts Josephine Hart’s novel Damage, which was previously filmed by Louis Malle in 1992. The Netflix version updates the social setting and gives Anna more agency in the structure of the affair. It also places greater emphasis on rules, secrecy and the physical negotiation between the two characters.
However, the new series remains tied to the book’s intentionally spare plot. Expanding a compact story into four episodes creates room for atmosphere, but the adaptation does not always use that room to build new psychological detail. Viewers familiar with the 1992 film may find the Netflix version more explicit but less emotionally precise.
Is Obsession scary?
Obsession is not a horror series and does not rely on supernatural threats or jump scares. Its tension comes from secrecy, infidelity, emotional manipulation and the possibility that William’s behaviour will be discovered. The story includes disturbing themes and a tragic turn, but it is best described as an adult relationship thriller.
Is Obsession suitable for family viewing?
No. The series is intended for mature audiences and includes explicit sexual content, nudity, strong language, infidelity, trauma and emotionally disturbing situations. Netflix age classifications vary by region, so viewers should check the rating displayed in their local catalogue.
Who will enjoy Obsession?
- Viewers who enjoy short, glossy relationship thrillers that can be finished in one evening.
- Fans of Richard Armitage, Charlie Murphy or Indira Varma.
- Anyone interested in stories about secrecy, betrayal and destructive attraction.
- Viewers who prefer atmosphere and performance over a complicated mystery plot.
Who may want to skip it?
- Viewers looking for a believable or emotionally satisfying romance.
- Anyone expecting a twist-heavy mystery or conventional crime thriller.
- Viewers uncomfortable with explicit sexual content and nudity.
- Readers of Damage who want a highly detailed exploration of the novel’s psychology.
Final verdict: Is Obsession worth watching?
Obsession is worth watching when you want a compact, adult thriller with strong actors and a polished visual style. It creates enough tension to carry four short episodes, and Indira Varma, Charlie Murphy and Rish Shah ensure that the affair has consequences beyond William’s private desire.
It is less successful as a convincing study of obsession. The series shows William losing control but does not fully explain why Anna becomes the centre of his identity so quickly. It gestures toward trauma, power and compulsion without exploring any of them as deeply as it could.
The result is provocative rather than profound. It is not a great adaptation, but it is a watchable one. Viewers who accept the thin motivation may find it tense and addictive. Viewers who need psychological credibility will probably finish it wishing the writing had trusted the characters as much as the actors did.
Final rating: 3 out of 5.
Want to identify every character while watching? Use our complete Obsession Netflix cast guide for actor names, character relationships and previous credits.
Frequently asked questions
Is Obsession on Netflix worth watching?
It is worth watching for viewers who enjoy short adult thrillers and strong performances. Its four episodes are easy to binge, although the central relationship lacks the psychological depth needed to make every plot development convincing.
How many episodes are in Obsession?
There are four episodes. Their listed runtimes are 33, 41, 43 and 38 minutes.
Is the Obsession Netflix series based on a true story?
No. It is a fictional adaptation of Josephine Hart’s 1991 novel Damage.
Is Obsession based on a movie?
The Netflix series is based on the novel Damage, not directly on a movie. The same novel was previously adapted into a 1992 film starring Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche.
Does Obsession have a lot of adult content?
Yes. The series contains explicit sexual scenes, nudity, infidelity, strong language and mature emotional themes. It is not suitable for family viewing.
Is Obsession a mystery?
It is primarily an erotic and psychological relationship thriller. There are secrets and questions about Anna’s past, but it is not structured as a traditional detective mystery.
Sources used for fact-checking
The article was checked against the following sources. Streaming availability can vary by country.