Netflix’s 4-Part Thriller Is So Wild, It’s Worth An Easy One-Night Binge

Netflix‘s forgotten and harshly criticized 4-part thriller series from 3 years ago is so wild that it’s still worth an easy one-night binge this week. Released in 2023, this 4-part thriller series is short enough to watch from start to finish in just one night, and is especially perfect if you enjoy series that go completely off the rails and end up becoming unintentionally hilarious.

We at Screen Rant normally recommend the best shows to watch on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, and more each week, but this specific series calls for a different kind of viewer – fans of ‘so bad it’s actually good’ movies and shows. This 4-part Netflix series certainly falls into that category, based on its widespread critical disapproval and its dismal Rotten Tomatoes score of just 25%. Still, the 4-part Netflix thriller has entered the rare realm of shows that are so wild and poorly executed, it’s worth a quick binge for all the wrong reasons.

Obsession Is A Wild 4-Part Netflix Thriller Worth An Easy Binge

Obession is one of Netflix’s wildest thriller series that’s still worth a one-night binge-watch. The 4-part British series is an erotic thriller that serves as a modern adaptation of the 1991 novel Damage by Josephine Hart, which was made into a feature film in 1992 starring Jeremy Irons and directed by legendary French filmmaker Louis Malle in one of his final works.

While Malle’s film adaptation received mostly positive reviews and even earned Miranda Richardson a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 1993 Oscars, the 4-part Netflix adaptation was panned by critics and audiences alike. The Netflix version stars Richard Armitage, best known for The Hobbit movies, and Charlie Murphy, known for Peaky Blinders, as two people who get involved in a passionate and messy affair.

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Obsession follows William Farrow (Armitage), a respected and married surgeon in London, who becomes infatuated by Anna Barton (Murphy), his son’s fiancée. Even though the nature of their relationship is entirely inappropriate, William and Anna throw themselves into an intense affair, which pushes both of their boundaries in unexpected ways. Anna can seemingly handle the affair while planning to marry William’s son Jay, but William soon falls into a self-destructive spiral that could cost him everything.

Although the story may sound intriguing, and it certainly is, based on the success of the original novel, Netflix’s adaptation falls short in numerous, and even comical, ways. Some of the most common criticisms among audiences include the lack of chemistry between Armitage and Murphy, the ineffective writing in both character and story progression, and the inability to capture the dark and tragic psychological elements of its source material.

Obsession Is One Of Netflix’s Best ‘So Bad It’s Good’ Series

Netflix

Obsession falls into the “guilty pleasure” category by default, not unlike the massively popular 50 Shades of Grey movies, but due to its nearly universal disdain and cringeworthy elements, it ends up being one of Netflix’s best “so bad it’s good” series to watch. Common Sense Media gave the series 2/5 stars, writing, “It’s positively anti-climactic in every sense.” In the same vein, Entertainment.ie notes that Obsession “works itself into knots trying to be interesting” and Decider writes, “Obsession wants to give viewers all the sexy with no story.”

On the bright side, Rolling Stone gave Obsession an uncommonly strong review: “Obsession pays admirable attention to craft, and this makes it a lot easier to take the whole thing seriously. It’s far more cinematic than it needs to be.” With this in mind, viewers may actually find themselves enjoying Obsession as a legitimate 4-part thriller.

Whether you love it or hate it, Obsession still remains one of the more worthwhile shows on Netflix for a quick one-night binge, thanks to its 4 episodes and short movie-length runtime of just 2 hours and 35 minutes.

Obsession

Release Date

2023 – 2023-00-00

Showrunner

Morgan Lloyd Malcolm

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