The Family Next Door is a six-part Australian TV series which originally aired last year and which I caught up with on ITV X. It's based on a 2018 novel by Australian author Sally Hepworth, whose work I'm unfamiliar with, and I'm not sure how close the TV drama is to the original source. I'd characterise it as a well-made blend of psychological suspense and soap opera, a formula that works very well for The White Lotus, the first two series of which I enjoyed watching.
I've not seen the actors appear in anything else, but they do a good job here, and they are led by Teresa Palmer, who gives a strong performance as Isabelle, a young woman who moves to an upmarket cul-de-sac in a coastal resort in Victoria. She is clearly troubled and trying to find something out about her new neighbours. But what exactly is the mystery that she appears to be trying to solve?
This is a pretty appealing premise, and it's well handled, especially in the early part of the series. Each of the six episodes is named for, and focuses primarily on, one of the lead female characters. So to begin with, 'Ange', episode one, deals with Isabelle's encounters with an estate agent who lives on the cul-de-sac and whose relationship with her husband is clearly coming under strain.
The children of the residents play an important part in each episode, and the child actors also do well. I think it's fair to say that some of the episodes seem a bit drawn-out, as is so often the case with six-part series when there is only enough plot for about four episodes (sometimes not as many!) And I felt the final episode was so-so. But overall, I enjoyed watching this one, even if it's not as good as The White Lotus. Crucially, the central idea that is the basis for the story is strong and interesting.
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