Fatal Attraction is an American erotic psychological thriller television series developed by Alexandra Cunningham and Kevin J. Hynes. It is based on the 1987 film of the same name written by James Dearden. The series aired on Paramount+ from April 30 to May 28, 2023. In October 2023, the series was cancelled after one season.
Contents
Premise
A passionate affair takes a volatile and dangerous turn when a woman refuses to allow her married lover to put an end to it.
Cast and characters
Main
Joshua Jackson as Dan Gallagher, a Los Angeles deputy district attorney who serves as the head of the Major Crimes Bureau
Lizzy Caplan as Alex Forrest, a newly hired member of the Victim Services Bureau
Amanda Peet as Beth Gallagher, Dan's wife and Ellen's mother
Toby Huss as Mike Gerard, the DA office's chief of investigations and Dan's close friend
Brian Goodman as Arthur Tomlinson, Beth's best friend and business partner
Alyssa Jirrels as Ellen Gallagher, Dan and Beth's daughter and a psychology student
Vivien Lyra Blair as young Ellen
Reno Wilson as Detective Earl Booker, an LAPD officer
Recurring
John Getz as Warren, Beth's father
Jessica Harper as Sophie, Beth's mother
Toks Olagundoye as Conchita Lewis, the head of the Victim Services Bureau, Alex's boss, and Dan's close friend
Wanda De Jesus as Marcella Levya, a respected attorney and Dan's boss
David Meunier as Richard Macksey, Ellen's psychology professor and thesis advisor
Walter Perez as Jorge Perez, a deputy district attorney
Tiago Roberts as Gabriel Ibarra, a courthouse bailiff
David Sullivan as Frank Gallardo, Dan's Major Crimes co-worker
Isabella Briggs as Stella, a student who befriends Ellen and is having a secret affair with Richard
Holley Fain as Julia Tomlinson, Arthur's wife
Guest
Terri Hoyos as Beatrice, a criminal defense attorney
Christina Kirk as Angela, Ellen's therapist
Dee Wallace as Emma Rauch, Alex's neighbor
Cliff Chamberlain as Stanley Forrest, Alex's father
Will Ropp as Elijah Acosta, a former delivery man who now works at a cannabis store
Michelle Twarowska as Olena Kuzma, a woman in an abusive relationship whom Alex helps as part of Victim Services
Josh Zuckerman as Paul, Alex's neighbor
Vanessa Martinez as Jeannette Ruiz, an attorney in the Crimes Against Women Bureau
Gary Perez as Rolando Cabral
Michael Cassidy as Clay Bishop, a legal aid attorney who has a brief relationship with Alex
Brynn Thayer as Ruth Gurian
Lena Georgas as Patricia Forrest, Alex's mother
Ivy George as young Alex
Rondi Reed as Judge Webb
Jessika Van as Michelle
Production
A television series reboot of the film was first announced in February 2021, when Paramount Pictures had announced they would be producing television versions of their films, naming Fatal Attraction, Flashdance, The Italian Job, Love Story, and The Parallax View as in development for Paramount+.
In November, the series was officially given a series order, and Lizzy Caplan was cast to star as Alex, portrayed by Glenn Close in the film. In January 2022, Joshua Jackson was cast as Dan, portrayed by Michael Douglas in the film. In May, Silver Tree joined as a director and executive producer, with Amanda Peet, Alyssa Jirrels, Toby Huss, Reno Wilson, and Brian Goodman joining the cast in June. Wanda De Jesus would be added in a recurring role in July. Doreen Calderon, Jessica Harper, John Getz, Toks Olagundoye, David Sullivan, and Isabella Briggs would join the following month. In October, Walter Perez, David Meunier and Dee Wallace were cast in recurring roles.
Filming began in mid–2022.
On October 26, 2023, Paramount+ cancelled the series after one season.
Release
Fatal Attraction aired on Paramount+ from April 30 to May 28, 2023. The series had its international premiere at the 2023 Canneseries on April 18.
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 37% approval rating with an average rating of 5.1/10, based on 51 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "While Fatal Attraction avoids being a mere copy by transposing the lurid classic into a modern era of sexual politics, clumsy execution ultimately dulls this story's edge." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 47 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
The A.V. Club's Manuel Betancourt gave the series a C+ grade, writing, "Here's Fatal Attraction (1987) filtered through an at times painfully... self-reflective lens—as if the series were aware that its central setup (a murdered mistress) couldn't possibly be uncritically presented lest it be misread as the stuff of puerile thrillers." James Jackson of The Times gave it 2/5 stars, saying it "finds new things to say about these damaged lives yet is so immersed in their problems it's more a case of Fatal Protraction."
John Anderson of The Wall Street Journal called the series a "first-rate reimagining" an added that it was "far more complex, engrossing and adult than the 1987 original. And it shows that there was much more to be mined out of James Dearden's Oscar-nominated screenplay than Mr. Lyne probably ever imagined." TheWrap's Gwen Ihnat said the series was "Captivating, binge-worthy viewing, despite the fact the pacing can get clunky, stretched across eight episodes that probably could have been six".
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