“Better than The Affair”: 10 “outstanding” romantic thrillers to watch now on ITV, Netflix, the BBC and more

What do romance dramas and martinis have in common? They're improved by a twist. While we all love a good rom-com, there's something strangely addictive when romance series are shaken and stirred with a few thrills. So, we're here to bring you the romantic thrillers that we consider to be truly outstanding - and, whisper it, one of them is even better than The Affair!

From Robin Wright's star turn as a mother suspicious of her son's new partner in The Girlfriend, to Downton Abbey star Matthew Goode's fantastic performance in The Poison Tree, there's a series on our list that will please almost anyone! So, sit back and relax, as these are the 10 best romance thrillers to watch now on ITV, Netflix, the BBC and more.

Fake 

Fake is all the more unsettling because it's based on the memoir of the same name by journalist Stephanie Wood, who found herself in a relationship with a serial scammer. The series tells the story of smart magazine writer, Birdie Bell (Asher Keddie), who meets wealthy grazier, Joe Burt (David Wenham), on a dating app. As the relationship intensifies, so too do Birdie's feelings that Joe isn’t who he says he is. Torn between Joe’s magnetic pull and her gnawing suspicions, the question is, can Birdie escape the rabbit hole she’s rapidly falling down?  Fake is available to watch now on ITVX. 

You

On first impressions, You's central character, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badley), is a catch. He's sensitive, smart and funny, plus he worships every woman he dates. Which sounds great, right? Wrong. In fact, so intense are his feelings, he becomes obsessive. Determined to make her his, he does anything he can to remove any obstacles – or people – out of the way. There’s nothing romantic about this kind of attraction. If you're looking for a binge-watch, You is the series for, um, you, as there are 50 episodes to watch, spread across five series, with the finale ready and waiting.  You is available to watch on Netflix. 

His & Hers 

An adaptation of Alice Feeney’s book of the same name, Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal lead His & Hers as Anna Andrews and Jack Harper, estranged spouses with an intriguing connection to a shocking murder. Anna lives in haunted reclusion, having drifted away from friends and her career as a news anchor, but when she overhears talk about the murder in Dahlonega - the sleepy north Georgia town where she grew up - she pounces on the case. This comes as a troubling shock to Jack, who happens to be the detective leading the investigation. Expect a seriously shocking finale.   His & Hers is available to watch now on Netflix. 

Behind Her Eyes 

Be warned, Behind Her Eyes is the kind of show that will make you shout at your TV. Louise (Simona Brown) is a single mum to a young boy and works part time at a psychiatry. All is going swimmingly for Louise, until she throws a spanner in the works and begins an affair with her boss, Dr David Ferguson (Tom Bateman). To make it even more complex, she can't help but strike up a friendship with his wife, Adele (Eve Hewson). Louise then starts researching their relationship, trying to dig up dirt. Expect a 5/5 twisty watch. Behind Her Eyes is available to watch now on Netflix. 

56 Days 

What starts off as a meet-cute ends in murder in 56 Days. Oliver Kennedy (Avan Jogia) and Ciara Wyse (Dove Cameron) bump into each other at a supermarket and instantly hit it off, embarking on a passionate and intense relationship. But when a body is later found, police suspect Oliver and Ciara's budding romance spells something much darker. The result is a series that viewers have described as "addictive" and "100% worth your time". 56 Days is available to watch now on Prime Video. 

The Poison Tree 

Based on Erin Kelly’s novel of the same name, The Poison Tree revolves around Karen Clarke (MyAnna Buring), who's spent 12 years waiting for her partner Rex (Matthew Goode) to be released from prison. Now he’s finally free, but Karen's ordeal is far from over. Shortly after her husband’s release, Karen starts to receive silent phone calls and anonymous text messages with the intention of blackmailing her. Karen’s blackmailer knows about what really happened all those years ago - but just how far will Karen go to protect her family, including Rex, from knowing about it? The Poison Tree is available to watch now on ITVX. 

Tell Me Lies 

There's nothing quite like young love, and that's certainly true in Tell Me Lies. The romantic thriller starts with the blossoming relationship between college students, Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White) and follows them over the course of eight years. But it's far from smooth sailing and along the way, you can expect lies, emotional manipulation and shocking betrayal.  Tell Me Lies is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. 

Missing You

Despite her fiancé, Josh (Ashley Walters) going missing over a decade ago, detective Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar) is still looking for answers in Missing You. One day - completely out of the blue - she discovers him on her dating app and everything she thought she knew about him is called into question. Adapted from the novel of the same name by the undisputed king of crime thrillers, Harlan Coben, the series is packed secrets and thrills.  Missing You is available to watch now on Netflix. 

The Couple Next Door 

In The Couple Next Door's first series, we're introduced to couple, Evie (Eleanor Tomlinson) and Pete (Alfred Enoch), who find themselves in a world of curtain twitching and status anxiety when they move into an upscale neighbourhood. Things start to improve when they befriend their next-door neighbours, fellow couple Danny (Sam Heughan) and his wife, Becka (Jessica De Gouw), but on one fateful night, they become entangled in a way that will change their lives forever. Series 2 stars a new main couple, heart surgeon Charlotte (Annabel Scholey) and anaesthetist Jacob (Sam Palladio) - and it's just as explosive. This one might well be better than The Affair. The Couple Next Door is available to watch now on Channel 4. 

The Girlfriend 

The mother-son bond is alive and too well in The Girlfriend. When Daniel (Laurie Davidson) takes his new girlfriend, Cherry (Olivia Cooke), home for the first time, his mother, Laura (Robin Wright), senses something is off. But rather than let her son make his own mistakes, and live his own life, she starts to meddle in his relationship. Naturally, it doesn't go down well with Daniel, whose attempts to set boundaries are ignored by his mother. As Laura starts investigating who Cherry really is and gets further to the truth, things take a very dark - and very dramatic - turn. The Girlfriend is available to watch now on Prime Video.