Although Outlander’s season 7 is wrapped up, Sam Heughan now has another show worth watching in the form of The Couple Next Door. Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser in the network’s flagship period drama, has a very different role in The Couple Next Door as female lead Eleanor Tomlinson’s forbidden love interest, PC Danny Whitwell. Having already been a hit with UK fans of steamy romance, the show has finally reached the US, with new episodes currently premiering on Starz’ network channel and streaming platform each week.
As well as Heughan and Tomlinson, The Couple Next Door stars Alfred Enoch, an actor most famous for playing Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter movies. Enoch and Tomlinson play a young married couple who move in next door to Heughan’s police officer Danny and his wife Becka. All seems to be going well as the two couples hit it off immediately, while Tomlinson’s character Evie is expecting a baby with her husband via a sperm donor. Things soon take a dramatic turn, however, particularly when it’s revealed that there’s more to Danny and Becka’s relationship than first meets the eye.
Sam Heughan's The Couple Next Door Had Its US Premiere On The Same Day As Outlander Season 7's Finale
Starz have timed their release of Heughan’s new show The Couple Next Door perfectly, aligning the US premiere of its first episode with Outlander’s season 7 finale. Heughan’s profile as an actor has never been bigger, and the emotional twist that befell his Outlander character Jamie Fraser and his wife Claire only served to emphasize his importance to the network’s biggest show.
Since January 17, American fans of Heughan’s performance as Fraser have also been able to watch him in the first episode of The Couple Next Door. The newer show’s second episode was released Friday, January 24, on Starz, and another one its first season’s six episodes will be released each Friday up until February 21.
The Couple Next Door Gives Sam Heughan A Very Different Role from Outlander's Jamie Fraser
Danny Whitwell Is An Anti-Hero
In the episodes Starz has released so far, the tension between Heughan’s character Danny and his female counterparts has been pushed to breaking point. In this sense, his role as a romantic lead will appear familiar enough to anyone who’s seen Outlander. Yet Danny is a long way from the gallant heroism of 18th century Highland warrior Jamie Fraser. He’s an everyday 21st-century rogue, as becomes clear the more The Couple Next Door’s first season develops.
The Starz psychological thriller, The Couple Next Door, includes an ensemble of talented actors who have had impressive careers in film and TV.
As a traffic police officer, Danny’s job should make him an upstanding defender of justice and morality in the series. In fact, his story involves a web of deceit and a slew of questionable behavior. Rather than the knight in shining armor we see in Outlander, in The Couple Next Door Heughan is playing an equally seductive but radically different role. Danny Whitwell is an anti-hero with real-life, modern-day flaws, and Heughan carries off this contrasting character with aplomb.
The Couple Next Door Has Already Been Renewed For Season 2
Season 1 Will Leave Viewers Wanting More
Without spoiling the ending of season 1, it’s safe to say that most of The Couple Next Door’s audience will be left wanting after watching the show’s first six episodes. It’s great news for fans of the series, then, that it’s already been renewed for another season. There have been extensive updates about The Couple Next Door season 2, including an interview with Heughan and Jessica De Gouw, including clarification about whether their characters Danny and Becka will be returning in future episodes.
Either way, the show’s first season is thrilling enough on its own terms. The Couple Next Door demonstrates that Sam Heughan is more than just the model hero for classic period dramas. He’s able to portray the darker side of romance, too, in gritty thrillers set against a modern backdrop. Starz are onto a winner showcasing the best of his acting range by placing the two biggest performances of his career to date side-by-side.
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