Fatal Attraction Series Stars Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan on the Sexy, Unsettling Psycholog...

Fatal Attraction Series Stars Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan on the Sexy, Unsettling Psychological ThrillerShow more

If you’re expecting Paramount+’s new eight-episode series Fatal Attraction to be just a stretched out retelling of the 1987 Glenn Close–Michael Douglas movie, prepare yourself for new twists, new characters, and a fresh storyline for the family bunny.
Minor spoiler: He makes out better than he did in the Adrian Lyne–directed movie’s pot-boiling scene. But he does get some equally memorable time on screen, and it still involves Alex Forrest, the emotionally disturbed woman (now played by Lizzy Caplan) whose affair with cheating family man Dan Gallagher (now played by Joshua Jackson) leads to stalking and death.
Other updates to...

If you’re expecting Paramount+’s new eight-episode series Fatal Attraction to be just a stretched out retelling of the 1987 Glenn Close–Michael Douglas movie, prepare yourself for new twists, new characters, and a fresh storyline for the family bunny.
Minor spoiler: He makes out better than he did in the Adrian Lyne–directed movie’s pot-boiling scene. But he does get some equally memorable time on screen, and it still involves Alex Forrest, the emotionally disturbed woman (now played by Lizzy Caplan) whose affair with cheating family man Dan Gallagher (now played by Joshua Jackson) leads to stalking and death.
Other updates to the psychological thriller classic: Dan’s wife, Beth, played by Anne Archer in the movie, is now played by Amanda Peet; the Gallagher daughter, played by tween Ellen Hamilton Latzen in 1987, is now all grown up and portrayed by Alyssa Jirrels; and the ending, while still revolving around a death, sparks a mystery that you may be convinced you’ve figured out — but you probably haven’t.
Here are eight things to know — minus any major spoilers, duh — about the new deep dive into love, hate, destruction, and pop culture’s most cleverly named bunny. Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan in Fatal Attraction teaser poster (Photo by Paramount+) 1. The TV Series Immediately Gives Away the Ending — Or Does It? In the movie, we find out at the end that Alex dies, while philandering Dan pretty much gets to go back to living his life, with his family, and without much in the way of personal consequences (the same cannot be said for the other women in his life, traumatized Beth and Ellen, whose pet hare fell victim to Alex). The series starts with that ending for Alex, and serious consequences for Dan, who goes to prison for her murder. The rest of the episodes take a deeper dive into the beginning, middle, and end of Alex and Dan’s relationship, Alex’s tortured past (which was quickly dismissed in the movie), and more time spent on the long-lasting impact of Dan’s short affair on his family, friends, and colleagues. 2. The Stakes Are Higher for TV Dan Movie Dan worked as attorney in New York City. TV series Dan is a hotshot Los Angeles district attorney and that adds to his own legal woes. He arrogantly expects to sidestep fallout of his affair with Alex (a victim advocate who works with Dan), and then fallout of her murder. He also expects longtime friend and fellow crimebuster Mike (a new character played brilliantly by Toby Huss) and detective Earl (another new, scene-stealing character, played by the great Reno Wilson) to help him out of his accused murderer jam, even though he looks increasingly guilty. Earl, especially, is a stand-in voice for the audience in not letting Dan off the hook.
“It’s really cut and dry with Earl Brooker,” says Wilson. “He enjoys his job. He enjoys being an investigator, and his relationship with Dan was … (Earl) feels like he’s out there on the streets doing the Lord’s work, and Dan is in the office living high on the hog, feeling good about himself. So, when he had the opportunity to arrest him or get him for a heinous crime, it was something that he took pleasure in doing.
“Earl’s a guy who’s all about the law, and he knows this guy … he’s like, ‘OK, you are a little bastard, aren’t you?’” 3. Arthur Is Different Another new character who makes a major impact on all members of the Gallagher family: Arthur (Brian Goodman), Beth’s business partner and best friend, who’s taking care of his dying wife while trying to help his friends through their drama. In the Fatal Attraction movie, Fred Gwynne played a different character named Arthur, who was Dan’s boss. 4. The Series Is as Gritty as the Movie The series doesn’t shy away from the sex or vio...