The enigmatic Isabelle moves into a small seaside cul-de-sac where her obsessive drive to solve a mystery casts suspicion on four neighbouring families. Based on bestselling Australian author Sally Hepworth's novel.
The latest, The Family Next Door, lands a month after Netflix’s The Survivors , a mystery-drama based in a Tasmanian coastal town riddled with secrets.Storytellers embrace these narratives for good reasons – the picturesque locations and potential exportability, namely – but they have their work cut out for them. It’s not easy to inject creaky old templates with freshness, or to establish mysteries in which audiences are keen to invest.
The Family Next Door doesn’t do this, and it’s better for it. There are many familiar and reliable faces, including Catherine McClements, Jane Harber, Maria Angelico and Bob Morley.In the past few years we’ve seen Netflix commission several similar examples, such as Boy Swallows Universe based on Trent Dalton’s novel and The Survivors, based on the novel by Jane Harper. The value of this type of content lies in its existing audience of readers, as well as the ability to hook viewers in and keep them glued. The Family Next Door is also reminiscent of Netflix’s The Perfect Couple.
