Sam Heughan Staying at Starz with Suburbia Thriller ‘The Couple Next Door’

“Outlander” might be gearing up for its end, but everybody’s favorite dashing Highland warrior still has a home at Starz. Sam Heughan, the star of the channel’s smash-hit time-travel series, will star in the thriller series “The Couple Next Door” at the premium cabler.

The show, a co-production between Starz and Britain’s Channel 4, is adapted from the Dutch series “New Neighbours,” and stars Heughan as Danny, an “alpha traffic cop” married to glamorous yoga instructor Becka (Jessica De Gouw of “Pennyworth”). When a new couple moves in next door — Evie (Eleanor Tomlinson of “The Outlaws”) and Pete (Alfred Enoch of “Harry Potter” and “How to Get Away With Murder”) in their high-class suburban neighborhood, the foursome become fast friends, but tensions soon form. Especially when Danny and Evie share a passionate night together.

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Filming for the series has begun in Leeds and Belgium. This is Heughan’s third series for Starz, following “Outlander” and “Men in Kilts,” a documentary series he starred in with his “Outlander” co-star Graham McTavish. The six-part series is written by David Allison and directed by Dries Vos, who previously directed Heughan in the 2022 Channel 4 series “Suspect.”

“I’m thrilled to be working with Eagle Eye Drama and director Dries Vos again and adding a third series with my Starz family,” Heughan said in a statement. “Dries has a unique visual flair and I’m sure we’re going to make something special.”

Since 2014, Heughan — who will next be seen in the May rom-com “Love Again” with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Celine Dion — has led the cast of “Outlander.” The fantasy romance series is based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon, with Caitríona Balfe. Starz announced back in January that the show will end with Season 8; the seventh season will premiere in June, and air in two parts premiering this year and in 2024. Starz will remain in the “Outlander” business after the flagship series ends, as the channel has already ordered “Blood of My Blood,” a prequel series from the OG show’s executive producer Matthew B. Roberts.

“The Couple Next Door” is produced by Jen Burnet; Jo McGrath, Walter Iuzzolino, and Alison Kee executive produce. Channel 4’s Head of Drama Caroline Hollick and Commissioning Editor Rebecca Holdsworth greenlit the series. Starz’s Programming EVP Karen Bailey will oversee the show for Starz. Eagle Eye Drama produces the show, which will be distributed globally by Beta Film. Channel 4 will carry the show in the UK, while Starz will carry it in the United States and Canada; Lionsgate+ will distribute the series in Latin America.

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