The Affair
Unreliable narratorThe telling itself can't be trusted.This show: 10/10Character studyInterior life matters more than plot.This show: 9/10Morally grayNo clean heroes or villains anywhere in sight.This show: 9/10Secrets & liesHidden truths straining every relationship.This show: 9/10MelancholicA wistful sadness woven through the story, even in its lighter moments.This show: 8/10Romantic yearningThe will-they-won't-they ache as the main draw.This show: 8/10Emotionally heavyDemands real emotional stamina from the viewer.This show: 8/10SerializedContinuous arcs where every episode builds on the last.This show: 8/10
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Starring
Dominic WestRuth WilsonMaura TierneyJulia Goldani TellesJadon SandJoshua Jackson
Written by
Hagai LeviSarah Treem
Starring
Dominic WestRuth WilsonMaura TierneyJulia Goldani TellesJadon SandJoshua Jackson
Written by
Hagai LeviSarah Treem
Ratings per Episode
Votes per Episode
The Affair Episode Ratings Heatmap
| Avg | E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 | E6 | E7 | E8 | E9 | E10 | E11 | E12 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 7.6 | 8.5 | 8.4 | |||
| S2 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.7 | |
| S3 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 6.3 | |||
| S4 | 8.2 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 7.6 | 9.2 | 8.8 | 8.6 | |||
| S5 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 9.1 |
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About
"Same affair, two unreliable memories, one slow reckoning"
A married writer and a grieving waitress fall into an affair on Long Island, but the show tells the same events twice each episode, once from his memory and once from hers, and the details never quite match. What starts as a slow-burn character study about desire and self-deception widens across seasons into a murder investigation and a sprawling family saga. It's moody, novelistic, and unhurried, carried by intense performances and the unsettling puzzle of whose version of the truth you should trust.
Watch it for
the dual-perspective structure that turns every scene into a quiet interrogation of memory and blame.
Maybe skip if
you need a brisk pace or dislike morally messy characters who keep making things worse.
Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.
All Seasons
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Season 12014
7.910K109h 22m
Noah, a happily married New York City schoolteacher and novelist, and Alison a young waitress recovering from personal tragedy, begin an affair in Montauk, Long Island that has far reaching consequences for both of them.
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Season 22015
8.09K1211h 38m
Alison attempts to move on from tragedy and build a lasting relationship while contending with the judgment of others and her own self-doubt. Her lover Noah tries to balance the temptations of success, the family he left behind, and the woman he loves. Noah’s former wife Helen attempts to piece her life together while navigating divorce proceedings, caring for her children, and her parents’ noxious influence. Cole, Alison’s former husband, struggles to overcome past heartbreak and start a promising new life. Yet the long-term ramifications of the affair continue to shape these lives, and will lead to an event that changes everything once again.
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Season 32016
7.47K109h 24m
It's three years later, and Noah, Alison, Cole, Helen and their families are trying to move on with their lives. But the past keeps coming back to haunt them, and the trauma of what they've been through cannot soon be forgotten.
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Season 42018
8.27K109h 51m
Season four finds Noah, Helen, Alison and Cole in their own orbits, alienated from each other, spinning further and further away from where they all began. Every character is involved in a new relationship, forcing them each to decide if they're ready and willing to leave the past behind for good - a season about new beginnings, tragic ends and the ever-elusive possibility of forgiveness.
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Season 52019
7.67K1111h 37m
The fifth and final season chronicles the aftermath of last season's horrific events and finds the characters coming to terms with the consequences of their choices – as they make the realization that if they really want to change their futures, they must first face the past. Helen begins the season involved in an intoxicating new affair. Noah meanwhile has to swallow his pride and his jealousy and step in to take care of his family in her absence. But just when things seem to have stabilized, a chance encounter with someone from the distant past sets in a motion a sequence of events that brings them both to their knees.
Full Cast & Crew
Cast
Dominic West Noah Solloway
Ruth Wilson Alison Bailey
Maura Tierney Helen Solloway
Julia Goldani Telles Whitney Solloway
Jadon Sand Trevor Solloway
Joshua Jackson Cole Lockhart
Jake Siciliano Martin Solloway
Catalina Sandino Moreno Luisa Leon
Omar Metwally Dr. Vik Ullah
Leya Catlett Stacey Solloway
Crew
Hagai Levi
Sarah Treem
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