Revival of Erotic Thriller Genre: Peacock Adds to Trend with Mandy Moore Series ‘Teach Me’, One of 8 Current Film & TV Projects in the Genre

It appears that 2025 has ushered in a resurgence for erotic thrillers, with numerous high-profile film and television projects emerging in recent months, many featuring well-known talent. This surge in interest marks the return of a genre that had been largely dormant since its peak in the 1980s, which was highlighted by iconic films such as Dressed To Kill, Body Heat, 9 Weeks, and the Oscar-nominated Fatal Attraction. In fact, roughly half of these new projects have been announced in just the past few weeks.

With streaming platforms expanding their content offerings, erotic thrillers have become a significant focus for producers. Two years after Paramount+ launched the Fatal Attraction series reboot starring Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan, the genre is now seeing a full-blown revival. The latest addition to this wave is Teach Me, an upcoming drama series in development at Peacock, written and executive produced by Lisa Rubin, with Jessica Rhoades, A24, and Universal Television also on board. Starring This Is Us alum Mandy Moore, the series follows a teacher who exercises power over a vulnerable yet unreliable student. The show explores the complex dynamics between sex, power, and addiction as the student eventually becomes the teacher.

In a similar vein, Netflix has secured a new erotic thriller series titled Hancock Park, which has a script-to-series commitment. Created by Matthew Barry, with Drew Comins and Fifth Season producing, the show stars Bridgerton actor Reg-Jean Page. Set in a seemingly perfect Los Angeles neighborhood, the story revolves around a charming outsider who disrupts the lives of a family when he moves into their guest house. As he exposes hidden desires, deceit, and obsession, the series delves into the undercurrents of one of L.A.'s most coveted areas.

Fifth Season is also behind another high-profile project, Dangerous Liaisons, a modern-day adaptation of the 18th-century French novel. This drama will explore themes of power, wealth, and love amidst the ruthless sexual appetites of the British aristocracy and the new-money elite, offering a provocative and emotional twist on the classic story.

Additionally, Fifth Season is developing Night Float, an erotic thriller based on a play by Lila Raicek. Set against the backdrop of New York City's dark underworld, the show stars Nina Dobrev as a young woman who becomes involved with an older doctor. As their relationship intensifies, she is drawn into an illicit insider-trading scheme. Raicek and Bruna Papandrea are attached as writers and executive producers.

Meanwhile, Counterpart Studios, founded by Tony Hernandez, Lilly Burns, and Elise Henderson, is also developing an erotic thriller for a streaming platform, though further details remain under wraps.

On the movie front, acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky and Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn have teamed up for an original erotic thriller, currently in development at Sony Pictures. The film is being produced by New Regency, with an erotic thriller spec script titled Fixation from writers Erika Vazquez and Siena Butterfield. The plot centers around a couples' therapist caught in a dangerous love triangle filled with lust, deception, and manipulation.

Lastly, the Eternity project is well underway, with production having started in Italy this fall. Directed by Jamie Marshall, the film stars Meadow Williams, William H. Macy, and Nolan Gerard Funk. It follows Calvin Wells (Funk), a charismatic con artist who becomes entangled with Katrine Winters (Williams), a wealthy widow. What begins as a glamorous escape on her superyacht soon turns into a journey into the dark secrets hiding beneath her luxurious lifestyle.

Author: Natalie Monroe