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Best New Show Alert! Joshua Jackson Spills Secrets on The Affair

Plus, watch writer and executive producer Sarah Treem talk about the inspiration behind the series

By Kristin Dos Santos, Lauren Piester Oct 13, 2014 1:46 PMTags
Joshua Jackson, The AffairShowtime

Showtime's newest drama premiered last night, and if you're a TV fan who hasn't seen it yet, you're going to want to fix that immediately. Not only does it boast an odd yet excellent assortment of incredible actors from incredible shows – Dominic West from The Wire, Maura Tierney from ER, Ruth Wilson from Luther, and Joshua Jackson from Fringe (or let's be real – Dawson's Creek) – but it's also the best new drama of the season. 

There. We said it. 

It's also not at all what you think! Not just a show about an affair, but memory, and how vastly people's recollections can differ...Making for a truly unique premise for the show in which everyone is essentially playing TWO versions of themselves. 

It's genius.

The Affair tells the story of an affair between two married people – Noah (Dominic West) and Alison (Ruth Wilson) – told from each of their perspectives. While the title and general topic might turn some people away, the cast and creator are here to assure us that The Affair is not just about an affair. 

Mark Schafer/SHOWTIME

 "What we were trying to do," executive producer Sarah Treem tells us in the video interview below, "is just create a very human show that was kind of all about the details and the idea that all people have the capacity for evil in them and great things in them."

"We were trying to create a show where we don't judge anybody," Treem adds. "Everybody has desires outside their marriage and the question is how do they deal with them?"

And of course, there's a twist: "You think you're getting a show about an affair and then at one point, the show really takes you in a totally different direction," Treem reveals.

"Is it really about infidelity?" asks Joshua Jackson, "Or is it really just about the fact that life is messy?" (See more of what Josh has to say in the video below!)

Our question to you who saw it: Is the story so different because they are remembering it differently, or telling it differently? 'Cause clearly they are entangled in some sort of investigation and something has gone very much wrong. Hmmm...

"You don't know who to root for," Maura Tierney explains. "Who's the good guy and who's the bad guy."

The cast also did a bit of dishing on one of the show's main features: sex scenes. There were four in the pilot, and we can only guess how many more will show up in a show called The Affair. Dominic West, at least, isn't complaining. 

"There's no quicker way to get to know someone than to pretend to have sex with them," he says with a laugh. "I recommend it!" 

 To hear more about the show, and you know, just see Josh Jackson talking, check out the videos below!  And take our poll to weigh in on what you thought!

Poll

The Affair

The Affair
Loved It
95.4%
Hated It
4.6%
Watch: The "Affair" Cast Dishes on Sexy New Show
Watch: The "Affair" Creator Dishes on Show's Inspiration