‘Dirty John’ Is The Show Everyone Will Be Talking About At Your Holiday Party

Bravo moved swiftly and turned the hit Los Angeles Times podcast Dirty John into a TV show that’s perfect for this network. The story of Debra Newell and con man John Meehan was soapy and suspenseful as it played out in your ears, and it’s all that and more as you’ll soon be able to see.

Dirty John premieres Sunday, November 25 at 10pm ET/PT on Bravo and stars Connie Britton as Debra and Eric Bana as Dirty John himself. Juno Temple and Julia Garner also star as Debra’s daughters, Veronica and Terra, with Jean Smart as her mother Arlane Hart. As Debra gets more involved with John, and John gets more deceitful by the minute, their whirlwind romance grows sketchy and you’ll find yourself screaming “Girl, no!” at your screen. But Britton totally nails the sweet, successful woman (whose only crime is looking for love) of Orange County, CA — a woman who would totally fit in with The Real Housewives of Orange County, no less.

But this thriller is a tiny step away from the Housewives franchises for Bravo (though this scenario could happen to many of them and would be crazy to watch play out on TV). With such high-caliber actors taking on a drama series on a network known for its reality programming, Bravo now finds themselves comfortably taking a step away from shows airing on the Lifetimes and TLCs of the world, and closer to the HBOs. The performances are certainly solid and in-line with the tone of the story being presented, though the show is not quite concerned with reaching for the auteurship of a Sharp Objects — which is a good thing. Dirty John knows what (and where) it is and doesn’t bother taking itself too seriously, which adds an intriguing and digestible aspect throughout.

For those concerned you might have to listen to all six episodes (around 40 minutes each) of the podcast first: you don’t. Dirty John the TV show will suck you in enough to want to know what happens to this con man and the poor, romantic women he deceives along the way. Bana is a complete and total creepfest here, in the kind of way that will make you angry but unable to look away. And Britton, for as frustrating as Debra can be, is always worth watching.

While it’s not Bravo’s first attempt at a scripted series, Dirty John would’ve paired perfectly with Imposters, the dark comedy about a gorgeous con woman and the lovers that get tangled in her web. The series was canceled earlier this year after its second season aired, but you can watch season one on Netflix now. Bravo also cancelled half-hour comedy Odd Mom Out after three seasons, and their Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce ended this year after five seasons. Could Dirty John, which has been picked up for two seasons, the second of which will focus on a different story, lead the network towards a new, increased scripted slate? For sure, if the TV version of the incredibly buzzy podcast gets anywhere near the same type of word-of-mouth chatter, it could encourage the network to capitalize on investing in even more of these projects. Basically, you’re going to want to watch this show, and preferably live each week, because it will surely be a hot topic of conversation at this season’s holiday parties. Or at the very least, you can spot all the warning signs when your family member brings home a questionable partner for the holidays.

Dirty John premieres Sunday, November 25 at 10pm ET/PT on Bravo. 

Where to stream Dirty John