Dear Australia, if you're desperate to watch Dirty John, here's where you need to look.

If you’re a die-hard fan of the gripping investigative podcast Dirty John, you’ll be glad to know that the new TV series based on the popular podcast premiered this week.

The bad news, however, is that if you still call Australia home, you might have had to launch your very private investigation in order to find out exactly where to watch it.

There has been a lot of news circulating this week that Netflix would be the place to watch the gritty crime drama series unfold, after it was reported that the streaming service had nabbed the rights to distribute the show internationally.

However, no official Australian launch date for Dirty John has been confirmed by the service yet.

But there is a ray of hope, because according to E! Australia (who are part of the NBCUniversal family along with Bravo, who are producing and airing the series) the first episode of the season is now available to watch for free in Australia via Youtube.  

The Dirty John podcast, which is hosted by journalist Christopher Goffard and was created by Wondery and Los Angeles Times deep dives into a compelling true crime case.

The podcast was first formed after Goffard learned that police were investigating a possible murder in Newport Beach. After he began to dig deeper into the matter he came across the story of John Meehan and Debra Newell, which turned out to be a very bizarre web of deceit and abuse.

The podcast chronicles Meehan's relationship with businesswoman Debra Newell, who met through an online dating site, and his interactions with her immediate and extended family.

It quickly becomes clear in this story, however, that all is not what it seems with John, and the podcast deals with ongoing themes of abuse and manipulation, as well as the behaviours of those being abused.

The Dirty John televised series will bring the twisted and troubling romance between Debra Newell (played by Connie Britton) and John Meehan (played by Eric Bana) to life on the small screen.

When describing the new TV series, Bravo have offered up this synopsis for the highly anticipated first episode "Debra Newell has a seemingly perfect life: she’s successful, beautiful and lives in one of California’s most desirable coastal cities, Newport Beach. The only thing missing is love. So when Debra finally meets charming and handsome doctor John Meehan, she’s quickly swept into a whirlwind romance, much to her daughters’ dismay."

So not to fear, Dirty John fans, the first episode of the series is ready and waiting for you.

Mamamia have reached out to Netflix Australia for confirmation regarding Dirty John streaming on their platform.

For more TV and movie recommendations from Mamamia's Entertainment Editor Laura Brodnik, sign up for her newsletter or follow her on Facebook. 

You can listen to all six episodes of Dirty John here.