If you're a fan of shows like You or Fleabag, Netflix's new eight-episode limited series absolutely needs to be your next watch — because it is addictive in the best way possible. 

This show is essentially what happens when you take the fourth-wall-breaking intimacy of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Joe Goldberg and collide it with a high-stakes prestige drama that tackles some real thorny issues. Think Julia Roberts' After The Hunt and A Promising Young Woman.  

It is a high-end cocktail of academic scandal, mid-life crises, and pure, unadulterated sexiness that will have you hooked from the first scene. 

Watch: Vladimir trailer. Article continues after video.

At the centre of this hurricane is an unnamed protagonist played by the incomparable Rachel Weisz. She's a powerhouse professor at a liberal arts college who is currently watching her life — and her husband's career — slow-burn into a pile of ash. 

While her husband, played by a perfectly cast John Slattery, is under investigation for some questionable sexual history with students, our girl isn't exactly playing the devastated wife. 

Instead, she's becoming dangerously obsessed with the new, young, handsome faculty member, Vladimir.

If the plot feels incredibly tight, it's because it's based on the 2022 bestselling novel by Julia May Jonas. It's provocative, funny and extremely moving. And given Jonas is the showrunner here, the mischievous and truthful vibe of the book translates perfectly to your living room.

The casting is, frankly, well… rude. A lineup of impossibly hot, and very talented actors.

Rachel Weisz is unhinged, chic, and absolutely magnetic as she navigates her character's unravelling.

Leo Woodall, fresh off One Day and The White Lotus, plays the titular Vladimir and is staggeringly handsome in this role, bringing a mix of boyish kindness and an almost predatory magnetism that makes the protagonist's obsession feel entirely logical. If I'm being honest, I hadn't necessarily bought into the internet's obsession with Woodall previously, but after this, I totally get it. 

John Slattery brings that silver-fox Mad Men energy to a husband who is as complicated as he is compromised. Even the supporting players like Jessica Henwick, who plays Vladimir's wife, add another layer to the "is this flirting or just academia?" tension.

What makes Vladimir a total standout is how it handles its narrative. Throughout the show, Weisz constantly breaks the fourth wall, looking right into the lens to tell us what she's thinking. But here's the catch: she's a totally unreliable narrator. 

She'll tell you one thing, do another, and then rationalise it all with a wink. It makes the audience feel like an accomplice to her chaos. Are we seeing the truth, or are we just seeing her fantasy? It's immersive, funny, and deeply uncomfortable in the best way.

Now, the real question. Is it sexy? Oh, it's very sexy. But it's not just about the steam. It's about the power dynamics. The show flips the classic "older man/younger woman" trope on its head, putting the female gaze front and centre. 

Vladimir is about a woman reclaiming her desire and refusing to become invisible as she ages. It raises some genuinely thorny questions about consent, cancel culture, and what we're allowed to want in a politically correct society.

The acting is top-tier across the board — Weisz is practically vibrating with intensity. However, if I'm being totally honest, the ending felt a bit predictable for me. Once the dominoes start falling, you can kind of see exactly where the wreckage is going to land. 

But overall? I enjoyed it — from beginning to end. It's a toney, intense, at times, very funny, show that starts at level eight and never lets up.

Feature Image: Netflix.