The Secret (2016)

It’s no secret audiences are drawn to secrets on the big and small screens all over the world. How else can you explain the surge of secretive-themed releases such as the American rom-com Secret Admirer (1985), France’s thriller Secrets of State (2008), the Colombian-Venezuelan crime flick Secreto de Confesión (2013), Brazil’s soap opera Verdades Secretas (2015), the Australian series Secret City (2016-2019), and the Philippines drama Secret Campus (2023). Of course, we can’t forget the Northern Irish ITV miniseries The Secret (2016), not to be confused with Canada’s romantic flick The Secret (2007). This British saga is based on the tragic real life murder documented by journalist Deric Henderson in the book “Let This Be Our Secret” (2011). Under the direction of Nick Murphy, the drama shows how dentist Colin Howell (James Nesbitt) and his mistress (Genevieve O’Reilly) killed their spouses (Laura Pyper and Glen Wallace) by making it appear as if the deaths were due to suicide. Thanks to the topnotch acting and spot-on script, we can feel the grittiness of the situation as the story follows the fallout of what happens when one of the most respected men in a community turns up at the center of a crime. Sure, death is a downer, yet the dead sexy leading man will have you up — in more ways than one! This is true when it comes to episode 3 which features Mr. Nesbitt’s naked T&A. In other words, even if the characters are doomed, you’ll still find a happy ending!