The Seduction (2025)

After Starz explored the origins of the infamous Merteuil–Valmont dynamic from Laclos’ Les Liaisons Dangereuses, HBO Max offers its own reimagined prelude with The Seduction (also titled Merteuil in France). Oh la la! Long before she became the calculating Marquise, Isabelle (Anamaria Vartolomei) was a penniless orphan with little protection or influence. Her life unravels when the charming yet predatory Vicomte de Valmont (Vincent Lacoste) draws her in, only to abandon her once he’s had his way - a devil's threesome with fellow hottie Julien De Saint Jean - an act that results in Isabelle's expulsion from the convent where she’d been living. Refusing to accept ruin as her fate, Isabelle seeks out Valmont’s aunt, Madame de Rosemonde (Diane Kruger), demanding justice. Impressed by the young woman’s determination, Rosemonde chooses to mentor her, guiding her into the elite social circles of Paris and positioning her to secure a powerful future of her own. The series does its best to live up to the promising title, but the gay action we get from Vincent and Julien, as well as brief shirtless action from Samuel Kircher, is all non-nude. Come on, we want some Seed-uction!