Television series

The Innocents

Name: The Innocents
Genre: Drama, Romance, Supernatural
Released: 2018
Cast: Sorcha Groundsell, Percelle Ascott, Guy Pearce, Sam Hazeldine, Nadine Marshall

Other titles called The Innocents: the 1961 film, the 2016 film, the 2021 film.

A moody supernatural romance about two teenagers whose forbidden love awakens dangerous abilities they don't understand. It's intimate and intimate-feeling, built on the chemistry between its leads and the slow revelation of what they can actually do. Atmospheric without being showy, it rewards patient viewers who want to sit with character over spectacle.

TVMaze rating

2.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like slow-burning romance with a supernatural undercurrent, where the eerie feeling of a family's hidden history matters as much as the central couple.

Skip it if you want a fast genre thriller or a tidy, self-contained story, since this is slow to unfold and its mysteries hang over many scenes before anything resolves.

What it asks of you: Eight episodes of about fifty minutes each, paced with long, quiet stretches and a brooding tone that asks you to settle in rather than skim.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Heartstopper2022

Young love that feels genuinely earned, with the same focus on emotional intimacy and self-discovery. Both shows trust their teenage characters to be complex and real, not plot devices.

But Heartstopper is sunnier and more optimistic in tone; if you want the darker, more mysterious mood of The Innocents, this will feel too bright.

The Summer I Turned Pretty2022

A coming-of-age love story with genuine supernatural elements brewing beneath the surface, building mystery while staying grounded in teenage longing and family secrets.

But It's slower to reveal what's actually happening, and some find the love triangle distracting rather than compelling.

Penny Dreadful2014

Atmospheric gothic supernatural drama with characters learning they have abilities they can't control. The show treats its mythology seriously and builds dread through suggestion and mood.

But It's far darker and more violent, with adult characters rather than teenagers at the centre; the tone is bleak rather than romantic.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Innocents

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Sweetbitter2018

Both are intimate portraits of young people discovering they contain multitudes—capacities for feeling, for transformation, for things their families never told them about. The 'gift' in each is less about superpowers than about becoming a different self.

A young woman discovers a hidden world and her own power within it through desire and mentorship. Like The Innocents, it's sensual and mysterious, exploring how much of growing up is learning what you're capable of.

But It's about restaurant life rather than the supernatural, so if you specifically want the paranormal element, this trades it for psychological intensity.

The OA2016

Mysterious, character-driven sci-fi about young people uncovering extraordinary truths about themselves and the world. Like The Innocents, it trusts you to stay confused while it builds something strange and real.

But The narrative becomes increasingly baroque and demanding; it was cancelled on a cliffhanger, so you won't get closure.

Under the Skin2014

Haunting, sensual, and deeply strange—about an outsider in a human world who slowly becomes more human. Subtle and atmospheric in exactly the way The Innocents is.

But There's barely any dialogue and huge stretches of silence. If you need plot momentum or explanation, this will frustrate you.

A Dark Song2016

Two isolated people attempting something impossible together, with genuine supernatural stakes and a focus on emotional vulnerability. Quietly devastating and strange in equal measure.

But It's deliberately slow and meditative, with long scenes of near-silence. The ending might feel like nothing happens, depending on what you wanted from it.

The Magicians2015

Teenagers discovering they have real magical abilities while grappling with trauma and secrets. It has The Innocents' blend of wonder and dread, though with more dark humour woven through.

But It gets campier and more comedic as it goes on; if you want to stay in the mysterious, serious register, later seasons might lose you.

Midnight in Paris2011

A fantasy romance about escaping into something magical while learning you can't actually run from yourself. Tender and strange, with real emotional weight beneath the whimsy.

But It's romantic comedy-adjacent in places; if you found The Innocents's mood more unsettling than charming, this might feel too sweet.

The Haunting of Hill House2018

A supernatural drama that treats its mysteries as emotional rather than just scary. Strong on atmosphere and the weight of family secrets, with beautiful cinematography throughout.

But It's far more horror-focused and visually explicit about supernatural events; less intimate than The Innocents, more committed to actually frightening you.

Under the Silver Lake2018

Both follow young people chasing something that keeps shifting shape. Both are more interested in atmosphere and paranoia than explanation. Both trust the audience to live with ambiguity and strangeness.

A young man pursues a mystery through Los Angeles, uncovering strange truths about power and control. It has The Innocents' quality of adolescent obsession—the sense that you're following something you don't quite understand.

But It's surreal and deliberately confusing, three hours long, and ends by suggesting you might never get answers. It's frustrating by design.

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc1999

Both use a young female lead discovering supernatural ability as a lens for isolation and powerlessness within existing power structures. Both ask: what happens when you can do impossible things but no one with authority believes you or wants to help?

Luc Besson's operatic account of a young girl touched by something supernatural that isolates her entirely. Gorgeous, strange, and genuinely about the loneliness of being the only person who knows what you know.

But It's visually maximalist where The Innocents is restrained, and it culminates in genuine historical tragedy with no romantic resolution whatsoever.