[Update: The episode is no longer available to watch for free. Watch it on Showtime.]

It’s that time again, when Showtime puts up an entire episode of one of its new or returning series on YouTube (PG-rated) to entice you non-Showtime subscribers to get hooked. This week, it’s The Affair’s turn, a series that I loved last year initially because of its gimmick: a mystery/romance told through two often conflicting points of view. But the series went on to delve into deeply complex and emotional matters regarding love, loss, and even murder. That last element didn’t work quite as well as the others, but Season 2 looks like it will put it back to the forefront and perhaps remedy that.

Drowning in fall TV pilots though I am (you can read all of them so far here), I haven’t had a chance to watch this new episode yet. But, you can check back next week for my review of the first several episodes (which I believe have introduced two new POV storylines), and in the meantime, watch this first one yourself right now.

The Affair stars Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney, and Joshua Jackson, and will debut in full on Showtime Sunday, October 4th.

Here’s the official press release:

THE AFFAIR second season premiere will also be available on the SHOWTIME Preview app on Smart TVs from Samsung, LG and Panasonic, as well as for download as a free video podcast on iTunes.

 

SHOWTIME subscribers can watch THE AFFAIR second season premiere todayon SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, SHOWTIME ANYTIME and SHOWTIME(showtime.com), the stand-alone streaming service available now through Apple®,Roku® players and Roku TV™ models , as well as through Hulu and Sony PlayStation® Vue. Additionally, the episode is available to subscribers via SHOWTIME ANYTIME® on ShowtimeAnytime.com, and across multiple devices and streaming players anywhere in the U.S.

 

Consumers who do not subscribe to SHOWTIME, can also sample the second season premiere for free via Roku, PlayStation Vue and Hulu across multiple devices. The episode can also be accessed via free On Demand channels, websites and applications for multiple television providers including AT&T U-verse and DIRECTV, Charter Communications, Comcast’s Xfinity TV, Cox Communications, DISH, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS.

 

---

Starring Golden Globe nominee Dominic West (The Wire), Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson (Luther), Emmy® nominee Maura Tierney (ER) and Screen ActorsGuild® Award nominee Joshua Jackson (Fringe), season two of THE AFFAIRexplores the emotional and psychological effects of an affair that destroyed two marriages, and the crime that brings these individuals back together. This season, the provocative drama will be told separately from four different perspectives, revealing four distinct truths. Ruth Wilson plays Alison, a young woman attempting to move on from tragedy and build a lasting relationship while contending with the judgment of others and her own self-doubt. Her lover Noah (Dominic West) is a burgeoning writer trying to balance the temptations of success, the family he left behind, and the woman he loves. Noah’s former wife Helen (Maura Tierney) is attempting to piece her life together while navigating divorce proceedings, care for her children, and her parents’ noxious influence. Joshua Jackson plays Cole, Alison’s former husband struggling to overcome past heartbreak and start a promising new life. Yet the long-term ramifications of the affair continue to shape these lives, and will lead to an event that changes everything once again. Award-winning playwright and writer/producer Sarah Treem (House of Cards, In Treatment) and Hagai Levi (In Treatment) created the series. Treem serves as executive producer, along with Levi, Anya Epstein (In Treatment) and director Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights).