This twisty thriller is Big Little Lies set in suburban Australia.

Desperate to dive into an addictive thriller you can polish off in two nights? Say no more.

You have to watch The Family Next Door.

The ABC iView series starring Teresa Palmer began as a bestselling novel by Sally Hepworth, with both narratives taking place in an affluent suburb along Pleasant Court in a coastal Victorian town.

The story centres on the mysterious Isabelle, who moves into the neighbourhood and quickly attracts the curiosity of mothers Ange, Fran, Lulu and Essie.

As is expected of any suburban thriller, each woman in this neighbourhood naturally harbours a secret: Ange is obsessed with control, Fran is troubled by her marriage, Essie is in the midst of postpartum depression, Lulu is running away from her past, and then there's our protagonist Isabelle, whose dark past slowly surfaces by the series' end.

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The ABC series adaptation, which premiered on August 10, brings Hepworth's story to life as a six-part drama set in the coastal town of Osprey Point.

The show follows Isabelle, played by Teresa Palmer, who moves into a tight-knit cul-de-sac and begins investigating her neighbours, unearthing suburban secrets that threaten to unravel the close community.

As Isabelle, Palmer brings a warmth and believability to a character who, in less capable hands, could come across as a little too elusive.

Image: ABC.

Palmer draws the viewer in, and anchors the whole story with some of her best work in years. In some scenes that could come across as a touch melodramatic, Palmer's performance brings authenticity to the dynamic between the women.

Another series high is Playing for Keeps' star Philippa Northeast, who tackles the complicated character of Essie, a mother on the brink of a breakdown, as she goes through the mental exhaustion of post-partum depression — culminating in Essie accidentally leaving her baby at a local park.

Northeast's portrayal of Essie is an incredibly tender, nuanced performance which balances Essie's inner strength with her psychological unravelling as her story progresses.

Image: ABC.

Iconic Australian leading lady, Catherine McClements, is another strong performer in the role of Barbara, Essie's mother. Hungry Ghosts' Ming-Zhu Hii as Fran, along with Offspring's Jane Harber as Lulu, are all in fine form.

But the breakout star of The Family Next Door has to be Scrublands' Bella Heathcote as Ange, the tightly-wound real estate agent who grows suspicious of Isabelle. Heathcote's Ange has a commanding presence, straddling moments of vulnerability with an obsessive tendency to control every situation she's in.

In clumsier hands, Ange could have come across as a bit of a 'Karen' archetype, but Heathcote's layered approach ensures the character never becomes an outright villain.

Image: ABC.

The husband characters — especially Bob Morley and Daniel Henshall — all add to this strong ensemble, but ultimately, this is a story about the women.

The series sings when it sways away from the mystery (which doesn't feel all that groundbreaking) and towards its examination of modern motherhood, marital discord and the bonds that form between women in a similar life cycle.

In these moments of trauma and tension, the series is just as enthralling as the HBO masterpiece Big Little Lies.

The show is directed by Emma Freeman, known for prestige Australian dramas like Love Me and Fake, and she elevates the story to become something a cut above a generic Australian mystery.

In the negative, it's hard to say that the series feels completely fresh. It's not exactly treading new ground, as the show follows closely in the footsteps of The Survivors, Scrublands or Palmer's other recent book-to-screen adaptation, The Last Anniversary.

As far as the mystery at the heart of this series, don't expect anything particularly genre-bending.

That said, what sets The Family Next Door apart is the way it's specifically stylised as a homage to coastal Australia: cinematographer Craig Barden manages to capture a rich colourscape, as if this world takes place inside an Australian ice cream commercial from the '80s.

It's saturated, sun-drenched, and manages to effectively transport the viewer to suspend belief in this town where the days are long, the sun is always shining, and women are probably lying through their perfectly veneered teeth.

Feature image: ABC iView.