The next TV series you need to watch.

And the good news is, it’s available on Netflix.

Once you’ve recovered from the dramatic finale to the latest season of Game of Thrones (DON’T TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS. I haven’t watched it yet.) and you’re done with the latest instalment of hijinks from inside Litchfield Penitentiary, you may be left with a massive hole in your life some spare time on your hands.

Instead of braving the cold and venturing outside the house, we have a better idea.

Watch The Fall.

Now, if not sooner.

It’s a BBC psychological thriller (available on Netflix) about a serial killer on the loose in Northern Ireland. The killer, Paul Spector (played by Jamie Dornan), hunts down attractive brunette women, then kills them, poses them and photographs them. London cop Stella Gibson is brought over to Belfast to lead the investigation into the murders and track down the man responsible.

Related: 20 really dumb questions about NETFLIX. Answered.

Here is a creepy, goosebump-inducing trailer to get you intrigued:

This is why you need to watch it:

1. It stars Scully.

If, like me, you’ve spent the past 13 years wondering what ever happened to The X-Files’ skeptical redhead, Dana Scully, worry no more.

Gillian Anderson returns to the small screen in all her tough-talking glory. She is also an executive producer of the show (the only female one).

And – some trivia – her English accent is real. Anderson moved from England to Michigan at age 11 and was teased for her accent.

(For The X-Files enthusiasts, she will be returning as Scully in a The X-Files revival series currently being filmed, according to IMDB.)

2. It is equal parts gripping and disturbing.

From the freaky ways in which Spector meets and stalks his victims (think purposefully knocking a woman’s wallet off a bar counter and handing it back minus the drivers licence), to the way he murders and then treats them (painting their nails, obsessively sketching them), it’s a bum-clenching, breath-taking ride.

He leads a double life as a grief counsellor and loving father and husband – a concept especially scary because it’s a trait common too many real-life serial killers. He has a pre-murder routine, just like a footy player warming up before a match. And he keeps his murderous trinkets in his daughter’s room. Watching his real life intersect with his evil crimes is both terrifying and fascinating.

Spector is completely evil. But also, likeable. So many conflicting emotions…

3. The show is surprisingly feminist despite, you know… being about stalking and killing women.

A show about a crazy serial killer who murders young women in horrible ways doesn’t sound like it would win any feminist awards – in fact, it was criticised for glamorising violence against women, but Anderson’s character is intelligent, powerful, and sexually active – traits she makes no apology for.

When Stella Gibson is brought in from London to lead the investigation due to her expertise, her authority is not questioned.

She nonchalantly calls out a colleague who sexually harasses her.

She is good at her job (Gibson is the one that begins to link up older murders before anyone else realises there is a serial killer at loose) and handpicks women – from her assistant to the pathologist – to trust and help solve the crime.

This is Stella Gibson being a boss:

4. A serial killer has never looked so good. (Oh, and Jamie Dornan CAN act.)

Move over, Dexter. There’s a more attractive serial killer in the house.

Despite Dornan’s lacklustre performance as Christian Grey in erotic drama 50 Shades of Grey, he actually can act. He plays the completely-evil-but-also-charismatic murderer role with somewhat disturbing credibility.

With all the bloodshed and crime the series packs in, you’ll forget all about Westeros and Litchfield.

And one more creepy preview, in case you’re still not convinced… 

For more on TV and movies, try these articles:

The unforgettable scene that only Orange is the New Black could bring us.

The OTHER really shocking thing that happened in the Game Of Thrones finale last night.

5 reasons we desperately need to talk about the movie ‘Spy’.

Emma Freedman (hilariously) reviews the Entourage movie.

Have you watched The Fall? What did you think?