In an era dominated by sprawling prestige sagas and true-crime marathons, some gems deserve a second life—and The Poison Tree, the razor-sharp 2012 psychological thriller that captivated ITV audiences over a decade ago, is getting exactly that. The two-part miniseries, based on Erin Kelly’s bestselling novel of the same name, has landed a fresh streaming perch on ITVX, available now for free with ads or ad-free via Premium subscription. For fans of slow-burn suspense laced with toxic relationships and buried secrets, this is the binge that will keep you up all night, questioning every glance and whisper. Originally airing to 5.5 million viewers and earning BAFTA buzz for its taut scripting, The Poison Tree arrives just in time for winter chills, proving that not all classics need a reboot—they just need a revival.

At its heart, the series follows Karen Clarke (MyAnna Buring in a career-defining turn), a bright but restless 19-year-old university student in 1990s London, whose life upends when she falls under the spell of the bohemian Capel siblings: the enigmatic, aristocratic Biba (Ophelia Lovibond) and her brooding brother Rex (Matthew Goode). What begins as a hazy summer of hedonism—sun-drenched parties in a crumbling country pile, stolen kisses amid overgrown gardens, and the intoxicating pull of forbidden freedoms—spirals into a web of obsession, jealousy, and a single, irrevocable act that shatters everything. Flash-forwards to the present reveal a grown Karen, haunted by her past, as the ghosts of that fateful season resurface, threatening to poison the life she’s rebuilt.

Kelly’s novel, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick that sold over a million copies, translates to screen with chilling precision under director Stephen Woolfenden’s direction. The script, penned by Kelly herself alongside Debbie Oates, masterfully captures the thrill of youthful recklessness clashing with adult consequences, evoking the sunlit dread of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History or the familial fractures of Big Little Lies. Buring’s Karen is a revelation: wide-eyed innocence hardening into steely resolve, her every micro-expression a map of internal turmoil. Goode, the chiseled Englishman of The Crown and Watchmen, imbues Rex with a magnetic menace—charming one moment, predatory the next—his quiet intensity making every shared glance feel like a loaded gun. Lovibond’s Biba is the chaotic siren, a whirlwind of privilege and pathos that pulls you in before the undertow hits.

Critics hailed it upon release as “gripping” and “unputdownable,” with The Guardian praising its “elegant dissection of class, desire, and the lies we tell ourselves.” Averaging 8.2/10 on IMDb from 2,500 reviews, it’s the kind of taut, character-driven drama that lingers, its themes of loyalty and loss as relevant today as in the ’90s. No gratuitous twists or shock value here—just a slow, inexorable unraveling that builds to a finale so devastating, you’ll need a stiff drink (or a cuppa) to recover.

ITVX’s addition couldn’t be timelier. Amid a streaming glut of superhero spectacles and reality reruns, The Poison Tree offers a compact escape: two 90-minute episodes perfect for a rainy evening. It’s a reminder of British TV’s golden touch for psychological depth—think Broadchurch meets The Talented Mr. Ripley—without the bloat. For newcomers, it’s an entry point to Kelly’s oeuvre; for veterans, a nostalgic hit. As Buring’s Karen muses in the closing moments, “Some poisons taste like paradise at first.” Dive in on ITVX, but beware: once the roots take hold, extraction is impossible.

With holiday downtime looming, this is your cue to rediscover (or discover) a thriller that proves less is more—and danger often hides in plain sight. Stream now; the garden’s waiting.