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If it continues as it began, The Affair is poised to be truly amazing television: a breathless and enthralling story about the mutability of the past, the little cruelties of fickle memory, the larger cruelties of trying to determine truth, and the stories we tell about ourselves because we must.

Excellent writing, acting and an intriguing structural device make Showtime's 'The Affair' the new show to watch

It’s a series about the complications of life, relationships and especially perspective. It’s also the most innovative new TV series of 2014, especially from its fractured approach to storytelling.

As unnerving as it is erotic, The Affair promises to be a show to remember.

There aren’t many series at the moment quite like it or as good. It is as subtle and intrusive as “In Treatment” was on HBO, with some of the suspense and narrative feints that made “True Detective,” also on HBO, so addictive.

Should you watch? Yes. This is the best new show of the fall, hands down. And unlike past Showtime “best show of the fall” winners, like Homeland and Masters of Sex, which didn’t have much competition, the broadcast networks actually put up some good stuff this year. The Affair is just that good.

The only scary thing about The Affair, which debuts October 12, is how good it is, right from the start.

Am I hooked? Absolutely. This intelligent, well-cast drama isn’t just about cheating; it’s about subjectivity, and how we each see the facts in our own way. The acting is extraordinary, with the mesmerizing, cat-like Wilson — so creepily good on “Luther” — stealing the show.

The show’s pilot is confident and compelling, with strong performances and a point of view that promises to explore not only the act of infidelity, but also the ideologies that intersect with that infidelity and the characters involved. At no point does the central affair or the show’s approach to it feel generic, a sign that there’s a story (or two or three) to be told here.