'The Affair' season 3 spoilers, release date, news, updates: 1st episode available for free on YouTube; 2nd episode to premiere earlier on Showtime Anytime

Showtime's drama series, "The Affair," is slated to premiere its first episode for season 3 on Sunday, Nov. 20, but in a surprising move, the network already released the season 3 premiere through YouTube, SHO.com and iTunes for free.

Through this, fans now know that season 3 picks up after Noah (Dominic West) served his sentence, and has now restarted his life as a university teacher. Helen (Maura Tierney) is however still concerned about Noah's well-being, but she tries her best to keep the family together.

Alison (Ruth Wilson), on the other hand, is having a dilemma as to whether or not she should leave her daughter to ex-husband, Cole (Joshua Jackson).

As for the second episode, Showtime confirms that it will also be released ahead of its intended television schedule for subscribers of the network's standalone streaming service, Showtime Anytime, and on Showtime Demand.

The first episode of season 3 is also now available in different other streaming services and platforms throughout different devices.

"The Affair" explores the emotional and psychological effects of an extramarital relationship that are told through different perspectives, complete with memory biases for each character.

Noah and Alison started their affair when they met at a resort town in Long Island. Noah is a teacher and an author who is happily married with four children, but he resents the fact that he is somehow dependent on his rich father-in-law.

Alison, on the other hand, is a waitress who had so far experienced marital and family problems since the sudden death of her child.

The perspectives of both Alison and Noah's spouses (Helen and Cole, respectively) are also explored, especially with how they dealt with moving forward after their marriages fell apart.

The show was critically appraised, garnering a 92% rating for its second season from Rotten Tomatoes, and winning 2 Golden Globe Awards in 2015, including Best Television Series under the Drama category.