What are the Harlan Coben dramas on Netflix?
Get your fix of gripping mystery from these collaborations between Harlan Coben and Netflix.
One year after Fool Me Once was released on Netflix, another Harlan Coben adaptation has landed on the streamer: Missing You.
The series follows Kat Donovan (played by Rosalind Eleazar from Slow Horses), a detective who spots her ex-fiancé on a dating app 11 years after he vanished without a trace, forcing her to dive back into mysteries from over a decade ago.
Alongside Eleazar, the cast also includes Jessica Plummer, Ashley Walters and, of course, Richard Armitage.
Speaking about how Missing You feels different to the previous Coben projects he’s been part of, Armitage previously told Netflix: "The format has changed slightly. It’s five episodes written by one writer, Victoria Asare-Archer, who is brilliant. Similarly, that was what we had on Red Eye.
"One of the reasons this feels different is there isn’t a dense sub-plot surrounding a second character.
"There are two story threads that converge at the end, but they are being handled by one character, Kat, and because there is only one person dealing with everything, the train moves at a faster pace."
Meanwhile, Coben previously opened up about Missing You, which he said was "so much fun to make".
"It's only five episodes, so you watch it very quickly," he explained. "The ending is so surprising that I actually watched it and I got it wrong. And I wrote it!"
He continued: "But it will also really, genuinely move you. You're going to shed a little bit of a tear."
In 2018, Coben signed a multi-million-dollar, five-year deal with Netflix to adapt 14 of his books into TV series, and adaptations of his novels Caught and Run Away are also in the works.
But how many Coben adaptations are there already on Netflix and how can you watch them in release order? Here’s your complete guide to Harlan Coben dramas on Netflix…
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What are the Harlan Coben series on Netflix?
Missing You
Missing You is the latest Coben adaptation to land on Netflix, premiering globally on the streamer on 1st January 2025.
The series follows Kat (Rosalind Eleazar) who, after discovering a profile belonging to her missing ex-fiancé Josh (Ashley Walters) on a dating app, uncovers a web of lies and secrets connected to the unresolved murder of her father, Clint (Sir Lenny Henry).
Richard Armitage, Oscar Kennedy, Steve Pemberton and more also appear in the star-studded cast.
Fool Me Once
Another recent addition to the Coben catalogue on Netflix is Fool Me Once, which was released on the platform back in January 2024.
The series stars Michelle Keegan as Maya Stern, a woman whose husband Joe (Richard Armitage) appears to be brutally killed in a robbery.
However, when he mysteriously appears on her "nanny-cam", Maya is left wondering whether he could be alive, and sets out to uncover the truth...
Alongside Keegan and Armitage, Adeel Akhtar (Sherwood) also stars as DS Sami Kierce, who leads the police investigation into Joe's apparent death, while Dame Joanna Lumley (Finding Alice), Emmett J Scanlan (Peaky Blinders) and Dino Fetscher (Years and Years) also appear.
Hold Tight
Hold Tight premiered globally on the streamer on Friday 22nd April.
The Polish adaptation stars Magdalena Boczarska, Leszek Lichota, Krzysztof Oleksyn and Agata Łabno.
Based on the book of the same name by Coben, Hold Tight tells the story of a young man’s disappearance in a tight-knit Warsaw suburb – and the huge impact the mystery has on the affluent residents.
Following the death of his best friend, Adam begins to act out of character. But when Anna decides to instal spy software on his phone to work out what he’s up to, she discovers an ever-deepening web of secrets and lies…
Stay Close
Another recent addition to Netflix's catalogue was Stay Close, which landed on the streaming service in December 2021.
Deadwater Fell’s Cush Jumbo, Bancroft’s Sarah Parish and Bloodlands’ James Nesbitt also star in the eight-part series, which follows a group of people whose lives are derailed when dark secrets emerge.
Based on the 2012 novel of the same name, Jumbo plays Megan, a working mum of three; Armitage portrays Ray, a failed documentary photographer; and Nesbitt stars as Broome, a detective haunted by a missing person’s cold case.
When Megan’s old friend arrives on the scene and delivers some shocking news, secrets from the trio’s past quickly return to haunt them…
The Stranger
Another addition to the Netflix catalogue is The Stranger, which was a big hit in the UK when it was released in January 2020.
Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) plays the eponymous stranger, a mysterious woman who tells a man a powerful secret. His wife goes missing soon after, prompting the police to launch an investigation into who The Stranger really is.
Richard Armitage, Siobhan Finneran, Jennifer Saunders and Kadiff Kirwan co-star in this tense thriller based on Coben's novel of the same name, which kept fans guessing until the very end...
The Woods
The Woods is the third Harlan Coben drama to land on Netflix and the second Polish original series to be produced by the streaming service.
Based on the 2007 novel of the same name, The Woods is about a man haunted by his missing sister, who mysteriously vanished under his watch 25 years ago and has never been seen since.
When evidence emerges that suggests she could still be alive, it sets him on a path to get answers that will dig up some secrets long thought to be buried...
The Innocent
Based on Coben’s novel from 2005, Spanish-language mystery titled The Innocent (El Inocente) landed on Netflix in April 2021.
The eight-part series follows the story of Mateo (played by Mario Casas), who inadvertently becomes a murderer when he sees a fight and decides to step in.
Nine years later, he has served time for homicide and is rebuilding his life with his wife, Olivia (Aura Garrido). However, a shocking an inexplicable call brings Mateo’s world crashing down once again.
Safe
Safe was the first of Coben's shows to debut on Netflix, landing on the service back in May 2018. Unlike the others, this series isn't based on an existing novel but is instead an original creation for television.
Michael C Hall (Dexter) plays a surgeon whose wife has recently died of cancer, a devastating loss which puts a heavy strain on his relationship with his two daughters.
When one of them goes missing, he sets out on a desperate search to find her and uncovers shocking secrets along the way. Amanda Abbington (Sherlock) and Marc Warren (Van Der Valk) also star in this soapy drama, which prioritises entertainment value over gritty realism.
Gone for Good
Gone for Good is the first French-language Coben adaptation.
Based on his 2002 novel of the same name, the five-part series landed on Netflix in April 2021 and stars Garance Marillier, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Guillaume Gouix, Finnegan Oldfield and Nailia Harzoune.
The plot revolves around Guillaume Lucchesi 10 years after a terrible tragedy saw his first love, Sonia, and his brother, Fred, die. Lucchesi is plunged into a dizzying mystery when his girlfriend vanishes into thin air during his mother’s funeral – and he's forced to unearth unbearable truths on his quest to find her.
How to watch the Harlen Coben series in release order
The release order is as follows:
- Safe – May 2018
- The Stranger – January 2020
- The Woods – June 2020
- The Innocent – April 2021
- Gone for Good – August 2021
- Stay Close – December 2021
- Hold Tight – April 2022
- Fool Me Once – January 2024
- Missing You – January 2025
Missing You is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.