Harlan Coben explains Fool Me Once ending: 'Putting a twist on that genre was intriguing'
The Netflix series sure kept us guessing until the very end.
In the ever-growing world of drama series, themes and plots can often start to feel quite similar.
So, it makes sense that acclaimed author and series creator Harlan Coben wanted to put a bit of a twist on the missing people genre within TV.
Speaking in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine, Coben said: "Missing people are my thing. With missing people, there’s hope. I love the idea that there can be redemption.”
Of course, this year's Fool Me Once was a hit among viewers at the start of the year, and proved so popular that the streamer made a two-series order for more adaptations of Coben's novels.
The ending especially surprised many, with twists and turns aplenty as we discovered whether or not Joe (Richard Armitage) was really alive.
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Chatting to Radio Times magazine, Coben spoke about the success of the series and missing people in general. He said: "For one thing, there are very few serial killers anymore.
"America used to be filled with them. It isn’t that we’re getting mentally healthier, that’s for damn sure. It’s just that it’s really hard to get away with it: everybody has a phone, everybody is being tracked, everywhere has CCTV.
"So, how to make a serial killer novel that I would like, and that would work in today’s world, was intriguing."
The series followed Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan), whose life takes a turn when she spies her husband Joe on her nanny cam.
Of course, that's nothing out of the ordinary - but considering Joe was supposedly previously shot dead, Maya's world begins to upend as she tries to figure out the truth.
Read more:
- Richard Armitage on what Red Eye shares with Harlan Coben thrillers
- Harlan Coben explains why his most popular character is yet to appear on screen
The show proved more than a little popular, with Netflix's ratings stating that the series accumulated 61 million views globally in its first two weeks.
Ratings analyst Barb reported a strong audience of 6.3 million for the first episode solely in the UK.
It's a good thing, then, that there's plenty more where that came from, as both Run Away and Missing You will be coming our way in the near future.
The two new series were ordered after the success of not just Fool Me Once, but previous years' The Stranger and Stay Close.
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Run Away will be adapted by Brassic's Danny Brocklehurst and will follow a man's seemingly perfect life, which is thrown into chaos when his eldest daughter goes missing, only to resurface high on drugs in a public park.
Stay Close co-writer Victoria Asare-Archer will pen Missing You, which follows detective Kat Donovan, who is drawn in by a sinister dating profile which could be connected in some way to her father's mysterious death.
Slow Horses' Rosalind Eleazar has been announced to star in the central role, with production having kicked off for the series earlier this year.
Joining her are Sir Lenny Henry and Harlan Coben series regular Richard Armitage, as well as Jessica Plummer, Steve Pemberton and more.
Missing You is coming soon to Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
