Picture Credits: Netflix
The release of Netflix’s latest Harlan Coben adaptation, Run Away, has had us thinking: what are the best Harlan Coben series streaming on Netflix? We’ve gone through the task of ranking them all!
Back in 2018, Netflix struck a lucrative deal with #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben — and the deal was so successful that it was renewed in 2022. In that time, the author’s page-turning crime novels have been adapted into some of the most acclaimed thrillers on the streamer.
With the release of Run Away, there are now 12 Netflix Original Harlan Coben series. For newcomers, it can be hard to choose which ones are the best. But fear not, we have you covered. Here’s every Netflix Original adaptation of a Harlan Coben novel.
Hold Tight
The second Polish series based on a Harlan Coben novel, Hold Tight, sets the scene in a tight-knit and wealthy Warsaw suburb, where everyone holds dark secrets and nothing is as it seems. The 6-episode series takes place when a young man, Adam Barczyk (Krzysztof Oleksyn), goes missing soon after his friend Igor dies.
The ratings for Hold Tight speak for themselves. It’s currently the lowest-rated Harlan Coben series on Rotten Tomatoes, garnering a mere 36% score with reviewers criticising its slow plot, unlikable characters, and lacklustre payoff.
Hold Tight also has a small connection with The Woods, which ranks a little higher on this list…
Gone for Good
Gone For Good has all the trademarks of a classic Harlan Coben thriller. It even switches out the New Jersey setting of the original novel for the stunning French views of Nice. The French series stars Guillaume Lucchesi (Finnegan Oldfield), who suffered the dreadful loss of both his girlfriend and older brother in 2010. Fast forward a decade, and Guillaume proposes to his now-girlfriend Judith (Nailia Harzoune), only for her to mysteriously disappear the next day. How does this connect to the past?
The picturesque French setting makes for a visually appealing series. That said, the overall narrative and rather dull characters aren’t enough to prop up this distinctly average series.
Just One Look
The third Polish series based on a Harlan Coben novel (succeeding Hold Tight and The Woods), Just One Look sets the scene in Warsaw. We follow jewellery designer and happily married woman Greta Rembiewska (Maria Dębska). When she develops a series of photographs, one stands out: it’s an old group photograph featuring her husband Jacek (Cezary Łukaszewicz) but she doesn’t recognise anyone else. When he mysteriously vanishes, she pieces together the clues, and unearths hidden truths.
Just One Look debuted to mixed ratings. While undoubtedly gripping, many found the plotting formulaic with the ending underwhelming.
Caught
This Spanish series feels a lot different to your typical Harlan Coben series. Sure, the setting and language plays a part in its uniqueness, but it’s also darker and glitter. We follow Ema Garay (Soledad Villamil), an investigative journalist with an esteemed record in her sector. However, when she looks into a case involving the disappearance of teenager Haley McWaid, she learns that a key suspect is none other than Leo Mercer (Alberto Ammann), a man who’s not only helped her in the case, but someone she’s developed a personal relationship with.
Caught is beautifully captured, but the main characters are poorly written, sometimes bordering on boring. While not bad, it certainly lacks the palpable suspense and edge-of-your-seat cliffhangers of Coben’s best thrillers.
Missing You
Missing You stars Rosalind Eleazar as Detective Kat Donovan. Over a decade after the death of her fiancé Josh (Ashley Walters), she finds herself mindlessly swiping through dating profiles… only to find Josh among the users. Naturally, this sends her on an investigative search to find the truth, not only about Josh, but regarding a larger mystery about her father’s murder.
Missing You is a totally binge-watchable mystery full of emotional depth and layered characters, but it plays on so many of the same narrative beats of Coben mysteries that it leaves you with the “I’ve seen this before” feeling. It’s got all the same character archetypes that we’re used to, and the twists follow similar patterns to other Coben shows. The engaging premise, however, is enough to keep you entertained.
Fool Me Once
In terms of plot twists, Fool Me Once might boast the most of any Coben shows on Netflix. In fact, it might be a bit too twist-heavy with plenty of plot conveniences that make the narrative increasingly un-believable. But does it make for a wildly entertaining series? Absolutely… well, provided you don’t read too much into it.
In Fool Me Once, we follow Maya Stern (brilliantly played by Michelle Keegan), a former military pilot who lost both her sister and husband in the same year. As she suffers from immense PTSD, her mind spins, and things only escalate when she sees her husband, presumed dead, talking to their child on her nanny cam. Adamant on what she saw, Maya takes it upon herself to investigate it further.
Run Away
In Run Away, James Nesbitt plays his most complex Coben character yet: a father, Simon Green, who’ll do anything to find his missing daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange). He spends the entire series like a coiled spring, often boiling over into explosive anger, as he ventures deeper into the crime and cultish underworld that has swept up his daughter. It’s twisty, brutal, and will absolutely leave you desperate to tune into the next episode through its well crafted cliffhangers — a trope that Coben series have become known for, from hidden identities, to complex family dramas, to big clues.
Run Away is a solid and completely entertaining series. You’ll have a lot of fun and thrills — and you’ll definitely get that adrenaline rush — but after the credits roll, you’ll almost certainly move on quickly and forget about it as it fades into the ever-growing library of Harlan Coben adaptations.
The Woods
A Polish series, The Woods, is unique in its structure. The 6-part series is split between two time periods: 1994 in the summer woodland camp, and Fall 2019. In both periods, we follow Paweł Kopiński. In his younger days, he was a camp chaperone alongside his camper sister, and when he’s older, he’s a widowed father and prosecutor in Warsaw.
When a body is found, surrounded by newspaper clippings about Paweł, he naturally becomes entangled in the case. And as he investigates the murder, he learns that his estranged sister, Kamila (Martyna Byczkowska), who’s been missing for 25 years, may be alive.
This twisty drama will keep you guessing throughout. While The Woods was intended as a limited series, it surprisingly wrapped up with quite a few unresolved plot lines. If any Harlan Coben limited series could benefit from another season, it’s this one.
The Stranger
Richard Armitage has appeared in quite a few Harlan Coben adaptations, but The Stranger is his most significant role. He plays Adam Price, a family man, who’s approached by a mysterious woman who informs him that his wife Corinne (Dervla Kirwan) may have faked her miscarriages. This leads him to question everything… and when he approaches his wife about the situation, she goes missing.
In terms of pure entertainment and thrill, The Stranger is right up there with the best Coben series on Netflix. It’s totally gripping from the first scene, and it’ll keep you hooked with unforgettable cliffhangers. You’ll care about these characters. Sure, it may feel a little far-fetched at times, but that’s all part of the fun, right?
Stay Close
In 2021, Netflix perfected the process of crafting a Harlan Coben crime thriller. Of course, there was The Innocent in the same year (which we’ll get to soon enough), but Stay Close is another top example of a brilliantly binge-worthy, tightly-plotted series.
Stay Close boasts a pretty spectacular cast, including Sarah Parish, Richard Armitage, Cush Jumbo, and James Nesbitt. The four play very different personalities: a nightclub owner, sordid photographer, a family woman, and a detective. Each of them harbours a dark secret from their pasts. While initially unconnected, a mysterious disappearance ties them together.
Of all the Harlan Coben shows on Netflix, Stay Close was praised for its character-driven narrative, tied together by outstanding performances from the main cast. This culminates in a very solid score on review sites; it holds 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Innocent
There’s no surprises here. The Innocent (2021) is widely regarded as the best adaptation to come out of the Netflix and Harlan Coben deal, and for good reason. In terms of raw ratings, look no further than its perfect 100% Average Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.
8-episode Spanish series The Innocent follows Mateo Vidal (Mario Casas), who tries to forge a new life with wife, Olivia (Aura Garrido), and leave the past behind after serving an almost 10-year prison sentence for accidentally killing a man in a fight. However, as he attempts a fresh start, it all comes crumbling down when a mysterious phone call brings back past dangers, plunging back into a world he so desperately wanted to leave behind.
With its fast-paced plot, chock-full of plot twists, The Innocent keeps you engaged from minute one and refuses to let go. It’s Harlan Coben at his very best.
Safe
A worthy number one here. Safe (2018) may be one of the oldest on this list, but there’s a reason why there have been so many adaptations; it all began with this. Many regard it as the finest Coben adaptation ever; it’s perfectly paced, convincing, and expertly acted.
The 8-part limited series stars Dexter’s Michael C. Hall as Tom Delaney, a widower and father of two. His world is turned upside down when one of his daughters, Jenny (Amy James-Kelly), and her boyfriend go missing.
As he attempts to track them down, enlisting the expertise of his police detective girlfriend Sophie (Amanda Abbington), he uncovers dark secrets about the community of the small, gated British town they live in… and learns that not everyone is who they appear to be.
What’s your favourite Harlan Coben series on Netflix? Tell us in the comments down below!
