The adapted works of best-selling author Harlan Coben have become a staple on Netflix, and with another series coming to the platform this June, there’s a lot to watch. Coben, one of the most popular authors of crime drama in the modern era, has become a household name since his debut novel in 1990. After years of success in writing mystery thrillers that push the boundaries, Coben’s work has become a wealth of source material for TV adaptation, especially since the advent of the modern miniseries. With Netflix having become the home for Coben’s adaptations, they’re easily accessible for viewers.
Following his first adaptation in 2018, Coben signed a deal with Netflix that has been extended multiple times, with the streaming platform promising to adapt 14 of his novels in the original contract. Under the deal, Coben is set to be an executive producer on all of the adaptations, and in the years since, Netflix has kept up their end of the bargain, adapting 11 of the novels thus far, and bringing another to the screen this June. Having found great success in building miniseries of Coben’s intricate plots, Netflix has a goldmine of work from the exciting mystery author.
13
Safe
The first Coben adaptation on Netflix, Safe was released in 2018 and follows Tom Delaney (Michael C. Hall) as begins to uncover a web of secrets and lies when his daughter goes missing. As Tom and his daughters grieve the loss of his wife, their connection becomes even further detached when one goes missing, and his life spirals into unforeseen chaos. The series also stars Amanda Abbington, Marc Warren, and Amy James-Kelly, along with a massive ensemble that brings the story more thoroughly to life.
12
The Stranger
Adapted from the 2015 Coben novel of the same name, The Stranger was released on Netflix in 2020. The story follows Adam Price (Richard Armitage) after he meets a stranger, a woman in a baseball cap (Hannah John-Kamen) who tells him and other secrets about their families that they weren’t privy to, his life begins to unravel. The Stranger is full of high-intensity twists and turns, even moreso when Adam’s wife, Corinne (Dervla Kirwan) disappears and things begin to become even more dire.
11
The Woods
A Polish series that adapts the Coben novel from 2007 of the same name, The Woods unfolds in two separate timelines. In 2019, a Warsaw lawyer Paweł Kopiński (Grzegorz Damięcki) is asked to identify the body of a murder victim who was found with newspaper clippings about Kpoinski on him by the medical examiner. The murder appears connected to another case that Pawel was at the center of in 1994, taking the story back to a ‘90s summer camp where Pawel’s sister, Kamila, disappeared. The twisted story is an exciting, intense rush.
- Release Date
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2020 – 2020-00-00
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Grzegorz Damiecki
Pawel Kopinski
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Agnieszka Grochowska
LAura Goldsztajn
10
The Innocent
The Innocent, which was released in 2021, adapts the Coben novel from 2005 of the same name. A Spanish-language series, Mario Casas stars as Mateo “Matt” Vidal, a man who starts his life over nearly a decade after accidentally killing a man. When Matt and his wife, Olivia (Aura Garrido), get pulled into a whole new mystery that opens old wounds once again, they have no choice but to find out what’s a the root of their issues. The series also stars Alexandra Jimenez and Jose Coronado.
9
Gone For Good
A French series based on the 2002 novel of the same name, Gone For Good follows a mystery over a decade in the making. Starring Finnegan Oldfield, the series follows Guillaume Lucchesi as he deals with a mystery after his girlfriend goes missing ten years after the loss of two loved ones. The series also stars Nicolas Duvauchelle, Guillaume Gouix, and Garance Marillier. The series is in French, but has English subtitles and dubbing available for ease of viewing.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2021-00-00
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Finnegan Oldfield
Guillaume Lucchesi
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Nicolas Duvauchelle
Frédéric Lucchesi
8
Stay Close
Coben’s Stay Close, based on the 2012 novel of the same name, is a British series that follows Megan Pierce (Cush Jumbo), a suburban mom who’s hiding a difficult past in her new relationship. The series follows as she, Ray Levine (Richard Armitage), and DS Michael Broome (James Nesbitt) all come into close quarters following a difficult cold case that Broome is hoping to finally resolve. The reveals a difficult past and a road forward, with a lot of drama in the in-between.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2021-00-00
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James Nesbitt
DS Michael Broome
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Richard Armitage
Ray Levine
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Sarah Parish
Lorraine Griggs
7
Hold Tight
Coben’s Hold Tight is a Polish series with dubbing and subtitles for ease of access. Released in 2022, the series follows affluent families as they search for a missing 18-year-old after another teen’s death. The series, based in Warsaw, features stars like Magdalena Boczarska and Leszek Lichota in the leading roles. Adapted from Coben’s 2008 novel, Hold Tight has a heart-racing finale that leaves its viewers shocked, surprised, and gathering their thoughts about what just happened.
- Release Date
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2022 – 2022-00-00
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Magdalena Boczarska
Anna Barczyk
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Leszek Lichota
Michael Barczyk
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Grzegorz Damiecki
Pawel Kopinski
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Bill Rogers
Kaja Kopinska
6
Fool Me Once
Pulling from Coben’s 2016 novel of the same name, Fool Me Once follows Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan), a former pilot in the military who’s having a tough time after the murder of her husband, Joe (Richard Armitage). When Maya installs a nanny cam in her young daughter’s room, she’s shocked to find who she believes to be her husband on the camera when she reviews the footage. Unraveling a web of secrets that involve her larger family and Joe’s wealthy relatives, Maya has to investigate a conspiracy theory to come to conclusions about her ordeal.
- Release Date
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2024 – 2024-00-00
- Showrunner
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Danny Brocklehurst
- Directors
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David Moore, Nimer Rashed
5
Missing You
Missing You, which pulls from a 2014 Coben novel of the same name, stars Rosalind Elezar as Detective Inspector Kat Donovan. The story focuses on Donovan as she discovers who she believes to be her “missing” fiancé on a dating app after ten years of searching for him. The story follows her through a tireless search to understand whether or not she’s been duped for the last decade. The adaptation also stars Richard Armitage, Jessica Plummer, James Nesbitt, and an exciting ensemble of other performers.
- Release Date
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2025 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Sean Spencer
- Writers
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Victoria Asare=Archer
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Rosalind Eleazar
Kat Donovan
4
Just One Look
Just One Look, a Coben adaptation that was produced in Poland but includes English subtitles and dubbing, was released in 2025. Based on the 2004 novel, the adaptation sees Polish stars Maria Dębska, Cezary Łukaszewicz, Piotr Stramowski, and Mirosław Zbrojewicz taking on the major roles in the series. This adaptations sees Dębska as Greta Rembiewska, a jewellery designer who discovers her husband is missing. During her investigation, she receives a photo of her husband and many people she doesn’t recognize, which sends her into a new element of her search.
- Release Date
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March 5, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Marek Lechki
Cast
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Cezary Łukaszewicz
Uncredited
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