9 Harlen Coben shows, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes ratings
Ranking the TV shows based on Harlen Coben's mysteries and thrillers
Harlen Coben has published countless bestsellers, selling over 80 million copies worldwide. In 2018, he began a partnership with Netflix to turn 14 of his books into TV series. "Fool Me Once" is the most recent of these, based on a 2016 novel of the same name, and there are more to come, with "Missing You" set to be released sometime in 2025. He remains involved in every series in some capacity through his production company, Final Twist Productions, and he has even served as an executive producer for some.
You aren't alone if you can't get enough of Coben's books and the accompanying shows. At one point, "Fool Me Once" was the No. 1 show on Netflix. His shows have become a staple for anyone who enjoys watching mysteries and thrillers. We've identified every Harlen Coben show you can stream right now, ranked by their Rotten Tomato score (as of writing).
9. 'Gone Good'
Kicking off the list in last place is "Gone Good," which has a 34$ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Guillaume Lucchesi stars as Finnegan Oldfield, a thirtysomething man in Nice, France who lost the people closest to him during his youth: his brother and a former girlfriend. His most pressing concern, though, is that it's the day of his mother's funeral. His girlfriend joins him until she is called off on a case. She doesn't leave until Finnegan asks her to marry him, and she replies that she will always love him. Yet, when he returns home, all of her stuff is gone.
Finnegan goes on a mission to find out what happened to his fiance and brother. You can also expect a lot of flashbacks to the past that eventually connect to the present day. As you would expect, many of the characters have secrets they are hiding, only to be revealed as Finnegan investigates.
Watch on Netflix
8. 'Hold Tight'
Next up is this Polish-based adaptation of a Coben novel of the same name. It has a humble 39% Rotten Tomatoes rating, but that doesn't mean there isn't something to appreciate. Anna and Michal are a happy couple whose son goes missing not too long after his friend, Anna, dies. This sends the entire affluent community into a spiral of doing what they can to protect their own child. As with many of the Coben series, many lies and secrets are exposed in their seemingly perfect little world.
While it can stand alone, this series is a (sort of) sequel to "The Woods," with Grzegorz Damiecki playing his character Pawel Kopinski along with several others from his life in that series returning as well. "Hold Tight" didn't resonate with fans as well as "The Woods," but it does have the typical Coben touch that die-hards are sure to like.
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Watch on Netflix
7. 'Fool Me Once'
While it may not have had the highest Rotten Tomatoes rating (only 69%), "Fool Me Once" is the seventh most-viewed Netflix series of all time. Michelle Keegan stars as Maya Stern, who is grieving the loss of her husband. She installs a nanny cam to keep an eye on her daughter and realizes she spots someone familiar in the footage: her husband, Joe. Meanwhile, Maya's niece and nephew are trying to find out the truth about their mother's murder.
As you'd expect after watching several Coben series, you can safely assume the two are connected. The question is, of course, how? Plenty of red herrings are sprinkled throughout, and some characters have surprising skill sets, such as Keegan's ability to take down men twice her size. However, despite a few holes here and there, if you love a good Coben-based show, you will probably find much to enjoy about this one.
Watch on Netflix
6. 'Safe'
We are treated to the acting of Michael C. Hall in the series "Safe" (71% on Rotten Tomatoes). He plays Tom Delaney, a widowed father whose teen daughter, Jenny (Amy James-Kelly), goes missing. Her boyfriend, Chris (Freddie Thorp), is also gone. He soon finds out she was last seen leaving a party, and one by one, Tom finds out each of his neighbors in the gated community is connected to the case.
What you will have to overlook in the series is Hall's British accent. If you happen to love him in "Dexter" or "Six Feet Under," this may be incredibly distracting. Other than that, this is a captivating mini-series that will hold your attention throughout. Much like Coben's other shows, there are many plot twists that reveal secrets coming from the ones someone would figure they should be able to trust.
Watch on Netflix
5. 'The Stranger'
Imagine someone approaching you and saying that your spouse has a secret. Once you hear it, you can't unknow what you've just learned, changing everything you thought about your own life. That's the premise behind the series "The Stranger," which has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In a bar, a strange woman (Hannah John-Kamen) tells Adam Price (Richard Armitage) that his wife, Corrine (Dervla Kirwan), is hiding something. Later, he finds proof and is ready to confront his wife. Except she never comes home.
Yet, that's not the only secret being revealed by the stranger in this series. She manages to upend almost everyone's life in the small town. Coinciding that are detectives investigating the death of a young boy found in the woods after a party along with a decapitated alpaca. You'll just have to watch the show to discover how they are connected.
Watch on Netflix
4. 'Shelter'
If you love supernatural young adult shows, you'll want to check out "Shelter," which has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 88%. It focuses on high school junior Mickey Bolitar (Jaden Michael), who moves to Kasselton, New Jersey, four months after his father's death to live with his aunt, Shira (Constance Zimmer). He ends up becoming friends with Ashley Kent (Samantha Bugliaro), who also just moved to town. When she goes missing, he becomes embroiled in the case.
This show has many twists and turns and ranges from horror to drama to even a bit of romance. Unfortunately, "Shelter" concluded with a major cliffhanger and was not renewed for a second season. However, it does have a fanbase, as shown by a petition asking for another season, so here's hoping Netflix picks it up.
Watch on Prime Video
3. 'The Woods'
Next is another Polish miniseries, "The Woods," which has an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The series begins with prosecutor Pawel Kopiński (Grzegorz Damiecki), recounting how his life changed in the summer of 1994 when his sister, Kamila, and another boy went missing while at camp and two bodies were found dead the next night. She was never found. Twenty-five years later, he's called to identify a body and recognizes it as the boy who went missing with his sister.
The story of what happened that night and Pawel's continuing search for his sister so many years later unfolds in parallel timelines. "The Woods" didn't remain utterly faithful to the book as the setting changed to Warsaw, Poland. However, that minor point aside, this series will captivate you the moment you start episode one.
Watch on Netflix
2. 'Stay Close'
With a 92% Rotten Tomatoes rating, "Stay Close" is a British mystery series that you'll probably be able to binge in one sitting, if not over the course of the weekend. Based on the book of the same name, it tells the story of three people who are hiding dark secrets: Megan (Cush Jumbo) is a mother of three trying to keep her past job in the past, Ray (Richard Armitage) is a talented photographer stuck in a dead-end job, and Michael (James Nesbitt) is a detective still troubled by an unsolved case of a man that went missing years ago.
When another man goes missing 17 years to the day, Michael takes the case, which impacts the lives of all three characters. There are a lot of strange characters in this miniseries, all of whom you'll suspect at some point for being connected to the crime.
Watch on Netflix
1. 'The Innocent'
"The Innocent" tops the list of Harlan Coben shows with a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Part of Coben's deal was that he would create these series in various countries, as he told Variety in an interview. This one is a Spanish-language series directed by Oriol Paulo that focuses on Mateo (Mario Casas), who attempts to make a peacemaker in a bar fight, but it results in an accidental homicide.
Years later, he's trying to start his life over and rebuild his relationship with his wife, Olivia (Aura Garrido). When he receives a phone call that upends everything, it sends him on the path to find the truth. "The Innocent" will captivate you almost immediately. You get to see each character's perspective, which enhances the richness of the plot.
Watch on Netflix
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Nicole Pyles is a writer in Portland, Oregon. She loves movies, especially Lifetime movies, obscure TV movies, and disaster flicks. Her writing has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Mental Floss, WOW! Women on Writing, Ripley's Believe it or Not, and more. When she isn't watching movies, she's spending time with family, reading, and writing short stories. Say hi on Twitter @BeingTheWriter.
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Jeff_781_360 Wrong "The Stranger". That clip was from a movie about Australian criminals. The clip you want is for the miniseries about a man trying to find his missing wife in the UK. Two entirely different stories.Reply