Harlan Coben's New 2025 Thriller Series Becomes Netflix Global Hit One Year After Fool Me Once

Harlan Coben's brand-new 2025 Netflix thriller has found itself at the top of the streaming platform's global charts. The American author is one of the most successful mystery-thriller writers in the world, having written more than 30 novels that have collectively sold more than 60 million copies worldwide. 12 of Coben's novels have been adapted for the screen, including The Five, which aired on Sky 1 in the UK, and the one-season hit Shelter, which aired on Prime Video. Coben's stories are known for their mix of interpersonal drama with thriller elements.

Back in 2018, Coben signed a multi-million-dollar, five-year deal with Netflix, under which 14 of his novels would be adapted for the streaming platform across different territories and languages. His debut Netflix show was Michael C. Hall's mystery thriller Safe in May 2018. The psychological thriller series featured the story of a widower father whose daughter goes missing, leading him to discover dark truths. There have been several more successes as well, including Stay Close, The Stranger, and 2024's global smash-hit Fool Me Once. However, the success of these shows could be eclipsed by the most recent Coben adaptation.

Missing You Hits The Summit Of The Global Netflix Charts

The Mystery Thriller Has Viewers On The Edge Of Their Seats

Written by Victoria Asare-Archer and directed by Nimer Rashed and Isher Sahota, Missing You was released globally on Netflix on January 1. The show follows Detective Kat Donovan, played by Rosalind Eleazar, who sets out to find her missing fiancé after matching with him on a dating app more than a decade after his disappearance. Coben serves as an executive producer on the show alongside British director Danny Brocklehurst, who has worked on five Coben adaptations. In addition to Eleazar, Missing You features a leading cast including Ashley Walters, Mary Malone, Jessica Plummer, Richard Armitage, and Catherine Ayers.

Missing You contains many of the classic Coben hallmarks: an unresolved mystery, misinterpreted events, grisly murders, and a multitude of plot twists.

According to Netflix's TUDUM, Missing You is ranked #1 on the Global Top 10 Shows list for the week of December 30 - January 5, with 21.7 million views and 81.7 million hours viewed. It beat out other titles including Virgin River season 6 at #2; Black Doves at #3; Departure season 1 at #4; The Madness at #5; Your Friend, Nate Bargatze at #6; No Good Deed at #7; Torching 2024 at #8; The Night Agent season 1 at #9; and Departure season 2 at #10. How long the show can remain in pole position is unclear at this point, but it has certainly enjoyed a strong debut week on Netflix. It ranked within the Top 10 for 89 countries, landing at #1 in two (the UK and Ireland).

Why Is Missing You So Successful?

The Series Is Not Getting Good Reviews

Rosalind Eleazar looking shocked in Missing You episode 1

In some ways, Missing You's success is not surprising, as it comes at a time when the thriller genre has been extremely popular. Though the latest Coben series was the top English-language show on Netflix, Squid Game still had over double its views in the non-English-language content ranking. The K-drama's second season brought in 58.2 million views over that timespan, with its first season bringing in 13.6 million. Black Doves is also a series with thriller and mystery elements, showing that this is something audiences are hungry for at this time. This genre preference is likely helping Missing You succeed.

On the other hand, its success is surprising if one looks at reviews. The series is considered Rotten by both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Its Tomatometer is a mixed bag, with a 52% score among 21 critics. Critics threw digs at the series for being predictable and sloppily woven together, lacking the tightness that a proper mystery series should have. Audiences seemed to respond to the show even more negatively, giving it a mere 28% approval rating.

Given these low approval ratings, it's impressive that Missing You is still doing so well in ratings terms. However, the real test will be in the coming weeks, as it would be surprising to see the show sustain this level of engagement if it's really as poorly received as the RT scores would indicate.

Our Take On Missing You's Netflix Future

The Central Mystery Could Hook Viewers For Long-Term Success

Missing You's Netflix success, in spite of its lackluster reviews, is a testament to the allure of Coben's name. As a bestselling author, his shows have a built-in audience, attracting those who have read the books and are looking to see how they were adapted. When this interested group is tacked onto the average Netflix viewer who might be interested in the mystery/thriller genre in the first place, these series have the potential to bring in hoards of views. If even the poorly received adaptations hit, Netflix will surely look to keep making Coben projects, potentially beyond the existing contract.

Missing You contains many of the classic Coben hallmarks: an unresolved mystery, misinterpreted events, grisly murders, and a multitude of plot twists. This has no doubt helped it attract viewer attention and will sustain its audience in the coming weeks. The central mystery is interesting, the side stories are strong, and the show is buoyed by a strong lead and likable supporting characters. Starting the New Year off with a compelling mystery is appealing to a lot of viewers. However, whether Missing You will rank better than the previous eight Netflix Coben TV adaptations remains to be seen.

Source: Netflix Tudum