Missing You Is the latest release in Harlan Coben’s series of mystery adaptations on Netflix. This series is no different to the rest of Coben’s work, filled to the brim with hallmarks of his novels; Unexpected twists, cliffhangers, and dramatic romance. Missing You the series however differs from its original novel adaptation, taking place in Manchester, as opposed to the original New York. Thus, the series is filled with many known English actors, such as Lenny Henry, Steve Pemberton, and Richard Armitage, a repeated figure in Coben’s adaptations.
The series stars Rosalind Eleazar as Kat Donavon, a detective jaded by the love of her life, Josh, who disappeared without a trace 11 years prior. Eleazar’s performance is aided by those of her two best friends Aqua, portrayed by Mary Malone, and Stacey, acted by Jessica Plummer.
As the series continues the complex plot unravels, revealing a large-scale fraud and human trafficking scheme taking place, a surprisingly dark turn in what started as a mysterious yet light-hearted plot. This development is a classic trope in many of Coben’s series. In other Coben series, such as The Stranger, or Stay Close, we repeatedly see the protagonists be revealed to have many hidden secrets, that are deeply entangled with a gory plot twist. This is no different, Missing You, as we watch the protagonist’s boss, best friends, and ex-partner intertwined in a web of secrets that reveals the series’s true mystery: her father’s tragic death.
As the series continues the complex plot unravels, revealing a large-scale fraud and human trafficking scheme taking place, a surprisingly dark turn in what started as a mysterious yet light-hearted plot.
Coben’s series feels much like many other mystery series I have watched, a maverick detective who doesn’t follow the rules, and their sidekicks who seem to have no depth or life of their own, beyond aiding the protagonist. Whilst I found this lack of depth limiting, it didn’t stop me from enjoying this series. Missing You was released on New Year’s Day, the ideal time for binge-watching comfortable TV that entertains viewers without challenging them
