As the calendar turned to 2026, Netflix wasted no time dropping what’s already become a global sensation: Run Away, the latest television adaptation from the prolific mind of Harlan Coben. Released on January 1, 2026, the series stars James Nesbitt, Ruth Jones, and Minnie Driver, and has quickly captured audiences in the US, UK, and beyond. According to Manchester Evening News and other outlets, it’s the second-biggest Netflix show worldwide to kick off the year—trailing only behind juggernauts like Stranger Things.
For those unfamiliar, Harlan Coben is no stranger to the bestseller lists. With more than 35 novels under his belt and a nine-year, 14-book adaptation deal with Netflix (as reported by The Guardian), Coben’s signature blend of twisty suburban mysteries and deeply flawed protagonists has become a staple of streaming television. His daughter even contributes as a scriptwriter for many of these adaptations, adding a familial touch to the scripts’ sometimes outlandish plots.
Run Away is based on Coben’s 2019 novel of the same name and centers on Simon Greene, played by Nesbitt, who embarks on a frantic search for his runaway daughter after she disappears amidst a struggle with substance abuse. The show’s premise—missing children, mounting bodies, and family secrets threatening to unravel everything—might sound familiar to fans of Coben’s previous work, but critics note that Run Away manages to carve out its own unique space in the genre. As Manchester Evening News put it, the show is “classic Coben fare, televisual comfort food of the highest order: think missing daughters, private investigators, and more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at.”
Rounding out the cast are Minnie Driver, Alfred Enoch, Ellie de Lange, Jon Pointing, Amy Gledhill, and Maeve Courtier-Lilley. The show’s reception has been strong, with an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes, beating out recent hits like Missing You and Fool Me Once. “A desperate father searching for his runaway daughter gets caught up in a murder case and stumbles upon secrets that could destroy his family for good,” reads the official synopsis, and viewers have been hooked by the series’ relentless pacing and unpredictable narrative.
But Run Away is just the latest in a long line of Coben adaptations that have become synonymous with Netflix’s winter programming. The streaming giant has made it a tradition to either end or start the year with a new Coben mystery, and the appetite for these shows remains insatiable. According to Everything Gossip, there are currently ten Coben adaptations available on Netflix UK, with more on the way as part of the ongoing deal.
Among the most notable of these adaptations is Fool Me Once, which premiered on January 1, 2024, and quickly became the most-watched of all Coben’s shows, racking up over 100 million views globally. Starring Michelle Keegan as Maya—a former fighter pilot whose supposedly dead husband appears on her nanny cam—the series is a rollercoaster of murder, deception, and family intrigue. Joanna Lumley delivers a standout performance as the matriarch of a shady pharmaceutical empire, and Richard Armitage, a recurring face in Coben’s universe, rounds out the cast. Despite its popularity, Fool Me Once sits at a modest 46% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, though critics have been more forgiving with a 72% rating.
Another fan favorite is Stay Close, which premiered in December 2021 and boasts a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score. The series follows Megan (Cush Jumbo), a suburban mom with a secret past that comes back to haunt her, and features another twist-filled narrative that’s become Coben’s trademark. “There are some ridiculous storylines in this one, but it features the most satisfying conclusion and twist of Coben’s shows,” notes Manchester Evening News.
Then there’s The Stranger, which some critics consider the best of the bunch. Premiering in 2020, the series stars Richard Armitage as Adam Price, a man whose life is upended when a mysterious woman reveals secrets about his wife. The show’s impact was significant; according to Manchester Evening News, had The Stranger not landed as well as it did, the pipeline of Coben adaptations might have dried up. Instead, it solidified Coben’s relationship with Netflix and paved the way for more adaptations.
Other entries, like Safe (starring Michael C. Hall as a widowed surgeon whose daughter goes missing), Gone For Good (a French-language thriller), and Hold Tight (set in Poland), showcase the international scope of Coben’s work. These shows are not without their detractors—The Guardian describes them as “high camp, silly alternative to the pompous prestige TV we’ve grown accustomed to in recent years”—but even critics admit to having a soft spot for their melodramatic charm.
Perhaps the most critically acclaimed of all is The Innocent, a Spanish-language adaptation that holds a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The series follows a man whose life is turned upside down by an accidental killing, only to be dragged back into a nightmare by a single phone call just as he finds love and freedom.
Despite the sometimes “ludicrous twist-packed affairs” and the recurring theme of inept police investigations in English suburbia, as The Guardian cheekily observes, the adaptations have found a loyal and growing audience. The combination of Coben’s knack for suspense and Netflix’s global reach has turned these series into a winter ritual for many viewers—something to binge on cold, dark evenings when escapism is the order of the day.
With more adaptations in the pipeline and no sign of slowing down, the Harlan Coben-Netflix partnership continues to redefine the modern mystery series. Whether you’re drawn to the high drama, the labyrinthine plots, or just the comfort of knowing there’s always another twist around the corner, there’s never been a better time to dive into the Coben cinematic universe. And if Run Away is any indication, the best may be yet to come.
