Last year, Harlen Coben’s thrilling series Fool Me Once debuted on Netflix, rapidly becoming one of the platform’s most streamed shows. On Jan. 1, another Harlen Coben adaptation, Missing You was released.
Based on the titular 2014 novel, the series revolves around Detective Inspector Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleaza). Seeking love 11 years after she was abandoned by her fiancé, Josh (Ashley Walters), she joins a dating website and unexpectedly crosses paths with him again.
As Kat attempts to reconnect with Josh, she is approached by a young man, Brendan (Oscar Kennedy). Brendan reveals a disturbing mystery—his mother, Dana (Lisa Faulkner), vanished while on vacation shortly after meeting someone on the same dating platform Kat recently joined. Shockingly, the man Dana was last seen with is claimed to be Josh, Kat’s ex-fiancé.
Brendan’s concern over his mother’s disappearance grows when he discovers unusually large withdrawals of cash from her bank accounts as well as her continued silence.
Kat realizes that Josh’s identity is being used in a catfishing scheme without his knowledge. Through the dating app, victims are lured in, captured, imprisoned and forced to pay large sums of money before being brutally murdered.
Parallel to this case, Kat is attempting to solve the murder of her own father, a former cop, and through her reconnection with Josh, she learns of his unexpected connection to her father’s murder.
The show initially caught my attention due to its seemingly complex plot as well as Harlen Coben’s exceptional reputation in the thriller and mystery genre.
Unfortunately, my excitement quickly turned to disappointment as the show tangled itself into a mess of lackluster performances. What initially had the potential to be a decent series transformed itself into what seemed like a failed interpretation of Coben’s unique style.
The characters were painfully flat, underdeveloped and nearly impossible to connect with as their potential was hindered by dull performances and awful dialogue. The lines felt so unnatural and forced that, at times, I was convinced they were written by ChatGPT.
The most unsatisfying part of this series was the ending. As I reached the last episode, I was excited for a momentous crescendo that would finally weave together the two central storylines in a creative and unexpected way. To my disappointment, I was met with an uninspired conclusion that gave the impression the writers had finally given up.
Furthermore, the conflict was resolved in the most unimaginative way possible, leaving no room for the suspenseful cliffhanger that is so beloved by thrillers and mystery series. What could have been a multi-dimensional, captivating thriller was boiled down to a predictable conclusion, leaving me to immediately begin the search for a far more fulfilling mystery.
Overall, Missing You was a vast disappointment, serving as a weak beginning to 2025. It was a hollow and forgettable series, wasting potential and opportunity with each moment it continued to play. I would rate this series a 1.5/5, a far stretch from the rating Coben’s mysteries truly deserve.