January 1st, 2024 marked the first day of the new year – but it also was the day that Netflix dropped one of their first new series of the year, Fool Me Once. The 8-episode mystery miniseries is based on Harlan Coben’s novel of the same title, which is part of the author’s five-year deal with Netflix. Fool Me Once marks Netflix’s 8th series based on a Coben novel. In Fool Me Once, an ex-soldier (Michelle Keegan) sees her murdered husband (Richard Armitage) on a secret nanny cam leading her to uncover a deadly conspiracy. We won’t spoil anything for those who haven’t yet watched, but it is filled with tons of twists and turns leading the viewer to come up with several theories. If you’re looking for more shows like Fool Me Once to check out next after binging all the episodes, here are 10 recommendations – with some based on Harlan Coben’s work as well.
Black Butterflies/Les papillons noirs (2022 miniseries)
Cast: Nicolas Duvauchelle, Niels Arestrup, Axel Granberger, Alyzée Costes, Alice Belaïdi, Brigitte Catillon
Synopsis: “Low on inspiration for his second book, a gloomy novelist agrees to write a memoir for a dying man — and swiftly becomes part of his bloodstained past.”
Where to watch: Netflix
The Chestnut Man/Kastanjemanden (2021 miniseries)
Cast: Danica Curcic, David Dencik, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Iben Dorner, Lars Ranthe, Esben Dalgaard Anderssen, Liva Forsberg, Louis Næss-Schmidt, Ali Kazim
Synopsis: “At a grisly murder scene sits a figurine made of chestnuts. From this creepy clue, two detectives hunt a killer linked to a politician’s missing child.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Chloe (2022 miniseries)
Cast: Erin Doherty, Billy Howle, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Jack Farthing, Poppy Gilbert, Brandon Micheal Hall, Akshay Khanna, Lisa Palfrey, Scott Rose-Marsh, Scott Rose-Marsh
Synopsis: “Becky’s lonely life is nothing like Chloe’s charmed one. One-time teenage friends, she now only watches Chloe through social media. When Chloe dies suddenly, Becky assumes a new identity and infiltrates the lives of Chloe’s friends to find out why. As Sasha, she discovers the conflicting faces of Chloe, but is increasingly lost in her lies. Will she uncover the truth before she loses herself?”
Where to watch: Prime Video
Harlan Coben’s Shelter (2023)
Cast: Jaden Michael, Adrian Greensmith, Constance Zimmer, Abby Corrigan, Sage Linde, Brian Altemus
Synopsis: “Follows the story of teenage Mickey Bolitar and his newfound friends as they attempt to uncover the mystery behind a slew of disappearances in their home town.”
Where to watch: Prime Video
The Innocent/El inocente (2021 miniseries)
Cast: Mario Casas, Alexandra Jiménez, Aura Garrido, José Coronado, Martina Gusmán, Miki Esparbé, Juana Acosta, Gonzalo de Castro, Ana Wagener
Synopsis: “An accidental killing leads a man down a dark hole of intrigue and murder. Just as he finds love and freedom, one phone call brings back the nightmare.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Inside Man (2022 miniseries)
Cast: David Tennant, Dolly Wells, Stanley Tucci, Lydia West, Lyndsey Marshal, Louis Oliver, Atkins Estimond, Dylan Baker
Synopsis: “An American death row prisoner with a sideline in solving mysteries helps a young British journalist search for a friend who’s suddenly disappeared.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Safe (2018 miniseries)
Cast: Michael C. Hall, Amanda Abbington, Marc Warren, Audrey Fleurot, Hannah Arterton, Nigel Lindsay, Laila Rouass, Joplin Sibtain, Emmett J. Scanlan, LHero Fiennes Tiffin, Amy James-Kelly, Freddie Thorp, Louis Greatorex
Synopsis: “After his teenage daughter goes missing, a widowed surgeon in an affluent neighborhood begins unearthing dark secrets about the people closest to him.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Stay Close (2021 miniseries)
Cast: Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt, Richard Armitage, Sarah Parish, Jo Joyner, Daniel Francis, Youssef Kerkour, Bethany Antonia, Alibe Parsons, Poppy Gilbert
Synopsis: “When Carlton Flynn vanishes 17 years to the night after Stewart Green did, it sets off a chain reaction in the lives of people connected to both men.”
Where to watch: Netflix
The Stranger (2020 miniseries)
Cast: Richard Armitage, Siobhan Finneran, Jennifer Saunders, Shaun Dooley, Paul Kaye, Dervla Kirwan, Kadiff Kirwan, Jacob Dudman, Ella-Rae Smith
Synopsis: “When a stranger makes a shocking claim about his wife, family man Adam Price becomes entangled in a mystery as he desperately searches for answers.”
Where to watch: Netflix
The Woods/W głębi lasu (2020 miniseries)
Cast: Grzegorz Damięcki, Agnieszka Grochowska, Hubert Miłkowski, Wiktoria Filus, Jacek Koman, Ewa Skibińska, Magdalena Czerwińska, Adam Ferency, Przemysław Bluszcz, Dorota Kolak, Izabela Dąbrowska
Synopsis: “Evidence found on the body of a homicide victim sparks hope in a prosecutor that his sister who disappeared 25 years earlier could still be alive.”
Where to watch: Netflix
_