How Harlan Coben became the king of potboiler TV | Television

Netflix’s top 10 English language shows list chart it’s starting to look like a thing of the past. It continues on Wednesday, which is four years old, and includes dusty classics including Stranger Things season four (four years), Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (four years), The Queen’s Gambit (six years), and Bridgerton season one (six years).

But wait. Before writing off Netflix as a platform after half a decade, a new entry he has entered the top every time 10 to fix things. The show is I Will Find You, the latest from Harlan Coben’s glittering ovipositor. If you’re a fan of Coben’s work – and we’ll get into his time – then I’ll Find You will be instantly recognizable, as it contains a wealth of information about the author.

Is it so confusing that your brain needs a few minutes to get used to it? Yes. Is this a title that seems to have been chosen at random from a lottery barrel filled with the world’s most imprecise words? Absolutely. Do you feel like you’re watching your TV on purpose? Netflix put ITV3 on to see if you’re listening? Oh heaven yes. But it’s so popular that you’re worried you’re the only person alive who doesn’t enjoy it? The numbers speak for themselves.

Working, there is not much separation I will find you from the other 12 Netflix Coben series, such as Hold tight or Fool me once or Stay close or Run away or Miss you (or any of the shows he made with other platforms, such as Sky’s The Five or Prime’s Harlan Coben’s Shelter). And, of course, all of these were very popular. While the latest show leads the way with 101.9m views worldwide, 2024’s Fool Me Once got 98.2m, with 2025’s Missing You and this year’s Run Away both getting more than 50m views.

This is not surprising, because Coben is a very successful author, who has sold more than 90m books in his 30-year career. However, what may be more surprising is that almost no one says he likes him. Compare his career to that of George RR Martin, or Lee Child, or Anne Rice in her lifetime – writers who inspire strong, vociferous support among their fans – and you’ll see the difference.

That might be Coben’s appeal, actually. Instead of becoming a human being, he continues the mission without risk, and is rewarded with wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But this will not change the opinion that people consume his shows without liking them at all.

Part of this, I believe, is due to his shift, which seems to focus on any player who isn’t at any given time. I found you is the best story. It stars Britt Lower, the genius of Severance, who until recently has been directing oddball roles in a career that has gone on to confuse viewers. But here he is, playing a flat plot device the kind of show that feels like it was made to be the fourth thing you watch on a long trip.

The scale of Netflix’s changes has made Coben very rich – in 2018 he signed a multi-million dollar deal to see his 14 books being made into documentaries – but he can’t write fast enough to keep up with the changes he’s making. He still has other unedited books in the tank, such as Play Dead and Miracle Cure and Gone Before Goodbye last year (although since the last one was written by Reese Witherspoon, it should be a matter of time). However, all this may change with the story of Myron Bolitar’s adaptation of his books he just started painting.

This is probably the lodestar. Despite having a name that sounds like someone choking on a fish, Myron Bolitar is Coben’s most beloved character. A hot-headed basketball player who finds himself investigating murders on the side, Bolitar has been the subject of 12 books (along with a few adult books about Myron’s nephew Mickey), and is essentially Coben’s Jack Reacher.

If Bolitar arrives with anything like the influence of I Will Find You , his recurring base and cast (including Colin Woodell from Pulse, Chloe Fineman from Saturday Night Live and Griffin Dunne being Griffin Dunne) will probably help it grow in a few years. In other words, don’t be surprised if it becomes Harlan Coben’s biggest hit just yet. Don’t be surprised if you can’t find anyone who will agree to love you.