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The new British Netflix adaptation of another Harlan Coben novel,Missing You, is elevated by a strong, layered backstory and excellent performance fromSlow Horses’sRosalind Eleazar. That’s not to say the series is a hard-hitting drama, but the series version of a beach read that is meant to be a crime mystery that is light and entertaining rather than something gritty.
Yet,Missing Youoffers more for its audience than your typical streaming popcorn fare. The series, particularly in how director Nimer Rashed (Fool Me Once) and writer Victoria Asare-Archer (Stay Close) explore abandonment and turn it into something humanly fragile, can be simultaneously riveting and unexpectedly moving.
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Netflix’sMissing YouReview and Synopsis
The story follows Detective Inspector Kat Donovan (Eleazar), who is far more successful in her professional life than her personal one. That’s because her fiancé, Josh (Top Boy’sAshley Walters), went missing over a decade ago and was never found. However, everything turns wicked when she finds his picture on a dating app under the username “songprince8.”
Then there is the case of a teenager’s missing mother, Dana, last seen at an ATM nowhere near the airport where she was supposed to be headed. This case may be connected to Josh’s disappearance. All of this begins to pile up for Kat, who keeps having flashbacks of Josh and the unresolved murder of her father (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘sLenny Henry).
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Missing Youis an Engrossing and Unexpectedly Poignant Mystery
However, now serial killer Monte Leburne (Marc Warren), who is dying of cancer, claims he was paid to take the fall. To make matters worse, her boss (Richard Armitage), colleagues, and even her family and friends seem to know more about her haunting past and are hiding it from her. As Kat continues to investigate, the detective uncovers a web of lies that has spun out of control.
And that is whereNetflix’sMissing Yougets its juice. This could have been your standard dark thriller with horror undertones that would be too ominous for its own good. However, the flashbacks with Eleazar’s Donovan are poignant, even moving, and bring a deeply felt layer of vulnerability—not just to the character but to the story as a whole.
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Is Netflix’sMissing YouWorth Watching?
Missing Youbegins to build suspense by slowly unveiling interesting plot turns for almost every subplot by the end of each episode. The series is old-fashioned, in a sense, hitting that sweet spot to keep the viewer interested. While at the same time making it hard for the audience to leave their couch, making for preferable mystery binge-television for fans of the genre.
I would argue that, like most Coben adaptations, the series relies too heavily on twists to keep the audience involved. Of course, the series is uneven, with the main villains thinly veiling their “grand” scheme with an eye-rolling, plain-sight beard that is far from believable. Yet it’s Eleazar’s performance and how the flashbacks tie together that make the series an engrossing binge for fans of the genre.
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All five episodes of Missing You were screened for this review. You can stream this series only on Netflix on January 1!
Missing You Review — An Engrossing and Sometimes Poignant Netflix Harlan Coben Adaptation!
M.N. Miller
Film & Television Critic
Articles Published :336
M.N. Miller is a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Mansfield University and a Master’s from Chamberlain University. However, he still puts on his pants one leg at a time, and that’s when he usually stumbles over. When not writing about film or television, he patiently waits for the next Pearl Jam album and chooses to pass the time by scratching his wife’s back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. M.N. Miller was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs but chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find his work on Hidden Remote, InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Geek Vibes Nation, and Nerd Alert.
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