Well, this is awkward. Netflix’s new thriller “Missing You” asks, what’s worse: your fiancé vanishing without a trace or popping up over a decade later on a dating app? The just-released trailer (see below) for the five-part limited series, adapted from Harlan Coben’s novel, seems determined to explore both scenarios with equal parts dread and intrigue.
Detective Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar), a specialist in missing persons, no less, thought she’d seen it all. But when her long-lost love reappears online after eleven years, Kat’s professional and personal lives collide in spectacularly messy fashion. So much for closure.
“Missing You” features a robust British cast, including Ashley Walters, Richard Armitage, the always-welcome Sir Lenny Henry, and James Nesbitt. The series relocates Coben’s story from the US to the UK, with the backdrop of Manchester and the North West of England adding a distinctly British chill to the proceedings. Given Coben’s penchant for suburban paranoia, the shift in locale feels like a natural fit.
This latest collaboration between Coben and Netflix continues a partnership that has yielded such twisty hits as “Fool Me Once,” “Stay Close,” and “The Stranger”. With over 80 million books sold worldwide, Coben clearly has a knack for crafting addictive mysteries that translate well to the screen.
While “Missing You” will likely hit familiar Coben beats—secrets, lies, and escalating stakes—the premise of a missing person returning via dating app offers a fresh, modern twist. Plus, let’s face it, anything involving a dating app in 2024 has a high probability of being a dumpster fire. It will be interesting to see how the series handles this inherently fraught territory. “Missing You” is expected to bring plenty of suspense, a healthy dose of paranoia, and perhaps even a bit of dark humor when it premieres globally on Netflix on Wednesday, January 1, 2025.
“Missing You” is a Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios) and Final Twist Productions series for Netflix. Executive producers are Harlan Coben, Nicola Shindler, Richard Fee, Shira Rocklin, and Danny Brocklehurst. Nimer Rashed and Isher Sahota are directing. Victoria Asare-Archer serves as the lead writer.
