Jamie Dornan’s new Netflix thriller could spell trouble for Harlan Coben’s The Woods

We have some bad news for fans of Harlan Coben!

The Woods starring Michelle Keegan and Tom Bateman recently wrapped production in October 2026, and it looked like the series had wrapped production just in time for a New Year's Day premiere. That slot has gone to Coben's latest thriller for the last four years, basically. Unfortunately, it's likely not going to happen this year.

Recently, Netflix announced The Twin, a new series starring Jamie Dornan, will be released on Jan. 1, 2027, according to What's on Netflix. As their report points out, Netflix isn't going to drop two similar UK-set thrillers on the first day of the year, so it looks like The Woods is officially bumped until later in the year. No release window has been announced so far.

I had been hoping and assuming, with The Woods about to wrap production, that the series would have been penciled in for a New Year's Day premiere. We've all gotten so used to having that new Coben show to watch on New Year's Day! It's been the thing I've done going from Run Away in 2026, Missing You in 2025, and Fool Me Once in 2024. We also got Stay Close on New Year's Eve in 2021, so we've only had one year, until now, that Netflix hasn't rolled out a new one of Coben's shows.

The Woods is still coming in 2027

Even with The Woods not coming on New Year's Day, it's not all bad news. The new UK version of Coben's The Woods starring Keegan and Bateman will be released on Netflix in 2027 at some point.

With the New Year's Day premiere basically ruled out, there's a little more time and wiggle room. Still, Netflix will likely release this series sometime in the spring or early summer. Typically, we see a break of at least five to six months between the end of production and the release of a new series on Netflix. Often, it's a bit longer than that for bigger shows.

I'm not saying that will happen here, but there is a summer camp component of The Woods that might lend itself to a May or June release rather than a March or April release like I originally thought after hearing the news that Netflix already has a new release for New Year's Day.

We'll share more news about The Woods when we find out, but expect the new series in the first half of 2027!

What is The Twin?

If this is the first you remember hearing of Netflix's The Twin starring Dornan, join the club!

Netflix recently revealed The Twin will premiere on Jan. 1, 2026. The six-episode series tells the story of two brothers stuck in a love triangle. Iain De Caestecker, Mackenzie Davis, who just starred in Netflix's hit series Below, and Gary Lewis.

The series, which is actually an adaptation of the Norwegian series, was written by Sarah Dollard
Hanna Jameson, Kam Odedra, Joy Wilkinson, and Scout Cripps.

Here's the synopsis, via Netflix:

"Suffocating in a loveless marriage to Adam, Nicola sees her life take a dramatic turn when Adam’s long-estranged identical twin brother Lee comes crashing back into the picture, and their tangled romantic past threatens to destroy the present. A split-second decision and a terrible accident drive Nicola to protect her children, and over the course of one week, Lee and Nicola are forced together, struggling to maintain a web of secrets and lies. Though they can’t ignore their feelings for each other, they both know they’re living on borrowed time."

Look, I know it's not Harlan, but The Twin sounds pretty great and perfect for New Year's Day. It's a British thriller series with a great cast. What more could we ask for?

Stay tuned for more news about The Woods and The Twin.

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