9 best TV shows to watch if you like the Harlan Coben Netflix shows

Harlan Coben's Netflix shows are some of the best mystery shows available to stream on Netflix. So far, there have been eight of Coben's shows released on Netflix with even more on the way. While fans wait for those new shows, we picked a list of nine TV shows that Harlan Coben fans definitely need to watch.

I've seen all eight of Coben's Netflix shows, and I'm a fan! I know there are a lot of our readers who are excited about more of Coben's works coming to Netflix in the future. It's probably going to be a while, but the good news is there are more than enough TV shows released in the last few years that are similar to Coben's shows in genre, tone, plot, and more.

There are a few worth checking out on Netflixere are so many good mysteries for fans of Coben's shows to watch on the other streaming networks, including Amazon Prime Video, MAX, Apple TV+, and more. If you're looking for what to watch, we have you covered!

Before we get into that, here is the list of all of Coben's Netflix shows. If you haven't seen them all, especially Fool Me Once because it just came out in 2024, you should watch them on Netflix:

• Safe (2018)
• The Woods (2020)
• The Stranger (2020)
• The Innocent (2021)
• Gone for Good (2021)
• Stay Close (2021)
• Hold Tight (2022)
• Fool Me Once (2024)

Let's get the list started with Shelter!

Shelter

• Release Date: Aug. 18, 2023
• Created by Harlan and Charlotte Coben
• Cast: Jaden Michael, Constance Zimmer, Adrian Greensmith, Abby Corrigan, Sage Linder, Brian Altemus, and more
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Premise: Shelter is based on Coben's book series of the same name. Coben and his daughter, Charlotte, developed the Amazon original series, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video in August 2023. Shelter tells the story of Mickey Bolitar, a teenager who just lost his father. Mickey returns with his mother to the small, suburban town where his father was from. There, Mickey begins looking for a girl from the high school who goes missing, which leads him and his friends into the unknown.

Why you should watch: Shelter is very similar to a lot of Coben's Netflix shows. There's a clear protagonist dealing with some serious issues, but then they are introduced to something that shifts their world view when the rug is pulled out from under them. In this case, there's a missing person mystery that needs to be solved, but that's not all. There are other weird things happening, complicating the larger overall story.

Unfortunately, Shelter was canceled after one season on Amazon Prime Video, but you should definitely still give it a chance.

Up next is Criminal Record!

Criminal Record

• Release Date: Jan. 10, 2024
• Created by Paul Rutman
• Cast: Cush Jumbo, Peter Capaldi, Zoë Wanamaker, Charlie Creed-Miles, Cathy Tyson, Stephen Campbell Moore, Shaun Dooley, and more
• Where to watch: Apple TV+

Premise: In Criminal Record, DS June Lenker, played by Cush Jumbo, investigates an anonymous emergency phone call that leads her to an old murder case, the circumstances, and the group of old detectives involved, including DCI Daniel Hegarty, played by Peter Capaldi. As June gets deeper into the investigation, more questions come to light.

Why you should watch: Criminal Record is the most recently released show on this list. The series just ended its first season on Feb. 21, 2024, on Apple TV+. Criminal Record is a must-watch for fans of Coben's Netflix shows. This crime drama series has incredible performances, a great story, and so many plot twists and turns. You'll never guess where this mystery goes!

Plus, many fans will recognize Jumbo. She's fantastic in this series, and she also started in Stay Close, the Netflix original series based on Coben's best-selling book of the same name. Stay Close is one of the best of Coben's Netflix shows.

Capaldi is also incredible in this series. You're going to love it if you're a fan of dark crime mysteries with a lot of twists.

Up next is You Don't Know Me!

You Don't Know Me

• Release Date: Dec. 5, 2021
• Created by Tom Edge
• Cast: Samuel Adewunmi, Sophie Wilde, Bukky Bakray, Roger Nsengiyumva, Tuwaine Barrett, Yetunde Oduwole, Nicholas Khan, Michael Balogun, Duayne Boachie, and more
• Where to watch: Netflix

Premise: You Don't Know Me follows a young man who has been accused of and charged with killing another young man, a drug dealer. Hero, played by Samuel Adewunmi, represents himself in the trial and tries to explain the circumstances that led up to the killing and why he's innocent. It's a bold strategy, and we do see if it plays out for him, Cotton. The series is largely told via flashbacks to the events that lead up to and beyond the death with a focus on Kyra, played by Sophie Wilde, who is the center of this mystery.

Why you should watch: You Don't Know Me feels like one of the Harlan Coben Netflix shows. The series is available to stream on Netflix. Coben fans will enjoy You Don't Know Me because not everything is as it seems in this mystery, and it has really strong characters you can't help but root for. I feel like those are two hallmarks of Coben's shows.

We also included You Don't Know Me on the list of shows to watch if you like Fool Me Once. There are a lot of similarities with this show and a lot of Coben's shows, especially in terms of the overall pacing and what the characters are hiding. Everyone has something up their sleeve in a Coben drama, and that's true in You Don't Know Me, too!

Up next is True Detective!

True Detective

• Release Date: Jan. 12, 2014
• Created by Nic Pizzolatto (season 1-3) and Issa López (season 4-5)
• Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Potts, Tory Kittles, Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, Kelly Reilly, Vince Vaughn, Mahershala Ali, Carmen Ejogo, Stephen Dorff, Scoot McNairy, Ray Fisher, Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, Fiona Shaw, Finn Bennett, Isabella Star LaBlanc, John Hawkes, Christopher Eccleston, and more
• Where to watch: MAX

Premise: True Detective is an anthology series created by Nic Pizzolatto. The series premiered on HBO in January 2014, so it's been 10 years of True Detective, but there's only been four seasons of the series. The first season of the series kicked things off with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson playing detectives investigating a murder in rural Louisiana and how it connects back to a string of old cases, including murders, disappearances, and more. The other seasons follow law enforcement as they investigate new cases.

The fourth season, which was just released on HBO and MAX on Jan. 14, 2024, was created by Issa Lopez and tells the story of Police Chief Liz Danvers, played by Jodie Foster, and trooper Evangeline Navarro, played by Kali Reis, and is set in rural Alaska during December and January where the residents live in darkness 24 hours per day. That's the season I think Coben's fans will enjoy the most, although each season features a unique, dark mystery.

Why fans should watch: True Detective, especially the first and fourth seasons of the show, is one of the best mystery shows on TV. It has been since the first season's premiere in 2014. There are always lots of good twists and turns as the detectives try to work their way through cold cases, murder investigations, and more.

Up next is The Sinner!

The Sinner

• Release Date: Aug. 2, 2017
• Created by Derek Simonds
• Cast: Bill Pullman, Jessica Biel, Christopher Abbott, Dohn Norwood, Abby Miller, Carrie Coon, Natalie Paul, Hannah Gross, Elisha Henig, Tracy Letts, Jessica Hecht, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Eddie Martinez, Chris Messina, Matt Bomer, Alice Kremelberg, Michael Mosley, Frances Fisher, Cindy Cheung, Ronin Wong, Neal Huff, and more
• Where to watch: Netflix

Premise: The Sinner is based on Petra Hammesfahr's novel of the same name. It tells the story of Detective Harry Ambrose, played by Bill Pullman, who has a troubled past. This detective who plays by his own rules tries to get to the bottom of mysteries, usually involving missing people or murders. No case is the same, and it's never what you first suspect. Ambrose has a very unique and torturous investigation tactics, and he almost always ends up in his own way until he breaks the case wide open.

Each season focuses on another case for Ambrose to solve. That's different that Coben's shows, but it does help keep the series interesting as we see Ambrose develop over the course of the four seasons.

Why fans should watch: Again, I think Coben's fans will like The Sinner because, tonally and thematically, the shows are similar. There's a central character, Harry Ambrose, that audiences can get behind and root for, and there's always a twist you never, ever see coming. I think that's really important in all of these shows, but it's one of the main reasons fans watch. We want to keep guessing what really happened.

Up next is The Undoing!

The Undoing

• Release Date: Oct. 25, 2020
• Created by David E. Kelley
• Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Édgar Ramírez, Noah Jupe, Lily Rabe, Matilda De Angelis, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Edan Alexander, Michael Devine, Donald Sutherland, and more
• Where to watch: MAX

Premise: The Undoing is based on the novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. It was released in 2014. The series tells the story of Grace Fraser, played by Kidman, and her relationship with a woman, Elena, played by Matilda De Angelis, who turns up dead a night after a school fundraiser where Grace had seen Elena. Troubled by her murder, Grace tries to get to the bottom of the case, especially when it starts to get a little closer to home with her husband, Jonathan, played by Hugh Grant.

Why you should watch: The Undoing is one of the best mystery shows of the last decade. It was a huge success on HBO back in 2020. The characters are interesting, and the performances are outstanding. The story is unhinged and completely ridiculous, which is exactly what fans of Coben's Netflix shows appreciate. I don't mean that in a bad way, either! This show will keep you on your toes and keep you guessing, which is something that's also very true about Coben's Netflix shows.

Grant and Kidman put on a show in this one. It's the supporting players who play the most important roles in this series, though.

Up next is Inside Man!

Inside Man

• Release Date: Sept. 26, 2022
• Created by Steven Moffat
• Cast: David Tennant, Stanley Tucci, Dolly Wells, Lydia West, and more
• Where to watch: Netflix

Premise: Inside Man is a four-episode BBC series that streams on Netflix worldwide. It tells the interconnected stories of Jefferson Grieff, played by Stanley Tucci, a criminology expert who is on death row for killing his wife. He tries to solve various crimes from behind bars. In this particular instance, a vicar, played by David Tennant, has been caught in the middle of a vicious misunderstanding that leads to him kidnapping and assaulting a tutor. That's all I'll add here. You just have to watch this show even to believe it's real!

Why you should watch: There are a lot of elements of Coben's Netflix shows on display in Inside Man. It has a chaotic energy with individuals, often in conflict, having to make important and monumental decisions under great stress. We also see many instances of characters making wrong decisions with good intentions that lead to disastrous results. That's what Inside Man, in many ways, is all about.

Inside Man was rumored to be up for season 2 consideration. So far, there haven't been any updates about Inside Man season 2 recently, but it seems like there's a chance that it could happen. Stay tuned for more updates!

Up next is Wilderness!

Wilderness

• Release Date:
• Created by Marnie Dickens
• Cast: Jenna Coleman, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ashley Benson, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Eric Balfour, Talia Balsam, Claire Rushbrook, Morgana Van Peebles, and Jonathan Keltz
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Premise: Wilderness is an Amazon original series based on the book of the same name by B. E. Jones. It tells the story of Liv Taylor, played by Olivia Coleman, who discovers her husband, Will, played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen, is cheating on her with Cara, played by Ashley Benson. Unsure of what to do with the information, Liv becomes interested in Cara and plots her revenge on Will. When Cara and her boyfriend, Garth, played by Eric Balfour, turn up on a hiking trip planned by Liv, things get messy.

Why you should watch: Wilderness is a little bit more of a thriller than some of Coben's Netflix shows, but it's definitely worth a watch if you're a fan of Coben's shows. There's an element of mystery, but it's character-driven tension that stands out. That's the reason I think fans will be interested in Wilderness.

I also think fans will appreciate how dramatically this story twists and turns. Nothing is as it seems, and that's typical of Coben's Netflix shows, too. Watching Liv try to navigate her feelings and situations out of her control is very interesting.

Plus, Coleman, Jackson-Cohen, and Benson are incredible performers. Jackson-Cohen starred in The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, so Netflix viewers should be familiar with his work.

We're still wait for Wilderness season 2 updates, but as of right now, the series has not been renewed. Up next is Mare of Easttown!

Mare of Easttown

• Release Date: April 18, 2021
• Created by Brad Ingelsby
• Cast: Kate Winslet, Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, Angourie Rice, David Denman, Neal Huff, Guy Pearce, Cailee Spaeny, John Douglas Thompson, Joe Tippett, Evan Peters, Sosie Bacon, James McArdle, and more
• Where to watch: MAX

Premise: Mare of Easttown tells the story of, you guessed it, Mare of Easttown. Mare, played by Kate Winslet, is a police detective in a suburb outside of Philadelphia called Easttown. Mare has a rough family life and troubled past. When a young girl is murdered and another goes missing, Mare does everything she can to get to the bottom of the case, find out who the killer is, and where the missing girl can be found.

Why you should watch: Mare of Easttown is probably the best recent TV mystery. It's one of the best detective stories on HBO in a long time. Winslet is incredible in the series, and she won the Emmy for Best Actress in a Limited Series for her role.

Tonally, the series is a bit different than Coben's Netflix shows. It feels darker, even though some of Coben's Netflix shows really venture deep into the darkness. There are so many twists and turns in this mystery. You'll never guess who is actually responsible!

If you're in the mood for a brilliant mystery series with stellar performances, you can't go wrong with Mare of Easttown.