Netflix is kicking off 2025 by continuing what has become an (almost) annual tradition. In 2021 and 2024, the streaming service began the New Year by premiering a mystery thriller show based on a Harlan Coben novel, and the latest collaboration with the best-selling crime author has just landed on the platform in the form of “Missing You”.
“Missing You” is adapted from the 2014 Coben novel of the same name, and follows a police detective, Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar), who discovers her ex-fiancé on a dating app. That would be awkward enough for most people, but the wrinkle is that Kat’s fiancé disappeared more than a decade ago without a trace. This five-part series arrived on Netflix earlier this week (on January 1), and is has proven popular right out of the gate. At the time of writing, it's rocketed straight to the No. 2 spot in the service's top 10 most-watched list only ranking behind the juggernaut "Squid Game" season 2.
If you’re looking for a twisting mystery thriller that you can polish off in a matter of days (or over a single weekend), then “Missing You” is one of the strongest offerings of 2025 (of course, it's very early days still). And while it certainly doesn’t break the mold, it’s another bingeable installment in the Netflix-Coben canon.
What is ‘Missing You’ about?
“Missing You” is a classic Coben thriller with shocking twists around every corner. The show switches the action from the novel's New York setting to the U.K. and follows Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar), a police detective exploring the modern dating world after closing herself off to love years ago.
Encouraged by her private detective sister to install a dating app, Kat's world shatters when she stumbles upon a profile containing new pictures of her ex-fiancé, Josh (Ashley Walters). This discovery is more than just a little bit awkward because Josh disappeared 11 years ago, and Kat has not seen or heard from him since.
Josh’s reappearance draws Kat into a world of mystery that ties into her father’s death, and in classic Coben fashion, a whole load of dark secrets from the past also come to light.
“Missing You” also stars Jessica Plummer, Lenny Henry, Steve Pemberton, Marc Warren, Samantha Spiro and Richard Armitage. The latter is a real Coben veteran having also featured in Netflix’s adaptations of “Fool Me Once", "Stay Close" and “The Stranger”.
Netflix’s ‘Missing You’ is seriously bingeable television
If you’ve ever watched a Netflix show based on a Coben novel then you’ll know they are some of the easiest binge-watches on the service. Each episode typically ends with a dramatic twist or cliffhanger and will have you eagerly mashing the “play next episode” button before the credits have even begun rolling, and “Missing You” is no exception to the rule.
It’s certainly not the strongest effort in the stable — the show’s relatively underwhelming Rotten Tomatoes score is proof of that — but if you’re looking for a Netflix series that functions as easily consumable junk food to begin 2025 you can’t go wrong. Rosalind Eleazar is strong in the leading role, and each new revelation is intriguing enough to keep you hooked till the last episode. Though, you will have to tolerate a few gaps in logic along the way.
One of “Missing You”’s biggest strengths is that it runs a lean five episodes in length. This makes it a very breezy binge-watch, as you can consume the majority of its 45-minute chapters in a single evening, but it also leads to some efficient storytelling. “Missing You” wastes no time getting straight to the point. Kat discovers Josh’s online dating profile within the first 10 minutes of the first episode. There’s no overly drawn-out introduction here.
Having watched the first half of the show myself in less than 24 hours, I can confirm that “Missing You” is unlikely to make any “Best of 2025” lists, but it’s engaging enough that I’m eager to see the thriller through to its conclusion. After a busy holiday season, it’s exactly the sort of no-frills television I’ve been craving.
If you’re looking for something to binge, “Missing You” is now streaming on Netflix, but if you’re not sure this latest Harlan Coben adaptation is for you, check out our list of all the new movies and TV shows added to Netflix this month. You’re sure to find something for you.
Stream "Missing You" on Netflix now
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