Netflix subscribers know this better than anyone: investigative series are a dime a dozen on the streaming platform – and on network television – so fans of the genre always have something new to watch. The question is, what should you dedicate your time to? Harlan Coben’s Missing You makes a pretty good case for itself, and it may very well be an excellent start to the year in television.
Fresh off the success of several other series based on author Harlan Coben‘s bestselling novels — like Stay Close, The Innocent and last year’s Fool Me Once — Missing You adapts the 2014 book of the same name and follows a similar structure to the other limited series but, of course, doesn’t depend on the other titles to work. In fact, the new Netflix show could be your starting point in the Harlan Coben collection. Once you finish watching this one, chances are you’ll be hungry for more twisty and compelling stories.
What Is ‘Missing You’ About?
Missing You centers around Kat Donovan (Slow Horses‘ Rosalind Eleazar), a detective inspector who is at a pretty low moment in her life. Her father was killed, and the assassin never revealed his motives; right after that, her soon-to-be-husband just up and left her — although it might be more accurate to say he disappeared. Josh (Ashley Walters) eliminated every piece of information about himself from the internet and was gone without a trace, redefining the concept of “ghosting.” Everything changes when Kat randomly finds Josh’s profile on a dating app.
Missing You is very aware that it has five episodes to tell its story, which is why it doesn’t waste any time beating around the bush. Writer Victoria Asare-Archer (Stay Close) seems to be aware of the fact that in the age of infinite content, a new show has to be worth your time, but that doesn’t mean that Missing You is rushed. The series chooses a steady pace for itself and sticks to it, with rare diversions.
Missing You‘s overall pace is also a reflection of its lead character. Kat is a woman who likes to get to the bottom of things and doesn’t wait around when she puts her mind to something. The very first scene does an excellent job of introducing her to us: in the space of 10 minutes, you get a good sense of her personality, understand the kind of experiences she’s had in her dating life, and also recognize her approach to her job and the way she deals with possible criminals.
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Rosalind Eleazar Is the Perfect Lead in ‘Missing You’
Our quick understanding of Kat is also largely due to Eleazar’s excellent performance. Even though she’s playing a woman who’s grieving, someone who has been through trauma and is dangerously close to burning out, the actor manages to be charismatic, but not in a way that undermines her character’s feelings: she’s just trying to get by, like most of us. Kat is also the kind of character who makes a mystery immensely compelling, because she doesn’t just wait for an epiphany to happen. We are curious to find out what the heck is going on in Missing You and so is she, which makes us invested in the story as well as motivated to stick with her to the end.
Missing You‘s strengths go way beyond its main character — which is more than can be said for several shows on streaming right now. The series is also a masterclass in developing its supporting characters, even when they only play small parts in the overall story. Especially in mystery shows and movies, writers aren’t all that interested in using minor characters except for the purpose of being a sounding board for the lead character. That doesn’t happen here. In Missing You, almost all the characters feel like real people with their own opinions and interests, and this greatly elevates the viewing experience.
‘Missing You’ Is Committed To Its Characters
This overall strength is most prominently reflected in Kat’s friends, Aqua (Mary Malone) and Stacey (Jessica Plummer), who don’t merely exist just to confirm that Kat has an inner circle. They push back on her decisions and become as invested as she is in getting to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Josh’s disappearance. Most importantly, they’re also flawed and make mistakes — sometimes unforgivable ones. Even Kat’s mother and her friends feel like real people, because they all have their own storylines playing out every time the show checks back in with them.
Missing You also does a good job of depicting the importance of having a support system. This is not only valuable from a storytelling standpoint, because it gives Kat different people to interact with throughout the story, but also because you can tell that Kat wouldn’t be where she is psychologically if it weren’t for her friends, family and even co-workers. The series makes a point of balancing its mystery with Kat venting about her frustrations and mistakes, and that’s another element that makes the plot feel believable and realistic.
All of these components only help the centerpiece of the series, which is the mystery itself. You can’t help but be curious about the story: who manages to disappear completely from the grid and why? And then why would a person who vanished suddenly return to a random dating app? Missing You has some good answers, but takes its mystery a step further by connecting seemingly random story aspects that you never even thought would link up in the finale. By setting up pieces, Missing You will keep you pressing play on the next episode — some moments feel more similar to the structure of a 24 episode.
‘Missing You’ Still Struggles With One Part of Its Story
If there’s one thing Missing You doesn’t juggle quite as skillfully, it’s the story’s villains. Despite a main cast that’s pretty well-developed, two of the antagonists — arguably the biggest ones — feel one-dimensional and almost mustache-twirling evil. Even though their plan is interesting enough for you to buy into, they don’t add that much to the story, and you never feel like they’re a real threat. On the other hand, Kat does have a lot to deal with on her own side of the situation, so you could say that real villains are the ones we least expect to serve as obstacles.
Despite this struggle, Missing You is an extremely bingeable series that offers good answers to its mysteries if you stick with it. Before that happens, however, you’ll be on a rollercoaster of twists and seemingly random events that pay off sooner rather than later. It boasts excellent performances — especially from Eleazar — and, in general, is exactly what you expect from an investigative series. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it sure knows how to spin it.
Missing You premieres January 1, 2025 on Netflix.
Missing You knows how to use its mystery and characters to its advantage.
- The show never loses momentum with a steady rhythm of episodes.
- Rosalind Eleazar’s performance is compelling.
- The supporting characters feel like real people.
- The mystery is compelling enough to keep you hooked.
- The villains are one-dimensional and don’t feel like a real threat.
Watch on Netflix
