There’s a certain type of show that hits the mark after a few weeks of festive indulgence, with a straightforward plot, easy-to-remember characters and a minimal episode count – and one that’s forgiving if you take a five-minute nap in the middle one episode.

The new thriller from Netflix Miss you hopes to be such a show. Based on the novel of the same name by Harlan Coben, this is the latest entry in the streamer’s Harlan Coben collection (consisting of eight shows, excluding Miss youalthough most people are probably only really aware of it Fool me once). Like with that Fool me once In this new series, the action moves from America to Britain (book fans may notice this move, but for anyone jumping straight into the series, everything here should feel natural.)

In Miss youThe storylines intertwine and diverge, all centering around missing person detective Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar). When Kat meets her ex-fiancé Josh (Ashley Walters) on a dating app, eleven years after he ghosted her, she is dumped. Kat re-investigates the murder of her police officer father in her free time – thanks to the terminal illness of his killer Monte Lebrun (Marc Warren) – and discovers the case of two missing people during work hours. She discovers possible connections to Josh, making it imperative she finds him.

It sounds a bit more complicated than it actually is, and Miss you is actually quite adept at establishing its premise and protagonist straight away. Episode one opens with a harrowing scene of a panicking man on a horse in a dark rural landscape, interspersed with soft-focus moments of a blonde woman. We later learn that the man is Rishi Magari (Rudi Dharmalingam), and he is missing, although the series’ initial focus on him is somewhat misleading. He was pushed aside fairly quickly to join the second missing person, Dana Fells (Lisa Faulkner), who is introduced later in the series.

Kat’s introduction, right after Rishi’s, is designed to tell you exactly who she is: charming, sexy, funny, smart, independent. As she has a drink with a gym friend (Matt Willis from Busted, much to the delight of thirty-something British women everywhere) and then fends off a knife attack in the pub’s kitchen, I miss YoYou’re sending the message that this is a woman not to be messed with and that she will do anything she wants. Eleazar’s performance is excellent, both as present-day Kat – focused, loving and yet somewhat emotionally reserved – and in the flashback, where she shines and is full of joy.

Kat is surrounded by a network of friends and family. Her mother Odette (Bridget Zengeni) and her “aunts” are fun to watch, and it’s easy to see why they are such solid supports for each other. Kat’s friends Stacey (Jessica Plummer) and Aqua (Mary Malone) are initially portrayed as independent and interesting, but unfortunately soon become quite the unit and serve Kat’s obsession with tracking down Josh and her father’s real murderer, which is a waste of both actors . Stacey’s job as a private investigator sees her flitting between scenes in various costumes, trying to entrap unfaithful partners like she’s a bad girlfriend from the 1990s romantic comedy, all while supporting Kat on her investigation helps. Meanwhile, when Aqua isn’t sitting at a bar or leading a yoga class, she looks suspicious and is clearly hiding a really big secret.


Secrets are of course the be-all and end-all of a show like this Miss youbut sometimes it feels like there are way too many. Josh, Aqua, Stacey, Odette, Kat’s boss Stagger, and even Kat’s mother Odette and father Clint (Sir Lenny Henry) are all hiding or hiding something. Thrillers need a secret or two, but if every character is hiding something from Kat, it’s overkill and lessens the impact of the series’ key mysteries.

And that’s before the series even gets to its “villains,” a group of guys led by creepy dog ​​breeder Titus (Steve Pemberton) who Kat is investigating (unbeknownst to her). No animals are harmed, and that’s the best thing that can be said about this storyline. It’s unrealistic, and that’s saying something when it comes to a TV thriller. And when it finally comes to an end, there are too many unanswered questions, all of which poke holes in this story. While Miss you Connecting Kat’s case only tangentially to her investigation into Josh often feels like you’re watching two different television shows unfold.

The series’ success lies in its performances, which are strongest among the older and more experienced cast members. Even in flashbacks where he is largely silent, British comedy legend Henry is charismatic and commands attention every time he appears on screen. James Nesbitt actually only appears in one scene, as crime boss Callighan, and has so much fun that an entire show centered around him wouldn’t be unwelcome. Warren, again only appearing properly for one scene, is satisfyingly unsettling as suspected cop-killer Monte Leburn, while Zengeni exudes warmth and love as Odette and is exactly the kind of person everyone wants to be later in life.

Despite all the complications mentioned above, after just five episodes (all of which last about 45 minutes) Miss you is easy to look at. Netflix is ​​counting on binge-watching for New Year’s Day, when fatigue, a possible hangover, and a possible return to real life require nothing more strenuous than sitting in front of the TV. And not least because of this, the film is likely to reach some large numbers of viewers.

Miss you Premieres January 1st on Netflix