What makes a series based on a Harlan Coben novel so appealing to audiences? The producers behind the hit series from streaming giant Netflix Fool me oncewhich they pursue Miss youwhich debuted on the streamer on January 1st, shared his opinion The Hollywood Reporter.

“It comes from the very twisted brain of Harlan Coben. I mean twisted, so telling stories that are twisted and twisted,” said executive producer Nicola Shindler, whose Quay Street Productions, part of ITV Studios, is behind both shows. “And you always know from the beginning that Harlan is going to have a brilliant ending, and then you know there’s just going to be so many surprises along the way.”

“There are also likeable people in the series and in the books,” emphasizes Shindler.

“Tonally, there is warmth, heart and humanity in the way Harlan writes,” echoes Quay Street Productions colleague and executive producer Richard Fee. “We are not entirely gloomy, bleak. There’s always fun to be had.”

“I like those answers,” Coben says with a smile. “I do believe that the desire for warmth is something special. Yes, we have the thrill. We can move your pulse, we can even move your mind. But the key, in my opinion, is to move the heart.”

What does that mean in the case of Miss you special? “Hopefully you care about (protagonist) Kat from the first moments,” Coben says THR. “And that’s what really makes the engine run.”

Miss you Stars Rosalind Eleazar (Slow horses) as Kat Donovan, a missing persons detective whose fiancé Josh (Ashley Walters) disappeared 11 years ago. Now she comes across his face while scrolling through profiles on a dating app, forcing her to reevaluate her father’s (Lenny Henry) murder. Armitage plays Kat’s boss, while Jessica Plummer plays one of her best friends. Other cast members include Steve Pemberton, Mary Malone, Lisa Faulkner and James Nesbitt. Author Victoria Asare-Archer adapted the novel for the screen.

Shindler concludes with a promise of escapist entertainment. “It is always our responsibility,” she says THR. “It’s about getting people out of their lives and having fun. You can still say something important, but it can also be fun.”