Fool Me Once Review (TV Series 2024)

“The film adaptation of the highly acclaimed crime writer’s novel ‘Fool Me Once’ premiered on New Year’s Day.

As one of the world’s most influential crime novelists, Harlan Coben has seen his books transformed into numerous television adaptations. With his latest show, ‘Fool Me Once,’ debuting on Netflix on New Year’s Day, Coben attributes his global popularity to a crucial element — the inclusion of unexpected twists.

“If you don’t like twists and turns, I’m not your guy,” says the author, who boasts translations into over 40 languages and over 80 million books sold.

“For every twist that ends up in my stories, I probably thought of 10 others that I cut out. I really enjoy playing with your expectations, and I think you’ll see a lot of bombs and twists dropping at the end of this new series too. The last one is a real gut punch.”

Fool Me Once,” adapted from the novel of the same name, features a star-studded cast including Michelle Keegan, Richard Armitage, and Joanna Lumley. The eight-part series revolves around Maya Stern (played by Keegan), who grapples with the brutal murder of her husband, Joe (Armitage). However, when Joe mysteriously appears on her nanny-cam, Maya is thrust into a quest for truth, questioning everything.

Despite Harlan Coben’s American background and his books being set in the US, “Fool Me Once” takes on a British production setting in the UK, aligning with the approach seen in several other Coben TV series such as “Safe,” “The Stranger,” and “Stay Close.”

Coben suggests that “Fool Me Once” “almost works better as a British adaptation. The class distinction between Michelle Keegan’s character and Joanna Lumley’s (the latter plays Joe’s mother) really worked.

In the American version, yes, Maya came from a different background than Joe, but in the UK, you have that class thing that we don’t have as much in America. It made for some really cool scenes,” explains Coben, who previously created the 2016 British crime drama show “The Five.” He expresses his affinity for the UK, attributing it to his creative team and the fact that his brother has been living in London since 1995. Read More