There’s nothing quite like the shock of stumbling on an old flame on a dating app. When it happens to Detective Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar), seeing her ex-fiancé’s face again forces her to revisit old wounds … and buried secrets. 

That’s exactly what you’ll find in Missing You, the new mystery-thriller from Harlan Coben. The limited series, which is streaming now, features the author’s signature blend of twists, turns, and surprises that’ll have you on your toes ’til the very end. 

“There’s a bigger conspiracy at work here, one that Kat has to really uncover. It starts very, very small, but at the end of Episode 1, you realize this is going to be something that affects a lot of people,” Coben tells Tudum. “But mostly it’s about the heart. It’s about that longing. Most of us have someone in our lives who we’ve dated and, in a sense, is a ‘what if.’ And for Kat, this is the ultimate ‘what if.’ ”

Missing You, adapted from Coben’s novel of the same name, is the author’s latest on-screen collaboration with Netflix, following other must-see series like Stay Close, Fool Me Once, and The Stranger. 

The limited series was produced by Quay Street Productions. Coben serves as an executive producer on the project, alongside Nicola Shindler, Richard Fee, Danny Brocklehurst, and Victoria Asare-Archer, who’s also the series’ writer. 

Now that the series is on your screens, here’s everything you need to know about Missing You. 

What happens in Missing You? 

Eleven years ago, Detective Kat Donovan’s fiancé, Josh — the love of her life — disappeared, and she hasn’t heard from him since. Now, swiping profiles on a dating app, she sees his face, and her world explodes all over again. Josh’s reappearance forces her to dive back into the mystery surrounding her father’s murder and uncover long-buried secrets from her past.

“I found the way that Kat dealt with her fiancé’s disappearance and her father’s murder really interesting,” Eleazar tells Tudum. “She sort of buries it, and she doesn’t really want to touch it, and I thought that that was incredibly human, and it was challenging to hold that whilst all these events are taking place around her.”

Who’s in the cast of Missing You? 

• Rosalind Eleazar (Slow Horses, Harlots) as Kat Donovan
• Ashley Walters (Top Boy, Bulletproof) as Josh Buchanan
• Jessica Plummer (EastEnders, The Decameron) as Stacey Embalo
• Richard Armitage (Fool Me Once, Obsession) as Ellis Stagger
• Sir Lenny Henry (Three Little Birds, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) as Clint Donovan
• Steve Pemberton (Inside No9, Happy Valley) as Titus
• Marc Warren (Safe, Sexy Beast) as Monte Leburne
• Samantha Spiro (Sex Education, Ridley Road) as Nurse Sally Steiner
• Lisa Faulkner (Archie, Unforgotten) as Dana Fells
• Mary Malone (Doctor Who, The Prince) as Aqua
• James Nesbitt (Stay Close, Bloodlands) as Calligan
• Matt Jay-Willis (Wolves of War, Love Is Blind UK) as Darryl
• Oscar Kennedy (School’s Out Forever, Breeders) as Brendan Fells
• Charlie Hamblett (Killing Eve) as Charlie Pitts

“I’m really happy with this cast, especially Rosalind Eleazar taking on this lead role, which is a really demanding one where she’s got to kind of go through a lot,” says Coben. “But I really love this entire cast — great to have Richard Armitage back and Ashley Walters and Jessica Plummer, Sir Lenny, James Nesbitt, and all the rest.” 

Coben, who’s worked on multiple projects with Armitage and Nesbitt, as well as Marc Warren, relishes getting to work with those returning players. “They’re so talented, and I love to test them out a little bit, give them different roles,” he says. “I think it’s an interesting challenge sometimes to see what else they can do. It’s fun having a little bit of our own world. We don’t want to overdo it, but it’s fun having our own little world of actors.” 

Can I watch a trailer for Missing You?

Yes! You can watch the dramatic trailer at the top of this post. In the footage, Kat celebrates her engagement to Josh surrounded by family and friends — before he disappears from her life without any explanation. Now, years later, she stumbles upon her former love on a dating app and is determined to finally get the answers she’s been looking for. But something isn’t adding up, and Kat isn’t sure whom she can trust. The trailer ends with a voice telling her, “I don’t know what kind of truth you’re gonna find out there, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.” 

Can I see any photos from Missing You? 

Yes — take a look right here. 

Is Missing You based on a book? 

Yes, Missing You is based on the New York Times bestseller of the same name. 

Where was Missing You filmed?

Coben’s novel takes place in New York City, but the series adaptation relocates the story to the UK. Filming took place in and around Manchester and the North West of England.

When will Missing You be released on Netflix? 

That’s one mystery you don’t have to wait to solve — the series is streaming now, giving you the perfect way to kick off the New Year. “I want you to turn this on on New Year’s Day and just say, ‘Well, I’ll just watch one episode.’ And before you know it, you’ve gobbled up all five,” says Coben. “You’re dabbing your eyes with tissues, and you feel satisfied.” Between Missing You and last year’s Fool Me Once, which dropped on New Year’s Day 2024, notes Eleazer, “I think Harlan’s becoming part of our British New Year’s tradition in the sense that you pick a New Year’s resolution and then, on the 1st, you watch a Netflix Harlan Coben show.” 

Coben adds: “I think you’re just going to disappear into this world with Kat and Josh and Stagger and all the rest of these people and hold on, because it’s a wild ride.” (And once you’ve finished that ride, here are eight more Harlan Coben shows to dive into next.)

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