Latest Harlan Coben series…..

[seratoninmoonbeams]

Is it just me that thinks they’re absolute dog shit? I’ve watched a few, mostly because the one with Michael C Hall was ok. But my god, I’ve just watched episode 4 of Run Away…. James Nesbitt is actually awful, his acting gets worse and worse. I went against my instinct and started this because we have been recommended it by so many people. I can’t watch another episode 😆 Can’t believe I’ve wasted this many minutes of my life on another series. (also whenever Ruth Jones refers to Neil by name, I have to say “the baby” - every time - which doesn’t help).

Am I being unreasonable and missing that it is gripping, well acted and excellent?

Or am I being reasonable in that the acting is awful, it’s unrealistic, there are more holes in it than ten golf courses and it’s basically just shit?

Obviously this is light hearted and everyone likes different things. I’m mostly asking because people I would’ve thought ( and know actually) like a lot of the same stuff as DH and I are the ones that recommended it.

So poor.

Weird productions.

Must pay well, as the cast are always recognisable.

Maybe, in 'the biz' they are the type of job that covers to tax bill and nothing else.

OMG this - her and the Tubby Hubby. She's a lovely woman and a pleasure to watch but that took me right out of it (I wasn't very far into it tbf).

"The Five" isn't on Netflix (I think it's on Sky/Now) but it's Harlan Coben's best series for sure. It's the only one with a plausible explanation

Yeah it’s shite, gave up part way through!

There is another thread where the original poster said how good it was.

Not everyone agreed 😂

It was just so bad but I had to finish watching it, because well, it was just that bad.

I think James Nesbitt is going to keep quiet about that twist for about 5 minutes.

It was dreadful! I really enjoyed it, especially the Bonnie and Clyde pair.

It is the perfect level of trashy for me. The C4 2 series, The Couple Next Door (I think it's called) are very like those Netflix Harlan Coben things.

I'm not sure they are intended to be realistic.

I think most of them are awful. The one with Michelle Keegan was particularly bad, gave up on that one after a couple of episodes. But I watched this one because a friend recommended it and I thought it was ok actually - not a patch on His and Hers, and miles away from a proper thriller like Tehran though.

Same!!! I enjoy them as a way of suspending reality and not having to think too much. I accept the ridiculousness of some parts in the same way I do when watching Emmerdale.

Love them all lol.

It’s absolute trash! Such a stupid ending too. Only positive was my husband and I had a good laugh at how awful it was

Absolute rubbish. The overacting from the dad was ridiculous. And the story kept getting more and more outlandish . I could have managed 5 episodes bit it just went on and on. It's my new resolution to stop watching if I get a bad feeling

I thought this was brilliant. Really good watch right to the end 😵‍💫😮

If you've read the books the dramatisation doesn't do them justice. It's the same with the Peter James Grace series rubbish compared to the books.

Absolutely awful I persevered in case it got better but sadly not and it has made me decide to never watch another one of his series

They’re probably the worst thing on tv imho. So bad. I tried to watch the last one and it was cringeworthy. I couldn’t get through one episode. Yet they keep coming back.

His & Hers is infinitely better if you want a crime thriller to watch. It’s American but based on a British book. It just has way more class.

I thought His & Hers was terrible too, how had that guy got to be a police detective, he couldn't find his own arse with both hands!

I don’t have any high expectations of them, they’re just easy watching and I have mostly enjoyed them all. It’s not that deep 🤪

I find they Start off well and I'm hooked. But they get worse and worse until the last episode where they put too many ridiculous twists that I end up annoyed and wish I hadn't wasted my time. They all feel the same too. In Run away: The rich white middle aged parents chatting with the big black drug dealer leader in the basement was laughable.

I quite enjoy his books, but when you're reading it's a lot easier to suspend your disbelief, and you're not fighting a lazy translation of american novel to british location. Then they chop out bits that made more sense of things in the book to get it to a sensible length for a tv series... and whoever is making them is just doing a rubbish job.

A lot of Run Away would have made way way more sense set in America, with an american college rather than british university, american PI vs british, American religious cult etc etc.

Runaway was absolute dog shit. YANBU, op.

The ‘twist’ at the end was ridiculous.

I like watching them but they are ridiculous. I see them as very easy watching and would never re-watch them.

The rich white middle aged parents chatting with the big black drug dealer leader in the basement was laughable.

It was, but surely it became much more laughable when it turned into a big shootout there! Twice!
Then more ridiculous yet when it turned out mum knew where the DD was the whole time, but still went down there!

OMG thank you!! I don't understand why James Nesbitt gets to appear in every single English version of Harlan Coben's series. I think he's dreadful and getting worse. Myself and my husband only managed to get through episode 2 and gave up so I think you've done amazing getting to episode 4. Other series I've been able to get through because the stories were so good but I didn't even enjoy the story this time. A real pity because I love Harlan Coben normally

I'd forgotten she knew!
Why did she go down there???

If I was a character in a HC series, I'd be just like "well', I'll leave this to the police" and it would all be over in one episode.

I haven't watched the latest one but I did enjoy the other ones. I find their weirdness entertaining.
The one with Eddie Izzard in where the two weird assassins kept dancing on the way to the murders was so random and funny 😆

I've had the Michelle Keegan one on my watch list forever and not got round to watching it. I won't need to bother now.