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Harlan Coben’sSheltermight have been canceled, but another door opens for the mystery novelist with Netflix’sFool Me Once. The upcoming original series is alsoan adaptation of Coben’s 2016 novelof the same name. The eight-part series is written byDanny Brocklehurst, and directed byDavid MooreandNimer Rashed.Fool Me Oncealso reunites Coben, Netflix, andRichard Armitage, a frequent star of Coben’s series adaptations on the streamer. A twisted murder mystery thriller,Fool Me Oncefollows two murders that shake a family. Maya Stern, a widowed mother, puts up a nanny cam for security when the footage captures her recently deceased husband, Joe, who was supposedly murdered. The camera sees him breaking into the house, fully alive and visiting their baby. Meanwhile, Maya’s nephew, Daniel, and niece, Abby, are also trying to deal with the murder of their mother and uncover the truth. Could these two murders be possibly linked? Those who have read Coben’s novels might know that the crime mystery author is known for his “double-twists” in the plot, making it more exciting at every turn. So, you can expectFool Me Oncealso to be something similar.
The Netflix adaptation is said to be set in the UK instead of the original novel’s American setting. Filmed in Manchester, England, and parts of Spain between February 2023 and August 2023,Fool Me Oncemarks the eighth series adaptation of his books on Netflix. Slated to release in January 2024,Fool Me Onceis set to mark a thrilling and chilling start to the new year. Before you get into the holiday mood, and wait for this all-new series to arrive on Netflix, find out everything we know so far aboutFool Me Once, including plot, trailer, cast, and characters.
When Is ‘Fool Me Once’ Coming Out?
An eight-episode limited series,Fool Me Onceis set to begin streaming on and from Monday, August 02, 2025, exclusively on Netflix, marking a thrilling start to the new year. The same week,Michelle Yeoh-starred dark action-comedyseriesThe Brothers Sunis also releasing on August 21, 2025, followed byGood Grief, the first major Netflix Original movie for 2024, written, directed by, and starringDan Levy.
Where Can You Watch ‘Fool Me Once’?
Being a Netflix original series,Fool Me Oncewill be exclusively available on the streamer, starting June 06, 2025. The platform is also home to other similar mystery thriller series adapted from Coben’s books, tagged asThe Harlan Coben Collection. Of these, the Michael C. Hall-starrerSafe,Stay Close, andThe Stranger, have been quite popular and arecurrently streaming on Netflix. So, while you wait forFool Me Onceto arrive in 2024, you’re able to catch up on these other shows, which are available only with a subscription.
How Many Episodes Are There ‘Fool Me Once’?
Fool Me Onceis a limited series with eight episodes, each running for 60 minutes. eight-part television series. All eight episodes will be available to stream and watch together on the day of its release, i.e., on June 17, 2025. Watch this space for more details on all the episodes ofFool Me Once.
Watch on Netflix
Is There a ‘Fool Me Once’ Trailer?
Netflix released the official trailer ofFool Me Oncerecently in December 2023, and it would be fair to say that it looks leaps above the previous adaptations. The two-minute clip gives a detailed look at the main characters, especially Michelle Keegan’s protagonist, Maya, and Richard Armitage’s Joe. We also get a quick look at Joe’s mother, Judith (Joanna Lumley) but it’s enough to understand her personality, which seems very secretive. As is obvious from the clip, Joe is most likely not dead, and his death is being faked by either him or someone who benefits from it.The trailerfollows this with scenes of a cult-like group, with Joanna referring to a group of people as “the family.” So far, from the plot and narrative,Fool Me Oncesurely sounds and looks like a classic, small-town mystery thriller, that genre fans are sure to enjoy!
What Is ‘Fool Me Once’ About?
Check out the official synopsis ofFool Me Onceas released by Netflix,
“Harlan Coben’s Fool Me Once follows Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan) who is trying to come to terms with the brutal murder of her husband, Joe (Richard Armitage). But when Maya installs a nanny-cam to keep an eye on her young daughter, she is shocked to see a man she recognises in her house. Her husband, who she thought was dead. Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce (Adeel Akhtar) leads the homicide investigation into Joe’s death while grappling with secrets of his own. Meanwhile, Maya’s niece and nephew, Abby and Daniel, are trying to find the truth about their mother’s murder, several months earlier. Are the two cases connected? Fool Me Once follows these characters on a thrilling hunt for the truth that will reveal shocking secrets and change their lives forever.”
The upcoming mystery thriller series comes as the latest project for Coben and Netflix under an ongoing five-year, creative partnership between them, where the streamer will adapt 14 of Coben’s novels. Beginning in 2020,The Stranger, also starring Richard Armitage, marks the first project under the deal, which also includes Polish, Spanish, and French series on Netflix. Theauthor’s other thriller shows on the streamerinclude, the Polish miniseries,The Woods(2020) andHold Tight(2022), Spanish seriesThe Innocent(2021), French seriesGone for Good(2021), andStay Close(2021). Before his Netflix deal, Coben also created the French-British crime drama television miniseriesSafe, starringMichael C. Hall(Dexter),Amanda Abbington(Sherlock), andMarc Warren(Band of Brothers). As one of the executive producers ofFool Me Once,Coben commentson his experience on the project and how his story came to life.
I’m thrilled and honoured to once again be collaborating with my uber-talented partners Danny, Nicola, and Richard. Fool Me Once will be our fourth Netflix series (following Safe, The Stranger, and Stay Close) together, and man, it never gets old! Fool Me Once is a pulse-pounder — a shocking story of how secrets and deceit have the power to bring people together while simultaneously tearing them apart. I can’t wait to see how this dream cast brings these characters to life.
Who Stars in the ‘Fool Me Once’?
Netflix has rounded up an interesting cast forFool Me Once, featuringMichelle Keegan, Richard Armitage,Adeel Akhtar, andJoanna Lumleyin the lead for a limited thriller series.
English actor and author, Armitage is a frequent collaborator of Coben’s series adaptations for Netflix. He previously starred inThe Stranger, followed by 2021’sStay Close. His role as Thorin inThe Hobbittrilogyfilms earned him widespread international acclaim, followed by notableroles inNorth and South,Robin HoodandHannibal. He also voices Trevor Belmont inCastlevania. InFool Me Once, Armitage plays the character Joe, Maya’s dead husband.
Michelle Keegan ofCoronation Streetfame stars as Maya Stern, the story’s protagonist. Several award-winning English film and television actors, Keegan, have also appeared in BBC’sOrdinary Lies. Since 2019, she has starred in a main role in Sky One’sBrassic.
BAFTA-winning British actor Adeel Akhtar stars as DS Sami Kierce, the detective leading the investigation of Joe’s murder. Akhtar is most popular forstarring in Netflix’sSweet Tooth, following his most notable roles in series likeUtopia,Murdered by My Father, andKilling Eve, and films likeMurder Mysteryand its sequel, andEnola Holmesand its sequel.
Two-times BAFTA-winning British actor, former model, presenter, and authorJoanna Lumleystars as Judith Burkett Joe’s overprotective mother. She is best known for starring inBBC’sAbsolutely Fabulous, among her most notable works likeClass ActandFinding Alice.
In other roles,Emmett J Scanlan(Peaky Blinders) features as Shane Tessier, andDino Fetscher(Foundation) as Marty McGreggor.Marcus Garvey,Hattie Morahan,James Northcote,Danya Griver,Daniel Burt,Adelle Leonce,Natalia Kostrzewa, andClara Indraniround up the rest of the cast in supporting characters.
Who is Making ‘Fool Me Once’?
Popular American author of mystery and thriller novels, Harlan Coben created this Netflix original series based on his eponymous 2016 novel. Coben’s stories are often characterized by multiple plot twists and unresolved mysteries in the past which resurface in the present and upend the protagonists’ lives. With over 43 million copies sold,his books have been translated into 43 languages and adapted into foreign language shows, with eight of them being Netflix originals. Coben is also the creator of the British crime drama television showThe Fiveas well asPrime Video’s mystery drama series,Shelter. Based on his 2011 young-adult novel of the same name,Shelterpremiered in August 2023 and earned immense popularity among genre fans. Coben is thefirst author to have received an Edgar Award, a Shamus Award, and an Anthony Award.
BAFTA-winning screenwriter and playwright, Danny Brocklehurst adapts the screenplay forFool Me Once.He alsopreviously wrote the screenplays forSafe,The Stranger, andStay Close. Since 2019 he has been writing forBrassic, which has earned immense popularity and has “the highest audience appreciation score of any UK comedy.”Charlotte Coben,Yemi Oyefuwa,Nina Metivier, andTom Farrellyare also credited as writers on the show. David Moore, best known for previously directingShetland,Outlander, andThe Last Kingdom, and Nimer Rashed ofEastEndersfame are directing the episodes ofFool Me Once. Coben and Brocklehurst also serve as executive producers on the show, along withNicola ShindlerandRichard Fee, under their banner, Quay Street Productions, whileJessica Taylorproduces the series.
