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There's a new number one Netflix show as twisty as they come

The eighth Netflix adaptation from this author is picking up 4-star reviews

05 January 2024

Netflix has a new number one show, and it’s from a name very familiar to the streamer.

Harlan Coben: heard of him? Coben’s novels are the source for Netflix shows Safe, Stay Close, The Stranger and more, and also the new Netflix number one show Fool me Once.

According to Flixpatol, Fool Me Once has just pipped Money Heist: Berlin, with 834 points to Berlin’s 832.

In Flixpatrol’s system a show earns points by featuring on the charts of Netflix instances from across the world. Three days into its release, Fool Me Once is at the top spot in 41 countries.

It’s a thriller in which Maya is grieving the death of her husband. But then she sees a figure that looks just like him on the baby camera. Who can Maya really trust now?

As you can probably guess from that quick synopsis, Fool Me Once is a ripe, twisty thriller. It’s based on a novel originally published in 2016 and stars Michelle Keegan, as Maya, Adele Akhtar, Richard Armitage and British national treasure Joanna Lumley.

Fool Me Once reviews

But is it any good? While the show currently has a healthy 75% rating over at Rotten Tomatoes, the scores run the gamut from 1/5 to 4/5.

One of the most negative reviews, from The Independent, homes in on the crux here.

"Your tolerance for this show will hinge entirely on your ability to switch off your brain,” the 1-star review’s headline reads.

But, hey, what’s wrong with a brainless thriller after a hard week of work?

That Fool Me Once has picked up several 4-star reviews laced with complaints suggests there’s a real charm here plenty of folks will enjoy.

For example, the Evening Standard review complains that “people talk in a mixture of over-exposition and clunky funnies” but still says it’s “highly bingeable fare” you can down in one go if you like.

Similarly, Ready Steady Cut’s review says “these shows are intended to be consumed in one extended, faintly delirious sitting. They’re all smart enough to obscure how dumb they are until they’re finished.”

Fancy a few hours of brain switch-off? All eight episodes of Fool Me Once are available to stream at Netflix, and are around 50 minutes long aside from the brisk 35-minute finale.