Twist at First Swipe: 'Missing You' Rediscovers the Past in a Dating App Match
She thought she was logging in for love — not unlocking old mysteries.
Netflix’s 2025 five-part limited series Missing You, based on Harlan Coben’s 2014 novel, stars Rosalind Eleazar as DI Kat Donovan — a detective whose world shatters when she spots her vanished fiancé on a dating app, more than a decade after he disappeared. The discovery drags her into reopening her father’s unresolved murder, setting off a dark and twisting investigation.
Ellazar brings depth and conviction to Kat as she walks a tightrope between her professional dedication and personal trauma. Critics note that while the series begins with familiar Coben-Netflix pacing and some narrative repetition, it gradually builds into a tense, character-driven thriller that rewards persistence. The program leans into emotional intensity, keeping viewers on edge even as specific plot points blur moments after viewing.
Co-starring Richard Armitage, Ashley Walters, Lenny Henry and Jessica Plummer, Missing You unfolds predominantly in Manchester — departing from the book’s original New York setting — but maintains the author’s signature layering of intertwined mysteries. Expect romance, betrayal, and unresolved grief to collide in ways that echo Kat’s fractured past.
With Netflix continuing its annual tradition of January Coben adaptations since 2020, Missing You debuted on 1 January 2025 and immediately climbed into the streamer’s top ten in multiple countries . Though it may follow a familiar formula, this one invests heavily in its emotional core — a detective logging on, only to log into her deepest secrets.
