Saagar Kote
Adapted from Harlan Coben’s eponymous novel, Netflix’s ‘I Will Find You’ is a mystery thriller series shaped by the creative mind of Robert Hull. It follows David Burroughs (Sam Worthington), who is serving a life sentence for the murder of his young son, Matthew. Although the evidence against him leads to his conviction, David continues to maintain his innocence years into his imprisonment. His life changes when his former sister-in-law, Rachel Mills (Britt Lower), arrives with a startling discovery. While browsing social media, she spots a boy in the background of a photograph who appears strikingly similar to Matthew.
Convinced that his son may still be alive, David escapes prison and joins Rachel in an effort to uncover the truth. As the two investigate Matthew’s disappearance, they find themselves pursued by law enforcement while uncovering a series of unexpected revelations from the past. With the clock ticking, David may have to cross lines and make difficult decisions to win this battle and find his son. Similar to ‘I Will Find You,’ the following shows include deeply deceptive mysteries, conflicted characters, overwhelming odds, a sense of desperation, and the quest for the truth.
12. Defending Jacob (2020)
‘Defending Jacob’ centers on Andy Barber (Chris Evans), a respected assistant district attorney whose life is turned upside down when a violent crime shakes his Massachusetts community. The crisis becomes deeply personal when Andy’s teenage son, Jacob Barber (Jaeden Martell), is accused of murdering a fellow student. Convinced of his son’s innocence, Andy and his wife, Laurie Barber (Michelle Dockery), rally to protect him as the case draws intense public attention. However, as the investigation progresses and troubling details begin to emerge, the family faces mounting pressure from all sides.
Caught between his responsibilities as a prosecutor and his loyalty as a father, Andy is forced to confront difficult questions about justice and how well he truly knows his own son. Created by Mark Bomback, the Apple TV legal drama series is based on the novel of the same name by William Landay. While ‘I Will Find You’ is about a father’s quest to find his son and prove his own innocence against increasingly unfavorable odds, ‘Defending Jacob’ is about a father’s relentless quest to protect his son against a dark future.
11. Echoes (2022)
In ‘Echoes,’ identical twins Leni and Gina (Michelle Monaghan) share an extremely close bond. Since childhood, the sisters have secretly exchanged identities, eventually developing a complicated arrangement in which they share different aspects of each other’s lives, including homes, relationships, and family responsibilities. Their carefully maintained double life begins to unravel when Leni suddenly disappears without explanation. Alarmed by her sister’s absence, Gina returns to their hometown in North Carolina in search of answers. As questions surrounding the disappearance surface, hidden details about the twins’ unusual relationship gradually come to light.
As the investigation goes deeper, the secrets the sisters have been hiding for years may change everything. Vanessa Gazy is the creative voice behind this thrilling Netflix mystery drama series. The strongest points of connection between ‘Echoes’ and ‘I Will Find You’ are their focus on family issues, insecurities, dangerous relationship dynamics, the consequences of lies, and the life-altering power of secrets within intimate settings.
10. Clickbait (2021)
Netflix’s ‘Clickbait’ is a thriller drama series shaped by the visions of Tony Ayres and Christian White. The story picks up when family man Nick Brewer (Adrian Grenier) is kidnapped and suddenly appears in a viral online video holding signs that claim he has abused women and will die if the video reaches five million views. As the video spreads across social media, Nick’s sister Pia Brewer (Zoe Kazan), wife Sophie Brewer (Betty Gabriel), and detective Roshan Amiri (Phoenix Raei) fight to uncover who is behind the abduction. Their investigation threatens to reveal secrets and other troubling details about Nick’s digital life. Nick’s journey is characterized by uncertainty, unforeseen risks, and the will to survive against seemingly impossible odds, much like David’s experiences in ‘I Will Find You.’ The shows are tense, unpredictable, and visually complementary.
9. Missing You (2025)
‘Missing You’ centers on Detective Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar), whose life is turned upside down when she unexpectedly discovers the profile of her former fiancé, Josh Buchanan (Ashley Walters), on a dating app more than a decade after he vanished without explanation. The shocking discovery forces Kat to revisit a painful chapter of her life and reexamine the circumstances surrounding the murder of her father, Clint Donovan (Lenny Henry). As she begins searching for answers about Josh’s disappearance and sudden reappearance, she uncovers hidden connections between the two mysteries.
As the investigation reaches deeper, Kat realizes that the events she thought she understood may have been built on deceit. The Netflix thriller series is a Harlan Coben creation based on his novel of the same name. Akin to ‘I Will Find You,’ the show depicts a scenario in which an individual who has remained in the dark for years seemingly resurfaces unexpectedly, putting pressure on another character to find the truth while facing psychological battles.
8. Gone for Good (2021)
‘Gone for Good’ or ‘Disparu à jamais’ chronicles the life of Guillaume Lucchesi (Finnegan Oldfield), who has spent a decade trying to move on from the deaths of his first love, Sonia (Garance Marillier), and his brother, Fred (Nicolas Duvauchelle). Just as Guillaume has rebuilt his life with his lover Judith (Nailia Harzoune), tragedy strikes again when she suddenly disappears during his mother’s funeral. Determined to find her, Guillaume begins investigating and is forced to revisit harrowing events from his past. As he uncovers family secrets and conflicting accounts of what really happened years earlier, Guillaume realizes that the people closest to him may be different from what he believes.
Adapted from the eponymous novel by Harlan Coben, the Netflix French mystery thriller series is brought to life by David Elkaïm and Vincent Poymiro. The show captures the essence of ‘I Will Find You’ by exploring the trauma of distance and loss. Both shows feature desperate characters trying to save their loved ones while confronting the complexities of their own insecurities and secrets.
7. The Stranger (2020)
Adapted from creator Harlan Coben’s eponymous novel, ‘The Stranger’ is the story of Adam Price (Richard Armitage). He is a family man whose seemingly stable life is shattered when a mysterious woman known only as The Stranger (Hannah John-Kamen) reveals a disturbing secret about his wife, Corinne Price (Dervla Kirwan). Soon after the encounter, Corinne suddenly disappears, leaving Adam desperate for answers. As he searches for his missing wife, he uncovers a web of secrets involving friends, neighbors, and strangers whose lives are unexpectedly connected.
With each revelation, Adam finds himself drawn deeper into a complex conspiracy where hidden truths have devastating consequences, and his wife’s life precariously hangs in the balance. The Netflix British mystery thriller series is a nuanced exploration of the consequences of secrets and deception in intricate settings, pushing one man to the edge in disturbing ways, much like ‘I Will Find You’ does with David.
6. Stay Close (2021)
Netflix’s ‘Stay Close’ follows three seemingly unrelated people whose lives are connected by long-buried secrets. Megan Pierce (Cush Jumbo) is a mother of three trying to leave behind a troubled past, Ray Levine (Richard Armitage) is trapped in a thankless job, and Detective Michael Broome (James Nesbitt) remains obsessed with an unsolved missing-person case. When another man disappears under circumstances similar to the case in question, Broome reopens the investigation. At the same time, a visitor from Megan’s past threatens to expose truths she has worked hard to conceal.
As old secrets resurface, the lives of Megan, Ray, and Broome become increasingly intertwined, leading to dangerous consequences and shocking revelations. The British mystery drama series is crafted under the guidance of Harlan Coben and adapted from his titular novel. While being visually and thematically similar to ‘I Will Find You,’ the show adds its own flavors to an intriguing case of disappearance, testing characters at every turn, and delving into the psychological impact of missing-person cases.
5. The Innocent (2021)
‘The Innocent’ or ‘El inocente’ revolves around Mateo Vidal (Mario Casas), whose life is permanently altered after he accidentally kills a man during a fight and serves several years in prison. After his release, Mateo rebuilds his life with Olivia Costa (Aura Garrido), and the couple finally appears to have found stability and happiness. However, just as they begin planning their future together, a mysterious phone call sets in motion a series of events that threatens to destroy everything they have built. Mateo investigates the truth behind unsettling developments, and eventually becomes entangled in a web of buried secrets and unexpected connections.
As he delves deeper, Mateo realizes that the past continues to shape the present in dangerous ways. The Netflix Spanish mystery thriller miniseries, helmed by Oriol Paulo, is based on Harlan Coben’s novel of the same name. Much like David in ‘I Will Find You,’ Mateo faces extraordinary challenges once he gets out of prison and realizes that something darker is haunting him. After being dragged into mysteries against their will, the two men go beyond their capacities to hunt for the truth in desperate circumstances.
4. Fool Me Once (2024)
Netflix’s ‘Fool Me Once’ is a British mystery thriller series that deals with Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan). She is a former military pilot struggling to cope with the murder of her husband, Joe Burkett (Richard Armitage), while raising their young daughter. Things take a turn when she installs a nanny cam in her home and appears to see Joe on the footage. Determined to understand what she witnessed, she begins investigating and soon uncovers secrets connected not only to Joe’s apparent death but also to the earlier murder of her sister, Claire Walker.
As Maya digs deeper, she encounters secrets and powerful figures linked to a dangerous conspiracy. Danny Brocklehurst co-created the show with Harlan Coben, whose eponymous novel it is adapted from. A person presumed dead reappearing, family struggles, dangerous secrets, the relentless efforts to learn the truth, and the consequences of lies are themes both ‘I Will Find You’ and ‘Fool Me Once’ explore.
3. The Five (2016)
Created by Harlan Coben, ‘The Five’ or ‘Harlan Coben’s The Five’ begins in 1995 when a kid named Jesse Wells disappears after being left behind by his older brother, Mark Wells (Tom Cullen), and their friends Danny Kenwood (O. T. Fagbenle), Slade (Lee Ingleby), and Pru Carew (Sarah Solemani). Despite years of searching, Jesse is never found. Two decades later, Danny is a detective and finds that the DNA evidence from a murder scene unexpectedly matches Jesse’s.
The discovery raises the possibility that Jesse may still be alive. As the four childhood friends reunite to uncover the truth, old wounds resurface, forcing them to confront harsh realities. The British mystery thriller series is spiritually and thematically related to ‘I Will Find You,’ as it directly explores the complex scenario of a person presumed dead resurfacing under extraordinary circumstances. The journeys of the characters in the two stories also complement each other, as both shows focus on their psychological battles.
2. The Missing (2014-2016)
‘The Missing’ is a British anthology mystery drama series from the minds of Harry Williams and Jack Williams. The first season of the BBC show follows Tony Hughes (James Nesbitt), whose life is devastated when his young son, Oliver Hughes (Oliver Hunt), disappears during a family holiday in France. Refusing to give up hope, Tony spends years searching for answers, placing enormous strain on his relationships. Assisting the investigation is French detective Julien Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo), who remains haunted by the case and unwilling to believe it is truly over. The second season centers on Alice Webster (Abigail Hardingham), a young woman who unexpectedly returns home after being missing for over a decade.
As questions arise about what happened during her disappearance, Baptiste once again becomes involved in a complex investigation that spans countries. The visual elements, characters, and the show’s haunting mysteries make it complementary to ‘I Will Find You.’ The main characters in both shows face difficulties when they are forced to confront tough choices amid the pressures of solving seemingly impossible mysteries.
1. Safe (2018)
Netflix’s ‘Safe’ explores the trials and tribulations of Tom Delaney (Michael C. Hall), a pediatric surgeon raising his two teenage daughters after the death of his wife from cancer. Living in a seemingly secure gated community, Tom believes his family is gradually rebuilding their lives. Everything changes when his eldest daughter, Jenny Delaney (Amy James-Kelly), suddenly disappears after a party. Desperate to find her, Tom launches his own investigation, with help from his girlfriend, detective Sophie Mason (Amanda Abbington). As the search intensifies, Tom uncovers secrets and betrayals in his neighborhood that may affect his daughter’s fate.
The engaging and unpredictable British drama thriller series is crafted under the guidance of Harlan Coben. Much like ‘I Will Find You,’ it is a relentless and harrowing journey of a father to rescue his child against unfavorable odds. The ways in which the main characters experience uncertainty, trauma, and tension connect the shows on a spiritual level, while also featuring similar visual and tonal elements.
Read More: Shows Like Someone Has to Know
