Netflix subscribers should be used to seeing tons of new material in their suggestion feed at this point, since the streamer has leaned so heavily on in-house originals in recent years. One major deal struck by Netflix to ensure further success in this field includes a contract with American author Harlan Coben. Inked in 2018, this partnership saw Netflix agreeing to adapt 14 of Coben’s novels into film and television projects, with the author himself serving as an executive producer. Since then, the streamer has released 11 of these adaptations, the latest of which is titled Caught. Many of these projects have received critical and audience acclaim, bringing in droves of new viewers.
Since Caught is still so fresh off the presses, now seems like a perfect time to examine the brand new series, compare and contrast it with some of the other releases in Coben’s catalogue and offer a comprehensive review of the material. We’ll discuss a brief overview of the plot ahead, but there won’t be any spoilers for this Netflix original outing, so don’t be afraid to barrel on even if you haven’t had the chance to finish the series.
What Is ‘Caught’ About?
Much like the novel of the same name, Caught centers on a disturbing child kidnapping conspiracy threatening to tear an entire community apart. The mini-series primarily focuses on the journey of journalist Emma Garay as she tracks down the sick individuals responsible for the crimes, and the network of powerful men she uncovers along the way. This focus is a departure from the original novel, which centers primarily on one of the teenage victims. By changing the key perspective offered within the story, Caught manages to be significantly more concise and simple to follow than its original iteration, lending itself perfectly to the mini-series structure.
The full series runs just six episodes, but manages to pack a lot of thrilling information and character dynamics into the mix. The tension escalates at a brisk pace, and continues delivering twist after twist until the heart-thumping climax in the final episode. Despite the well-paced narrative structure, there are a few things holding Caught back from standing among Harlan Coben’s most well received outings.
What Are the Critics Saying?
Though Caught succeeds in many ways, the foreign-language project has failed to inspire overwhelmingly positive reviews from professional critics. As of this writing, the series currently touts a paltry critic score of just 40 percent on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. Many of the harsher critiques stem from those who feel that the series is crowded with too many side characters and sub plots. This has been a common critique of Coben’s written works for some time now, though many of the Netflix works have managed to side-step these complaints. Other critics felt that there may have been a language barrier preventing them from experiencing the narrative properly. Like many Netflix creations, the subtitled version of Caught is significantly better than the dubbed English version, which delivers stilted vocal performances that do more to distract from Soledad Villamil’s inspired performance than enhance it.
Since the key complaints lie within the narrative’s sprawling scope, it seems as though Caught would have made a better feature film than a mini-series. This choice could have allowed the filmmakers to trim some of the fat and deliver a final product loaded with scenes you wouldn’t want to look away from. Instead, those scenes are presented between large swaths of unnecessary filler and meandering additives.
How Does ‘Caught’ Stack Up Against Coben’s Other Netflix Originals?
Though some critics view Caught as a misstep, it’s clear that Harlan Coben and his Netflix team have harnessed great talent with their adaptations. Many of Coben’s collaborations with the streamer have amassed perfect or near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores. Others have fallen short of the “certified fresh” benchmark, but maintain cult followings from subscribers who enjoy the multinational thrilling adventures. To illustrate this point, check out the table below, which outlines each of the outings chronologically alongside their critic review score on the site.
- Safe (2018) – 71%
- The Stranger (2020) – 87%
- The Woods (2020) – 89%
- The Innocent (2021) – 100%
- Gone For Good (2021) – No critic score, 37% audience score
- Stay Close (2021) – 92%
- Hold Tight (2022) – No critic score, 38% audience score
- Fool Me Once (2024) – 71%
- Missing You (2025) – 48%
- Just One Look (2025) – 75%
- Caught (2025) – 40%
Obviously, each of Coben’s works stands on their own, resulting in a wide array of different reactions. Even with a few lesser-appreciated outings like Gone For Good and Hold Tight bringing down the average, it’s highly impressive that Netflix has churned out such critical smash hits as The Innocent. If you’re a die-hard Harlan Coben fan, and found yourself enjoying each and every one of the above projects, you’ll almost certainly find plenty to enjoy about Caught. If you tend to lean toward the highest-scoring films by the above metric, you may want to skip this one, especially if subtitles aren’t really your thing. Any way you slice it, Caught certainly has its audience, and opens the door to many other Spanish language outings for this team of prolific filmmakers.
What Projects Are Next in the Streaming Deal?
Netflix renewed their arrangement with Harlan Coben for a multi-million dollar sum back in October of 2022, which should see the streamer developing more adaptations from the author through at least early 2027. The next several installments have already entered into active production, and appear to be covering Coben’s novels “I Will Find You” and “Run Away.” Coben’s “Myron Bolitar” series is also slated to get the Netflix treatment, though not much is known about the project at this time. The latter spans 12 novels in length, meaning this franchise may be the first entrant in the deal to receive orders for multiple seasons.
