If you’re looking for the next Netflix mystery drama to binge through, then Stay Close is an absolute must-see that you should add to your queue immediately. The eight-episode series was met with critical acclaim upon its 2021 release, and like the novel that inspired it, will keep you guessing well into its final act. Though you may have seen similar premises play out in the past, Stay Close is executed in a way that adds a fresh spin to the genre that forces viewers to look past the surface of its characters and piece together their motives based on what’s being shown on-screen.
Stay Close Is Just One Of Coben’s Netflix Adaptations
Stay Closeis based on the Harlan Coben novel of the same name. If you’re familiar with Netflix titles like Safe, The Stranger, The Woods, The Innocent, and Gone for Good, then you’ll certainly be familiar with Coben’s overall creative vision. Safe is an original Coben story rather than a novel adaptation; the other four series adapt his books. Coben signed a five-year deal with Netflix in 2018 to develop his novels for the screen.
The adaptation also gives the mystery a different home. Netflix confirmed that Stay Close moves Coben’s American story to Britain, with filming around Manchester and northwest England. Lead writer Danny Brocklehurst and the producing team had already worked on The Stranger and Safe. That continuity helps explain the familiar appeal: ordinary suburban lives become a maze of old connections, and the comfortable surroundings make the secrets underneath feel all the more unsettling.
The Happy Family
As for the story in Stay Close, we’re met with a mystery set in the fictional suburb of Livingstone. Megan Pierce, a former exotic dancer with a mysterious past, settles down with her fiancé, Dave, and her three children. We’re then introduced to Ray, a former documentary photographer who now works a dead-end job as a paparazzo-for-hire.
Ray is a changed man after losing the love of his life, and makes his living pandering to rich kids.
Enter The Detective
Detective Michael Broom ties everything together in Stay Close, as he is haunted by a cold case involving the disappearance of Stewart Green that bears a striking resemblance to an investigation he’s pursuing in the present day. Broom’s investigation opens old wounds and we’re left wondering how the two cases are related. We learn that Megan and Ray may be hiding something from Broom, but the extent of what they know is shrouded in mystery.
The Killers
Meanwhile, we’re introduced to two psychopath hit-men known as Barbie and Ken who were hired to kill off anybody who’s involved in the missing person cases.
The Critics Have Spoken
Stay Close was a critical hit upon its release, and garnered a 92 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. While some reviewers acknowledged how the series leans into the tried-and-true formula that so many other mystery series have done in the past, they were quick to praise Stay Closefor its innate ability to show but not tell. Though each character is tight-lipped in their own unique way, we’re clued into past incidents of violence and deception through the creative use of editing juxtaposed with each character’s current countenance.
Trust No One
It’s hard to trust anybody in Stay Close because they’re all exorcising their own unique demons and trying to put their pasts behind them while a suspected active serial killer is on the loose. Since the series’ first episode wastes no time establishing what’s at stake, you’ll be hooked from the beginning as you wait for the next big reveal with each passing episode.
A Perfect Example of Coben Adaptations
If you’re familiar with Harlan Coben’s other works, Stay Close will quickly win you over with its expert storytelling, expert pacing, and unnerving reveals. Just make sure that you clear out your planner for the day, because you’re going to push through the series in a single sitting.
