Entertainment
Harlan Coben’s Newest True Crime Show Is a Game Changer for the Author
Love him or hate him, there’s no denying the unstoppable force that is Harlan Coben. Somewhat of a modern-day Agatha Christie, Coben’s prolific production of mystery tales, having penned 36 novels, is worth marveling at. The only author to have won each of an Edgar Award, a Shamus Award, and an Anthony Award, Coben’s work has become some of the best-selling of its kind, with over 90 million copies sold worldwide.
With that in mind, one might assume that this genius creator of winding stories would continue to do what he knows best. Even when crafting his first television original with the recent Lazarus alongside Danny Brocklehurst, each of the twisted details comes at least in part from Coben’s seemingly ever-working mind. Lazarus itself, although facing critical backlash, became an instant hit on streaming, dominating Prime Video upon release and maintaining a position in the top ten in several countries until today. Instead, Coben is about to change his style entirely, as he ventures into the world of true crime as part of CBS’ exciting 2026 arrival: Harlan Coben’s Final Twist.
What is ‘Harlan Coben’s Final Twist’ About?
“Harlan Coben’s Final Twist brings the world’s best-selling mystery author into the true-crime television genre for the first time,” reads the official synopsis for the upcoming series, promising to finally blend one of the most popular styles of story today in true crime with the headline writer from its genre-sibling. The series will consist of several one-hour episodes, with each detailing a gruesome crime packed with twists and turns, as any Coben story should. However, with the inclusion of never-before-seen archival footage and exclusive interviews, viewers can expect this to feel even more grounded and immersive than an average Coben tale.
The series has been executive-produced by Coben and features the veteran documenatarian instincts of showrunner Jeff Zimbalist. Coben will also host the series, marking his first major on-screen job following brief cameo appearances in the French series Une Chance de Trop (No Second Chance), as a maitre’d in The Five, and as a police computer analyst in The Stranger, all Coben novel adaptations.
7 Miniseries To Watch if You Love Prime Video’s ‘Harlan Coben’s Lazarus’
Let the thrills keep coming!
‘Harlan Coben’s Final Twist’ Will Have To Walk a Fine Line
The astronomic rise of the true crime sub-genre has been well-documented, with it seeming like every production company and streaming platform is in an arms race to produce the next must-see doc. Recently, director Geeta Gandbhir‘s The Perfect Neighbor sparked such fierce online discourse that it helped rocket the movie to the top of the Netflix charts, outperforming even the seemingly all-conquering KPop Demon Hunters for a brief period of time. Crucially, The Perfect Neighbor used mostly police body-cam footage to tell its story, so as not to exploit its sensitive subject and craft a genuinely thought-provoking call to arms against localized racism that never felt like propaganda.
The success of The Perfect Neighbor in the delivery of its powerful message is the sort rarely achieved by modern true-crime tales, as it feels as if the shock value from major twists and turns is considered paramount by production companies, often against the authenticity of the final product and the respect deserved by victims. Sometimes, falling into the world of a plastic, overproduced true-crime series or film can leave viewers so detached from the truth at the core of its story that, to those who notice said detachment, it becomes unbearably uncomfortable.
There are many reasons for this phenomenon, from the oversaturation of the true-crime genre to the social media virality. However, one definite reason for this sweeping reaction to true crime is the incredible popularity of murder mystery tales over the past few years, leading to a desperation from production companies to try and emulate the same structure in their documentaries. With Coben as one of the leading faces of the fiction world of crime, this move into non-fiction perhaps suggests an intent to, for want of a better phrase, Coben-ify the real stories that will form the heart of each episode of Final Twist. With this comes the very real worry that victims and perpetrators will be treated like just another character in one of the author’s many novels. The only way to find out will be by watching when the series premieres in January.
Harlan Coben’s Final Twist premieres on Wednesday at 10 pm EST on January 7 on CBS.
