Netflix's New Harlan Coben-Like Crime Thriller Series Is An Instant Streaming Sensation

Published Oct 16, 2026, 4:11 PM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." Netflix's new crime thriller series has drawn some comparisons to a famous genre creator, and the dark show has instantly become a global streaming sensation. Netflix's slate of TV shows in 2026 has been led by crime thrillers so far. The only two new shows that have been able to break into Netflix's all-time TV shows chart came from that genre. The first to do it was Jon Bernthal's His & Hers. That crime thriller was then taken off the chart by one of Netflix's Harlan Coben adaptations. That would be I Will Find You, which is Netflix's 5th most-watched series ever. I Will Find You's global success on the streaming service continued a long trend of limited series based on Coben's crime thriller novels going on to become bona fide hits with adaptations on Netflix. That list of shows also includes Run Away, Fool Me Once, Safe, The Stranger, and more. Now, while it is not based on one of Coben's bestselling novels, Netflix has a new crime thriller series that has quickly become a global powerhouse on the streaming service's charts, The Trap, and the dark crime TV show bears some similarities to the popular Coben adaptations at the streamer. The Trap Is Enticing Audiences On Netflix At the time of writing, The Trap has become the 2nd most-watched TV show on Netflix worldwide, according to FlixPatrol. The Trap, also known as Die Falle, is a new German crime thriller series on Netflix that follows popular author Lisa Konrad as she finally decides to leave her house for the first time in a decade following the death of her sister. The decision comes after Lisa recognizes the killer on TV, using herself as the bait to trap him, hence the new crime thriller series' title. The Trap is only beaten by Below, another recent Netflix Original thriller series, on the streamer globally. That said, The Trap ranks higher than shows like Take Charge of My Heart, Florence Pugh's East of Eden, TYSON, Doctor X: Mafia in White, Keri Russell's The Diplomat, and many more on Netflix's global charts. According to FlixPatrol, the new German crime thriller series is currently trending on Netflix in no less than 84 countries. One of those is the United States, where The Trap is Netflix's 9th most popular TV show right now. It leaves Hollywood Arts behind nationwide. The Trap released all of its six episodes on Netflix on October 13. It ranked 4th worldwide on Netflix a day later, becoming an instant hit. The Thriller Series Is Perfect For Harlan Coben Fans Netflix For Netflix subscribers who enjoy the streaming service's many Coben adaptations and have been waiting for a new crime thriller series in the vein of the author's work since I Will Find You debuted on Netflix on June 18, The Trap is a worthy replacement. The new Netflix series also presents a tragedy from several years ago that directly impacts the show's plot, like Coben shows like Safe. The Trap is also based on a novel, written by Melanie Raabe. It also centers itself on a personal investigation led by someone close to the crime, rather than the police, making The Trap perfect for Coben fans.