It’s official – Harlan Coben’s Lazarus is coming to Prime Video on October 22, with all six episodes set to drop on the streaming service at once. Starring Bill Nighy and Sam Claflin, the new crime thriller will follow a forensic pathologist (Claflin) who investigates cold-case murders after returning to his family home following the death of his father (Nighy).
Crime bods among us will know this is far from the first time we’ve been able to stream a Coben story. Fool Me Once, Missing You, and Stay Close are all among those adapted from his novels. The difference is, we’ve typically been streaming the crime dramas on Netflix for the past few years.
So why has Lazarus crossed over to Prime Video? Not only is the answer much more straightforward than you think, but it’s going to be easier than ever for new and old fans alike to watch the new series, and that’s a good thing.
Harlan Coben’s Lazarus isn’t the first adaptation that’s been made for Amazon
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Cast your mind back to 2018. Coben had just signed a five-year deal with Netflix to adapt 14 of his existing novels for the streaming service, which include the titles I’ve mentioned above. As they started appearing from 2020 (beginning with The Stranger), he’s officially reached the end of the five year period.
But even before that, Coben’s Shelter had already been adapted for Prime Video in 2023 (you can catch the trailer above). Because the Mickey Bolitar books weren’t part of what was outlined in the Netflix contract, Coben had total free reign to do this. Two years later, and that seemingly started an entirely new streaming partnership.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that Lazarus won’t be an adaptation from an existing book, but instead comes from a script written by Coben and Danny Brocklehurst. This is another huge difference from the TV shows we’ve seen come before, and potentially highlights a new avenue of original ideas that the Prime Video partnership can explore.
Personally, I think Coben shifting from Netflix to Prime Video is an incredibly smart move. We’re never going to lose the bank of content created for the former, but Prime Video is a service that has a lot of casual viewers thanks to its connection to Amazon Prime. My grandmother can watch Lazarus, so can my mum, alongside those who now think the other best streaming services are a rip off and want to cancel their subscriptions.
Even I, who normally wouldn’t gravitate towards a crime procedural, feel more compelled to give Lazarus a go. And that, my friends, is savvy business planning.
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