Harlan Coben’s The Stranger: When is it released on Netflix? Who is in the cast? All you need to know

Hit Play above to watch The Stranger cast talk Netflix TV adaptation in our exclusive video

Netflix has signed up another thrilling adaptation from author Harlan Coben that will be edge-of-your-seat viewing.

The Stranger is based on the novel of the same name and Coben will executive produce the series as part of a talented team that includes Danny Brocklehurst as lead writer.

Here’s all you need to know about when it begins, what happens, and who’s in the cast.

When is The Stranger on Netflix?

All eight episodes of The Stranger land on Netflix on Thursday, January 30, 2020.

What is it about?

Based on Harlan Coben’s novel, The Stranger centres on Adam Price (Richard Armitage, pictured above at the show's launch), an ordinary man who finds himself in an extraordinary situation when a stranger sits next to him one night in a bar.

Adam is very happily married to Corinne, mother of his two sons, but when the stranger tells him a devastating secret about his wife, everything changes.

He soon finds himself entangled in a situation even darker than Corinne’s deception and if he doesn’t make exactly the right moves, his wrong turns could ruin lives and end his family.

It’s the sort of twist-and-turn-filled thriller that Coben, above at the launch, has become known for, and which has won him scores of fans for both his novels and his Netflix adaptations.

The author said: “The Stranger was one of my most challenging novels — and definitely the most twisted.  When I wrote it, I never imagined that I’d be part of a dream team of extraordinary talent bringing it to life.”

Who stars in it?

Richard Armitage is the actor who has landed the top job as Adam Price - the series’ protagonist who finds himself tangled in a mysterious web of deception.

His steady life, two wonderful sons and watertight marriage all seem unassailable - until The Stranger reveals a shocking secret about his wife Corinne (played by Dervla Kirwan).

He is best known for playing Thorin in The Hobbit film series and has also starred in TV series Robin Hood, Spooks, Strike Back, Hannibal, and Berlin Station.

Happy Valley and Downton Abbey star Siobhan Finneran takes a leading role as DS Johanna Griffin in the suspenseful series.

Siobhan’s punchy police detective finds her pragmatic approach to police work compromised when her investigation into the matter becomes deeply personal.

Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and The Wasp, Ready Player One) will play the title character - a mysterious stranger who exposes people’s secrets, dropping bombshells that will shatter lives.

Speaking at the premiere of the series in December 2019, Harlan Coben said: “I can’t believe I ever wrote The Stranger without Hannah in mind. This is a dream cast."

Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous) joins in her first major dramatic role, as Heidi, Johanna’s closest friend; an outgoing character who is seeking adventure after her daughter leaves for university.

The cast also includes Shaun Dooley (Ordinary Lies, Broadchurch), Paul Kaye (Game of Thrones), Kadiff Kirwan (Chewing Gum, Black Mirror), Anthony Head (The Split, Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Oscar-nominated actor Stephen Rea (War and Peace, The Crying Game).

Is there a trailer?

Yep - Netflix released a full-length trailer in January 2020:

A first look clip from the series was previously revealed:

Which other Harlan Coben novels have been on TV?

Harlan Coben and Danny Brocklehurst have already worked together on two other adaptations of the author’s work for screen.

In 2018, Dexter star Michael C Hall took the lead role in the adaptation of Safe, a thriller about a widowed surgeon who must try to track down his missing teenage daughter, but discovers some dark truths about his friends and neighbours.

The Five was also made into a TV series by the pair in 2016, starring Lee Ingleby and Sarah Solemani in a story about a group of friends who were thrown into a mystery when one of their brothers’ DNA was found at a murder scene 20 years after his disappearance.

Hit Play below to watch The Stranger cast talk all things secrets & lies

Harlan Coben’s The Stranger premieres on Netflix in full on Thursday, January 30, 2020.