Harlan Coben adaptations have been incredibly successful for both the writer and Netflix. The Innocent (El Inocente) continues this trend as we head to Spain for the story of Mateo Vidal.
Told over eight episodes, each one focuses on a specific character and exactly how they have ended up caught up in a case involving a suspected suicide.
First up is Mateo Vidal (Mario Casas) whose life changes the night he goes to a graduation party. When he inadvertently gets caught up in a fight, he pushes another young man, killing him when he falls back and hits his head.
The accidental killing leads him to a four year prison sentence. However when his parents are killed, he gets a day release and meets Olivia Costa (Aura Garrido).
When he is finally released, he goes to work for his brother Isma at his law firm and once again Oliva enters his life. Fast forward a couple of years and they are married, buying a house and discover that Olivia is expecting their first child.
Mateo has been given a second chance at life and then, in the blink of an eye, his entire world is turned upside down.
The Innocent Official Trailer
Oliva goes to Berlin on a business trip but when he starts to receive rather unusual videos from her phone, discovers she has withdrawn €50,000 from their bank account and he can't contact her, he doesn't know what to think.
So, with his friend Zoe (Anna Alarcón), a Private Investigator, they try to track her down.
On the other side of town, Lorena Ortiz (Alexandra Jiménez)is a detective who is called to the convent school where she grew up as one of the nuns has seemingly committed suicide.
But when she discovers that the nun was living under a new identity, she decides to pursue the case and find out who she was and why she died.
That is until her attempts are halted when the Special Crimes Unit gets involved.
Undeterred, she eventually links the suicide to Mateo but unbeknownst to her, it's Olivia that has been hiding a very dark secret that may eventually get her killed.
The race is on to find Mateo, as he looks for Olivia, as she tries to outrun her past. Who is out to get them? Can Lorena Ortiz solve the case? Or will Mateo second chance at happiness be over before it's ever really begun?
Is The Innocent Worth Watching?
Author Harlan Coben has knocked it out of the park again with The Innocent. Taking seemingly random people and tying all of their lives together as they venture down a dark hole of intrigue and murder is his speciality.
Starting from a premise where an accidental killing leads to a chain of events that follow the characters for the rest of their lives is inspired.
So too is the idea that one phone call can instantly change your life completely.
All of the characters in The Innocent are well written and with a plot full of twists and turns. The show will have you hooked until the end. Just when you think you know what's happening, another bombshell drops.
What I will say though is that visually, The Innocent is not for the faint of heart. The violence is brutal, like stomach churning. There is no hiding from the results of the beatings and deaths that some of the characters are on the receiving end of.
It is more sexually explicit than some of the other adaptations. Similar to Stay Close, The Innocent also uses the back drop of a strip club for a lot of the plot. Except this one happens to be in Marbella rather than London.
If you've enjoyed the other Harlan Coben tv series on Netflix then you will probably like this Spanish adaptation even more. It's grittier and more intriguing with more subplots that ultimately all tie in together.
Will There Be A Season 2 Of The Innocent On Netflix?
Like so many shows based on novels, The Innocent is done and dusted.
It is a limited series that has a beginning, middle and end so there will be no second season.
The reality is that it doesn't need one. The whole story is completely wrapped up over the course of 8 episodes.
However, Netflix does have six other Harlan Coben adaptations for you to watch – check out the full list here.
The Innocent Netflix Cast
The Innocent is a mystery thriller based on the book of the same name by Harlan Coben.
The tv series was directed by Oriol Paulo who also co-wrote it with Jordi Vallejo and Guillem Clua.
But in order to create a solid mystery you have to have more than a great director and writers. You need a great cast and The Innocent has it in spades…
Mario Casas as Mateo who accidentally kills a young man during a bar brawl but years later finds love and freedom only to have taken away again when one phone call brings back the nightmare.
Alexandra Jiménez as Lorena Ortiz a Police Sergeant who must put together the pieces of a suspected suicide and must delve down a dark hole of intrigue to solve a much bigger case.
Aura Garrido (A Private Affair) as Olivia Costa, married to Mateo, she is hiding a very dark past of her own.
José Coronado (The Invisible Guest) as Teo Aguilar, a Police Inspector with the Special Crimes Unit.
Martina Gusmán as Kimmy Dale, associated with Olivia in her past life.
Juana Acosta as Emma, dating Anibal
Gonzalo de Castro as Jaime, Dani's father
Ana Wagener as Sonia, Dani's mother
Miki Esparbé as Aníbal, who runs a very disturbing strip club
Xavi Sáez as Sáez, a gun for hire
Anna Alarcón as Zoe, a private investigator and Mateo's friend
Susi Sánchez as Hermana Irene
Aysha Daraaui as Lavanda, a dancer in the club
Asia Ortega as Cassandra, a dancer in the club
Santi Pons as Gallardo, a retired detective hired to find Emma
