Harlan Coben's Final Twist - What is the acclaimed writer's first True Crime series about? Details explored

Harlan Coben's Final Twist is arriving on CBS this new year on January 7 and presents the first-ever unscripted drama by Coben, where he will be seen as a host unveiling some true crime stories.

When Harlan Coben writes a thriller with an athlete as the protagonist, his fans can imagine the world he is diving into. Harlan Coben's tightly wound mysteries, shocking reversals, and endings come with the potential to knock the reader off balance.

The novelist and screenwriter, Harlan Coben, is the author of many bestselling novels, such as Tell No One, The Stranger, and The Innocent, among many others.

Here is what Harlan Coben's Final Twist is about.

What is the writer's first True Crime series, Harlan Coben's Final Twist about?

The king of suspense this time will lift the curtain, revealing a new, darker, and unexpected side to human nature. The synopsis of the show, as per IMDb, reads,

"True crime stories expose shocking murders and scandals as investigators peel back layers of deceit to uncover startling revelations and buried secrets."

The pilot episode Billy & Billie Jean looks into the case of a couple who were discovered murdered in their Tennessee residence, and the probe is moving towards cyberbullying, social media tips, and possibly a CIA agent’s participation.

After Coben executive produces alongside a team including Jeff Zimbalist and Susan Zirinsky, Final Twist marries true crime storytelling with Coben’s unique ability to craft narrative mystery, presenting complex real-life puzzles that captivate viewers.

At the end of the day, Harlan Coben's Final Twist is an unscripted true crime anthology series, with a new case each episode based on actual events. Coben serves as on-camera host and guide, leading viewers through investigations that involve deception, concealed motives, and unexpected shifts in the narrative.

The series relies heavily on never-before-seen interviews, archival footage, police files, and eyewitness accounts to piece together stories and to expose how cases developed in ways no one could have predicted. In keeping with its title, every episode builds to a final twist that recontextualizes everything that was shown before.

What else do we know about Harlan Coben's Final Twist?

The story-first approach is what differentiates Harlan Coben's Final Twist from more typical true crime content. Instead of treating everything as a procedural aspect, Final Twist focuses on perspective, on how the investigators and the families of victims, as well as the public, got key things wrong, and on how those errors changed the trajectory of justice. Coben’s presence provides a narrative thread throughout the series, with each episode structured like a chapter in one of his novels, revealing the truth layer by layer.

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CBS has marketed the series as a prestige unscripted project, capitalizing on the enduring popularity of true crime but hopefully setting it apart with Coben’s narrative voice and heart.

Therefore, we can say that, after years of bringing fictional worlds to TV, Coben is now bringing that same set of instincts, misdirection, suspense, and emotional payoff to real cases, where lives were unknowingly altered.

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