Lazarus review: This supernatural mish-mash should’ve stayed a cut-and-dried thriller

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Harlan Coben’s novels have been consistently adapted into TV shows, and it’s become a very efficient process. While critics haven’t always loved these Netflix adaptations, viewers clearly enjoy them. They’re made quickly and deliver exactly what many people want: a good, fast-paced thriller. For a casual TV watcher, that’s a winning combination.

Harlan Coben is back with a new Prime Video series, reuniting with Danny Brocklehurst, the award-winning creator of Brassic. They’ve collaborated before on hits like Safe and The Stranger, and are now preparing another Netflix show called Run Away, featuring a talented ensemble cast.

Although Harlan Coben has consistently created popular and successful TV shows, his newest series, Lazarus, isn’t likely to leave a lasting impression – you’ll probably forget it soon after watching.

The show centers around Laz, a forensic psychiatrist played by Sam Claflin, who has always hidden his feelings by dedicating himself to his job. His carefully constructed life is shaken when he learns of his father, Dr. L (Bill Nighy), taking his own life. While dealing with this devastating loss, Laz quickly realizes there’s more to the story, as you’d expect from a Harlan Coben thriller.

Once Laz enters his father’s office, hoping to uncover the truth about his death, he begins experiencing bizarre visions. In these visions, he sees events from his father’s life – therapy sessions and private moments – but appears as his father himself. These experiences offer glimpses into the lives of his father’s patients and their struggles, and even hint at previously unsolved cases.

Laz begins to involve himself in his best friend’s detective work, stumbling upon crime scenes and ultimately revealing his ability to see ghosts.

Those around Laz appear unfazed by his actions, which makes you wonder if he’s behaved like this before. We get brief glimpses into his past, particularly surrounding the heartbreaking night his twin sister was murdered. Even after 25 years, questions linger, and it seems everything came to a head right after his father died.

We’re learning about the story through Laz, but he’s not always a trustworthy source of information. It’s hard to fully understand him or connect with his story because we don’t know much about his life – we only see glimpses of a difficult relationship with his father and the weight he carries from his sister’s death. We miss a large part of his life, and it’s unclear whether his ability to see dead people is a normal part of his world or something he tries to hide.

The movie isn’t helped by a less-than-stellar performance from Claflin, whose depiction of a son dealing with grief feels somewhat flat. However, the bigger issues with Lazarus are its awkward writing, slow speed, and unnecessary addition of horror and supernatural themes. Ultimately, it strays from what Harlan Coben usually delivers – a straightforward thriller.

The show starts with an interesting idea, but quickly becomes overloaded with storylines and characters. It tries to tie everything together in a big finale, but unfortunately, it doesn’t quite deliver.

Honestly, this show is just piling everything on top of everything else. We’re already dealing with Laz grieving his dad and trying to understand what was going on with Dr. L before he passed, and then they throw in murder, cheating, stalking, addiction… it’s a lot! Between all that, plus the ghosts, visions, flashbacks, and Laz’s over-the-top reactions, it all feels way too soapy and melodramatic for me. It’s just… too much.

Look, I really wanted to get into “Lazarus.” It tried to be a gripping, twisty thriller, but honestly, it just didn’t deliver. The story felt flat, the characters weren’t all that interesting, and there weren’t any real surprises to keep me on the edge of my seat. It had potential, but ultimately, it just fell short of being a truly compelling watch.

The show starts strong by realistically portraying suicide and the resulting grief, with a few truly moving moments. However, the final episode unfortunately negates the emotional weight of this storyline. The ending, without giving anything away, doesn’t offer clarity and leaves you just as confused as you were before.

The season finishes in a way that hints at a possible continuation, but honestly, these six episodes weren’t very good, so there’s no reason to make another season.

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2025-10-21 16:34