Netflix has found the stars of ‘Myron Bolitar’, with Colin Woodell (‘Pulse’, ‘The Continental’) taking the title role alongside KJ Apa (‘Riverdale’, ‘The Map That Leads to You’) and Diane Guerrero (‘Orange Is the New Black’, ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’).
And this could be a rather different kind of Harlan Coben adaptation.
Most of the Coben series we have seen on Netflix so far have followed a familiar format. Take one novel, build a twisty limited series around it, reveal several layers of increasingly questionable family secrets, then drop the big twist before everyone goes home.
‘Myron Bolitar’ is not really built that way.
The character first appeared in Coben’s 1995 novel Deal Breaker and has gone on to lead 12 books, most recently Think Twice in 2024. Rather than being the protagonist of one self-contained mystery, Myron is a recurring character with an established supporting cast who repeatedly finds himself dragged into blackmail, murder and other situations not generally covered in the average sports agent job description.
That means, at least in theory, this is a Harlan Coben property that could be designed as an ongoing television series rather than a one-and-done mystery. Netflix itself is describing the project as a “drama series”, not a limited series.
Of course, this is Netflix, so “could run for multiple seasons” and “will be allowed to run for multiple seasons” remain two very different things. Still, the source material is certainly there.
After an injury ends his NBA dreams, Myron Bolitar reinvents himself as a sports agent, using charm, brains and a rather ruthless partner to navigate the high-stakes world of professional sport. Unfortunately for Myron, saving his clients regularly involves rather more than negotiating contracts and finding sponsorship deals.
Colin Woodell plays Myron, a former college basketball star whose NBA career came to an abrupt end. He builds MB Sports around his belief in overlooked athletes, bringing the same heart and fiercely competitive drive to the agency that he once brought to the court.
KJ Apa plays Windsor “Win” Lockwood, Myron’s closest friend and business partner. Born into extraordinary privilege, Win walked away from the family business to build something of his own with Myron. Unflappable, endlessly resourceful and fiercely loyal, he is the person Myron turns to when clients find themselves in serious trouble.
Diane Guerrero plays Esperanza Diaz, a former professional wrestler who has become Myron’s indispensable right hand at MB Sports. With plenty of grit and a razor-sharp wit, she is the backbone of the agency and the person tasked with keeping both Myron and his clients under control.
There is another significant difference behind the camera too. This is not coming from the familiar UK team behind many of Netflix’s recent English-language Coben adaptations, such as ‘Fool Me Once’, ‘Missing You’ and ‘Run Away’.
Instead, David E. Kelley (‘Big Little Lies’, ‘Presumed Innocent’, ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’) and Kyle Long (‘Suits’, ‘Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.’) will co-showrun, co-write and executive produce the series.
Kelley seems like a particularly interesting fit. He created Netflix’s ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’, another adaptation built around a recurring lead character from a long-running series of novels. That show made it to five seasons before Netflix decided its upcoming fifth run would be the last, so he has some experience turning a book franchise into an ongoing streaming drama.
Greg Yaitanes (‘Presumed Innocent’, ‘House of the Dragon’) will also executive produce and direct multiple episodes. Other executive producers include Matthew Tinker for David E. Kelley Productions, Rick Muirragui, and Coben through his Final Twist Productions.
Netflix has not yet revealed the episode count, which of the novels might provide the basis for the first season, or whether the show will directly adapt individual books. Given the size of the source material, however, this certainly looks less like the familiar Coben limited-series formula and more like an attempt to build a new returning franchise around one of his most enduring characters.
‘Myron Bolitar’ does not yet have a premiere date but will air on Netflix in the UK. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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