Harlan Coben’s Lazarus: Everything We Know So Far

Autumn is afoot, which has us pondering when the next delicious Harlan Coben crime drama will be served up. While Netflix is busy rustling up another adaptation of one of Coben’s best-selling novels – this time, 2019’s Run Away – in time for 1 January 2026, Coben has turned to Prime Video to create another thriller. Here’s everything we know so far about Lazarus – including its star-studded cast and when it will be available to binge.

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Bill Nighy as Dr Jonathan Lazarus & Sam Claflin as Joel Lazarus in Harlan Coben’s Lazarus. (© Ben Blackall/Prime)

Harlan Coben’s Lazarus: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

A tad different to the Coben thrillers we already know and love, the writer fondly calls Lazarus a ‘ghost story’. ‘Lazarus is a story of loss, redemption – and the eternal bond between a parent and a child, even after death,’ he tells Prime Video.

An original story penned by Coben with English screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst (best known for Brassic), Lazarus centres on forensic psychologist Laz (Sam Claflin) who returns home after his father’s suicide – and starts having inexplicable, disturbing experiences.

Sam Claflin as Joel Lazarus & David Fynn as Seth McGovern in Harlan Coben’s Lazarus. (© Ben Blackall/Prime)

Laz has spent his whole life running from the pain in his past: specifically the murder of his sister Sutton 25 years ago, a cold case that was never solved. And now the death of his father Dr Lazarus (Bill Nighy) – a beloved figure within his community who wants his son to realise they are more similar than Laz thinks – is a mystery too.

With his surviving sister Jenna (Alexandra Roach) burying herself into the spiritual world to survive her grief, Laz delves deeper into his father’s demise – and new parts of Sutton’s story come to light.

‘Lazarus is a psychological thriller with an emotional spine,’ shares writer Danny Brocklehurst, who has also collaborated with Coban on Fool Me Once, Stay Close, The Stranger and Safe. ‘It’s about fathers and sons, love and loss. We have attempted to bring our trademark wit and warmth as well as twists galore. This is the first collaboration the team at Quay Street, Harlan and myself have done with Amazon and we are delighted to be partnering with them.’

Alexandra Roach as Jenna Lazarus, Sam Claflin as Joel Lazarus & Kate Ashfield as Detective Alison Brown in in Harlan Coben’s Lazarus. (© Ben Blackall/Prime)

The Cast

Daisy Jones & The Six star Sam Claflin returns to Prime Video to star as Laz, the central character in Lazarus. The full cast list (so far) includes:

• Sam Claflin as Joel Lazarus
• Bill Nighy as Dr Jonathan Lazarus (father to Laz, Jenna and Sutton)
• Alexandra Roach as Jenna Lazarus
• Kate Ashfield as Detective Alison Brown
• Roisin Gallagher as Laura
• David Fynn as Seth McGovern
• Karla Crome as Bella Catton
• Curtis Tennant as Aidan

‘Do I have to say more than the names Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy, and Alexandra Roach to express my excitement about this limited series?’ Coben said upon the news.

Bill Nighy as Dr Jonathan Lazarus in Harlan Coben’s Lazarus. (© Ben Blackall/Prime)

Is Lazarus Based On A Book?

Looking to get ahead and read the book before the series is released? Tough luck: this Coben series is an original idea from the crime writer for TV, not based on one of his many novels.

‘[Lazarus] was an original idea,’ the writer tells Radio Times. ‘I thought, “I could write this as a novel, but I’m seeing it as a TV series.” It’s a little more of a ghost story, very visual.’

This is not the writer’s first screen rodeo: while his most famous TV series (like Shelter, The Stranger, Stay Close, Fool Me Once and Missing You) are based on his novels, Coben’s popular 2018 series Safe was written for the screen.

Sam Claflin as Joel Lazarus & Bill Nighy as Dr Jonathan Lazarus in Harlan Coben’s Lazarus. (© Ben Blackall/Prime)

Where Was It Filmed?

It’s another northern setting for Coben: Sam Claflin was spotted filming Lazarus in Manchester back in February 2024, with Lancaster seaside town Morecambe also used.

Release Date

All six episodes of Lazarus will launch on Prime Video on 22 October 2025.