Is Harlan Coben’s Shelter The Next Stranger Things?

OMITI will never contain spoilers, so read on and enjoy. This has an ages 16+ rating from Amazon’s Prime Video.

Image Courtesy of Prime Video

After seven whole years, there’s finally a young adult show with an ensemble cast capable of giving Stranger Things a run for their money.

Harlan Coben’s Shelter, a mystery series based on Coben’s young adult books, is centered around protagonist Mickey Boilatar, a sixteen year-old who’s dealing with tragedy and loss. He moves to Kasselton, New Jersey, where he makes new friends as he uncovers dark secrets, solving a slew of mysteries.

A lot of the success of this series is due to its writer, Harlan Coben, and his co-executive producer, Allen MacDonald. Harlan Coben is a renowned mystery writer of thirty-five books, including several New York Times bestsellers. He’s also an executive producer of several Netflix series, including The Stranger and Gone For Good. He and his daughter, Charlotte Coben (who also writes and executive produces) bring his young adult mystery series with Mickey Boilatar to Prime Video with an eight-episode run, which is sure to be the first of three seasons.

Image Courtesy of Prime Video

Prime Video is clearly going for a Stranger Things vibe in hopes of attracting that key demographic. And sure, there’s plenty Harlan Coben’s Shelter has in common with Stranger Things. First, it has an ensemble teen cast working in tandem to get to the bottom of things. There are standout performances by several teen actors, including our main character, Mickey, played by Jaden Michael. Adrian Greensmith stars as Spoon; Greensmith takes his character of the affable best friend and comic relief and adds depth by bringing an affectionate and endearing quality to the show, thereby stealing most of his scenes. Ema (Abby Corrigan) gives off young Winona Ryder vibes; however, Stranger Things actually has Winona Ryder. So there’s that.

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Like Stranger Things, the show is smart to avoid relegating the adults too far into the background; a YA television show is so much better with grownups who possess well-rounded storylines, whether or not they help solve the mystery. Constance Zimmer (Entourage) and Missi Pyle (Galaxy Quest) are two parents juggling very different families. Kristoffer Polaha stars as Mickey’s dad (Polaha, who’s the lead in Murder 101, the one good murder mystery show Hallmark has to offer, but more on that in a different OMITI edition).

Image Courtesy of Prime Video

But there are plenty of ways HC’s Shelter differs from Stranger Things, too. There are several mysteries intertwined, so there’s more that just one big mystery to solve. There’s far better representation in HC’s Shelter than Stranger Things, with more racial diversity, a non-binary character and lesbian love interests. On the negative side, there’s some hit or miss dialogue, some cheesy and unnecessary sentimental schlock and a gratuitous sex scene that detracts rather than adds to the storyline. However, all in all, it’s worthy of a watch. Just know going into it that Stranger Things does it better, and you won’t be disappointed.

🔍 🔍🔍🔍 out of five magnifying glasses

Image Courtesy of Prime Video

For fans of: Stranger Things, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew

After You Watch:

Harlan Coben’s official website:

https://www.harlancoben.com

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