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- 2023
- Prime Video
- 2023
- Prime Video
Summary Mickey Bolitar (Jaden Michael) just started at a new high school when another new student (Samantha Bugliaro) disappears and with the help Spoon (Adrian Greensmith) and Ema (Abby Corrigan), they discover dark secrets of their suburban community in this adaptation of the Harlan Coben novel.
- 2023
- Prime Video
- 2023
- Prime Video
Harlan Coben's Shelter
Season 1 Premiere: Jul 12, 2023
65
4.8
Where to Watch
Summary Mickey Bolitar (Jaden Michael) just started at a new high school when another new student (Samantha Bugliaro) disappears and with the help Spoon (Adrian Greensmith) and Ema (Abby Corrigan), they discover dark secrets of their suburban community in this adaptation of the Harlan Coben novel.
Where to Watch
All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 13 Critic Reviews
65
46% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
54% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 13 Critic Reviews
65
46% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
54% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The characters describe familiar types, but the writing and performances make them feel original, individual.
It sounds like a lot – and it is. But it is all played with great brio and sufficient confidence to allow you to overlook the occasional misstep.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 User Ratings
4.8
35% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
29% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
35% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 User Ratings
4.8
35% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
29% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
35% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
I haven't read the book, but the show is interesting and I'm definitely looking forward to the finale (and reading the book!) It's a good teen whodunit mystery thriller type show.
CW: If you're someone who could be triggered by kidnapping-related things, this may not be for you. There's a website where you can check for triggers which may be beneficial. (****/)
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While the endpoint of this mystery tale leaves something to be desired, the path to get there is filled with good company.
We wish Harlan Coben’s Shelter gave us a bit more of a cohesive story in its early going instead of what feels like taking all of its mysteries and putting them in a storytelling blender. But the charm of the leads and the fact that the mystery has multiple layers give us hope that as things are revealed, the storytelling will become a bit less frenzied.
With a near-unwieldy quantity of interrelated mysteries established in its first episode, it remains to be seen whether Shelter can deliver on its myriad lofty promises; then again, the level of production and familiarity of the character tropes lends a sense of comforting assurance to proceedings.
There are bumps in road—too many sanitized characters, murky overplotting—when crime-fiction master Harlan Coben takes on a streaming series aimed at young adults. Still, you can count on Coben to deliver the essential ingredient in any mystery: the pleasure of the unexpected.
Shelter is so muddled in its storyline and so poorly-executed that the series feels almost like a joke. Not in the way of a comedy, but in the way of a drama that had some foundations to be good... and just very badly missed the mark.
The entire plot is pretty muddled. Too many plotlines never really finish. Way too much Sapphos lust (nothing to do with the plot but everything to do with the 'in-your-face' bullying with immorality). Characters pretty much caricature's (sports guys bullys, emo girls lesbians, etc). The overall tone seems to conflict with the story. So our recommendation would be "skip as there are much better mysteries out there."
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Weird that the series is supposed to be targeting youths, but then it proceeds to drop F-bombs throughout the show regularly. This is a huge change from the source material, which was actually age-appropriate in its content. There were also several changes done to be more "progressive" which in the end is a big reason why much of Amazon's original content fails to attract bigger audiences. If only they would learn from the original source materials that they steal from to make their streaming content that the broader appeal of the writing in the stories the better it will do with general audiences. If you are familiar with the typical drivel that streaming companies are releasing to pad their content with that has been "updated" for modern audiences then you are likely already aware of what to expect with this series. I sadly think that we need to start letting A.I. write the scripts that are being adapted from books, as AI will have no ego and can let the original author's stories/messaging shine through without all the unnecessary clutter.
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Production Company:
- MGM International TV Productions
- Amazon Studios
- MGM Television
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Initial Release Date: Jul 12, 2023
Number of seasons: 1 Season
