Fool Me Once (TV Mini Series 2024) Poster

(2024)

User Reviews

Review this title
519 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
7/10
Cookie Cutter Coben
altereggo1235 January 2024
Another mystery set in an affluent suburb (British in this case), in which a wealthy, picture perfect family is torn apart by buried secrets.

There is something exhausting about watching the same plot reworked in all possible permutations. Coben mini-series are usually clever, but this one suffers from a massive logical flaw that renders the whole story absurd.

Cliche warning: It has many. How many people have best friends who know all about hacking and can run down license plates and do background checks? Tthere is the inevitable scene of someone correctly guessing a computer password. Writers should just stop putting passwords on computers instead of subjecting us to these scenes. And there are just a few too many coincidences and connections as the story unfolds.

As for casting, the plucky female lead is not quite convincing as the ex-military tough gal she is supposed to be. She is just too small and thin to believably take down some of the larger men she confronts. Her hair and makeup are always great, even when other characters tell her she looks awful and ask her what's wrong.

On the bright side, I didn't quite realize how little sense this story made until the end, so I enjoyed much of it. The sets are striking--a beautiful British estate and a post-modern home so large it looks almost like a condominium complex, both with bold decor choices. If nothing else, you may get some good ideas for your next couch.

A rating of seven seems fair. Maybe if it were a little shorter, I wouldn't be as annoyed that I spent so much time watching it.
116 out of 153 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me. If I was to invest my time without checking reviews first.
Scotslad_0072 January 2024
Seems to be a trend making limited series that don't need 8-10 episodes! First episode gets you hooked but you see the signs of the long drawn-out development being framed.

Being fooled in the past from other shows, I now look for reviews that recommend the episodes to skip, that don't provide critical information. The reason for the 6 is the unnecessary episodes.

If you watch episode 1, and skip to last two 7,8... the rating goes up to a 8 for me. No critical information is missing and I like the ending, they tied up most of the plot lines.

Overall a great show, a little overly dramatized for a UK show which tends to be ground compared to US TV.
132 out of 178 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Decent adaptation
robert-wood-11 January 2024
I've watched a lot of adaptations of Harlen Coben's books, many on Netflix, and have read everything he's written. This is one of the better ones that has been set in Britain.

It has the usual issues in that it's really a story transplanted from America and there are the occasional jarring scenes or bits of dialogue that don't belong in a British thriller, but it does hurtle along and is clearly bingeable having got through it all today.

Michelle Keegan does a good job in the lead role as the tenacious investigating mother although I didn't quite buy into her as a helicopter pilot.

I particularly liked - as I always do - Adeel Akhtar - as the likeable detective, his relationship with his DS was very good and real highlight of the series. Joanna Lumley chewed up scenery with panache and was good at being the particularly unpleasant matriarch.

There's plenty of Coben's trademark misdirection and a plot that keeps you guessing right to the end.

I thought Danya Griver as Abby was excellent and hope we get to see more of her. I do have a big quibble with her accent though. Based and always lived up north in the series, with northern parents, but speaking with a clear southern accent really narked me and was really poor. Same with her brother.

All in all it was an enjoyable romp, clearly preposterous, but all of Harlen's books are and they are always great fun. Definitely would recommend this, especially if you're a fan of his books and other series.
153 out of 216 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
entertaining story, ridiculous execution
monika-stillerthoms5 January 2024
The story has some nice riddles and twists to it. The characters are pretty stereotypical though.

Everything seems to be comically over the top: the rich-people-houses, the unnecessary flashbacks (in case you forgot that you saw stuff in the previous episodes), the satirically silly film music (*boom* means: this is important).

The female protagonist is always styled to perfection, doesn't take her chique Trenchcoat off at home. Never mind the pouty lips. Her little girl is the worst child actor you have ever seen. The mother-daughter-relationship is nonexistent.

We laughed about these imperfections and enjoyed the story anyway.
44 out of 58 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Watchable, but...
jencahalan2 January 2024
Watchable, as long as you are willing to look over a few holes and inconsistencies in the story.

The worst part for me was the mis-casting of the lead , 'Mya'. She's meant to be a combat trained, helicopter pilot badass from the wrong side of the tracks, who somehow married into 'old money' but there she is with her lip filler and eyelash extensions in a war zone, clearly not a fighter. If it was a lesser role, it might have made it easier to watch, but she just didn't pull it off nor look the part.

Aside from this, I persisted and enjoyed the drama and a few twists, but would have been a much better watch with a more suitable lead.
49 out of 68 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
So ludicrous that it can be enjoyed as a comedy
DominosthroughAgrate10 January 2024
Throughout this unintentionally hilarious mess I kept thinking, what does this acting remind me of?

Then it hit me, the tone, delivery and mannerisms were conjuring up something from some dark recesses of my mind.

Tracy Beaker ! It feels like a surreal and violent episode of Tracy Beaker. After this realisation I really started to enjoy the show, not as the creators intended, but as a farcical camp comedy laced with atrocious acting, dialogue and casting.

Keegans character pushes the boundaries of believability to the furthest it can go, an ex military hardass, despite weighing about 8 stone and being half the height of the men she throws about.

Truly awful entertainment for an audience of imbeciles.

Good fun though !
26 out of 36 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Good binge watch
alcof895 January 2024
I see a lot of reviews are really negative... Is it far fetched? Yes, absolutely. But aren't they all?

Are there some parts that don't really need to be there? Yes. But all in all, it moves at a fast pace throughout and always keeps you guessing. Entertaining, pretty well casted anx overall a good watch I thought.

It's very easy to binge watch, very hard to switch between episodes, so be warned, it may capture you for the day.

All in all, a very entertaining watch once you don't overthing it. You'll be guessing throughout, just gloos over the inconsistencies and occasional plot holes and it's good.
56 out of 86 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Keeps you guessing!
danielmanson8 January 2024
I don't often do reviews on TV shows, but I saw so many negative reviews (maybe because of the success) so had to throw in my 2 cents.

I have to say I really enjoyed this mini series. It's something that really keeps you guessing from start to finish. For me, what I enjoyed was that it didn't feel slow at any point. It went straight into it and nothing felt unneeded.

I will say I had one irritant which is that it did that cliche thing of "let's make this character do really suspect, when they don't have any relation to murder", which in theory makes you think that oh it could be this person. Which keeps you guessing. But, I found it just irritating, because I feel as though they massively overplayed it.

I see a lot of complaints about acting and Michelle Keegan, but honestly I didn't have an issue with it at all. It's not Oscar worthy acting by any stretch, but by no means was it poor. The character Sami I thought was really well acted and constructed, so special mention to him.

The final twists and the solution was really good I thought and it was something I really didn't even come close to getting. It answered all questions which is what you really need with a mini series.

All in all I'll give this a solid 7/10. It's binge worthy, fantastic for a lazy Sunday.
53 out of 77 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Gets better and better once you pass 1st episode
popsticles-568206 January 2024
Felt a bit slow and cliche during 1st episode. Almost gave up but kept watching a bit more. Before I knew it I couldn't stop as it gives you more and more plot twists with good character development.

A very strong mystery/ suspense show! Def a man at watch for 2024.

Felt a bit slow and cliche during 1st episode. Almost gave up but kept watching a bit more. Before I knew it I couldn't stop as it gives you more and more plot twists with good character development.

Watch it and you won't regret it.

Felt a bit slow and cliche during 1st episode. Almost gave up but kept watching a bit more. Before I knew it I couldn't stop as it gives you more and more plot twists with good character development.
25 out of 36 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Not that bad at all
Mimzzzz6 January 2024
I don't understand all the bad reviews.

I mean it has some holes in all episodes but not the first or the last show with the holes in the script.

I saw this leading actress for the first time and I liked her. Acting in this series was on point, as far as I'm concerned.

Also, some people here are asking lame questions like why did some character did this, or that. Some things were just obvious and guys, sometimes you can explain some things simply by yourself, don't expect everything from the directors to give you on a plate. Like, what's the point then?

I find this show interesting, sometimes a little bit boring but yet it kept me interested and confused. Lots of twists and turns. The ending was not at all dissappointing like some people say here, it had to be that way, I didn't see any other ending or way out for the leading actress.

A decent 7 for me. The only thing I was a little bit annoyed was the kids who acted like a little police officers.

It is watchable, give it a shot..
84 out of 129 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
Started out interesting... but
rjvnatl7 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I felt like the beginning started out decently and there were some good twists in first couple of episodes but then there were plot holes big enough to drive a truck through by the end... One massive plot hole is the nanny cam frame... How did the Burkett's even know it existed to "deep fake" it?? Maya's friend gave her the frame, so they would have had no knowledge of it's true purpose unless the nanny happened to take out the SD card and check it (which they never showed her doing, nor do I remember her explaining that she did) Just doesn't make sense... And the daughter was 4 but would she not have remembered the Nanny's husband showing up and talking to her in her dad's clothes??

Shane's character's behavior also makes zero sense. It's hinted at that he's secretly in love with her at the beginning, but then he gets all stalkerish in the middle (mainly it seems only to further the points of implying it might be Joe stalking her. A point they lean into when the little girl runs over to the bushes and says "Daddy" which is never explained... as well as Shane conveniently showing up in the garage which he otherwise would have had no knowledge of) Then he just turns into a convenient delivery guy to drop off the nanny and husband or whatever he was off. He then disappears until the last scene where he pops up 18 years later as the devoted (and apparently ageless friend) And then there's all the subplots that go nowhere..

Maya's friend who gives her the frame and is supposedly her good friend is missing from the final scene and her subplot about her ex husband just disappears..

And the half-sibling plot seems no purpose other than to make Claire seem more secretive and give her kids something to do... and why introduce the half siblings father and not actually show them meeting?

And the whole younger detective relationship they build ends so abruptly with zero resolution as well...

And that's just a fraction of the issues....
321 out of 343 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Good mystery movie
gennadylevitsky27 January 2024
I was surprised by the amount of the negative reviews. Not fair, in my view.

This is a good and entertaining mystery story, with the unexpected ending (at least it was for me) and numerous twists along it. I am not a big specialist on the actors' acting (in genera) but for me they acted fine (particularly both detectives) and naturally. As to how much this story is "believable" - why someone could expect believable mystery story? These stories are made exclusively for the entertainment. Nothing else. It is as much believable as any other mystery, from Conan Doyle to Agatha Christie.

Anyway, I enjoyed it. I hope you will too.
9 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
A lot of filler, but supporting characters are worth it
jeannelle-182203 January 2024
This was fun and binge worthy, but agree with other reviews that the lead was flat and there was too much filler. The entire military angle felt very Americanized. The clues were well sown, and mystery fully resolved, but there were so many ridiculous things happening to keep the story going. Like the interruption to the one time we actually see supposed career woman Maya working...

My advice: watch this for Sami's storyline. His had the most payoff and by far the most emotional weight. Pretend he's the lead and the Maya storyline is the secondary narrative, it helps adjust expectations and suspend some belief.
33 out of 48 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Are we the fools for watching this...?
HopliteMedia12 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The story just has so many plot holes and unanswered questions. These are just the ones that come to the top of my mind after just finishing the series.

Once Maya knew Joe killed Claire, why didn't she just take the gun and the bullet to the police? It had his finger prints on it.

Why was Shane acting so shifty in the dark? He was round her house all the time, could've just put the tracker on during the day. Why stare through the window at her...

Why did Lily say 'Daddy' to a bush?

How did the Burketts know that Maya had a secret video frame to deep fake it in the first place?

Why would deep faking Joe into a video make Maya admit she killed Joe? That plan makes no sense.

What happened to the best friends (who gave Maya the frame) and what was the point of her 'cheating' story?

What was the point of the half brother story and why didn't we see him meeting his real dad?

Why was Maya always looking so confused when she was alone on screen until it was revealed that she killed her husband?

Why did Joe wait so many years only to kill the captain eventually anyway?

What happened to the Burketts? I'm guessing the son goes to prison for murder but what about the mum and daughter? The daughter didn't do anything wrong did she?

Why did the daughter tell Maya that her mother was paying off the police officer? If the mother wanted her to, why? What purpose did that serve?

Who were the other two boys that witnessed the murder on the yacht? Why didn't the three of them all go to the police together if they were scared of Joe? Why did only one of them end up in an institute? Why didn't he speak up as soon as he found out Joe was dead, instead of waiting for Maya to visit?

Why didn't the boy on the motorbike tell the police he witnessed Maya kill Joe straight after it happened?

Why didn't Maya take the gun that didn't work instead. She would've still filmed them trying to kill her and admitting the dodgy drugs.

There's just too much 'story' here which is specifically to raise more questions as to what's going on but it's forced and doesn't make any sense unfortunately. The acting goes from really good drama to really bad soap in an instant. Very inconsistent throughout. It was difficult to stick with it and overall a disappointing show.
122 out of 131 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Not terrible, not great ... but not terrible
muse-487202 January 2024
I don't understand all the low ratings. This series isn't that bad. When I see Harlan Coben I don't expect the reinvention of the wheel, but I know that usually I'll be moderately entertained for 6-8 episodes. This is not highly original but it's better than half the stuff that Netflix has been putting out lately. Between the ridiculous "action" movies, the unfunny comedy specials and the terribly dubbed series there isn't much worth watching.

The one thing that consistently annoyed me was the cop who continued to press on despite experiencing black outs. Come on! As a retired LEO this idea that law enforcement will stay on the case through any injury or illness always bothers me. If you have a broken limb, you're at home. If you're at work in any capacity it's assigned to a desk. To think that someone would refuse to be sidelined when they're experiencing blackouts is absurd.
38 out of 58 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Interesting enough
managementbykristi2 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I was intrigued and wanted to see how it panned out.

However, at some point I started watching at 1.5 speed and began skipping through all the subplots like the detective fainting every minute and the kids' step bro etc. It was just too much.

It's odd but I felt like the plot both dragged and felt too rushed at the same time - rushed because sooo many conversations between characters never reached a point of conclusion and it seemed like no one could explain themselves properly - they would always say a few jumbled lines, forget to ask the real questions, then rush off because they got a phone call or something.
49 out of 78 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
OMG
simontempleton8 January 2024
Really! The first ten minutes were very good, but hindsight now shows me they were very bad and the whole show just stunk !. I must have missed something. I'm not going to watch it again to find out. We are sold a turkey and red herring from the get-go. I watched it last night and can't get it out of my head. Why oh why have they done this to me? Did I spite the script writers, director and actors in a previous life? My advice for all....... AVOID. I wish I had. I am not familiar with the author, but many here rate him highly. Is he better than this or is this his groove ? Oh well, you lose some , you win some.
6 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
I binge watched the entire series, it was so good
richardtravers-950312 January 2024
I always thought Michelle Keegan was beautiful, but never realised what a good actress she was also.

This series had so many twists, I had to keep recapping to make sure I hadn't missed something important. Please only watch this when your brain is fully active, with no distractions.

Final thought, for people who love the original books, perhaps give up on watching TV or movie adaptations, as all book fans (especially Agatha Christie) seem to relish giving screen versions 1 out of 10, claiming they're an insult to the original books, when in actual fact most adaptations for the non book fans are normally pretty entertaining 😉
89 out of 164 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Great story, annoying sound/music/effects
perspectivist1 January 2024
Captivating and intriguing storyline. Good acting, too. Easy to watch.

The only two things that reallly got on my nerves already after watching 2 episodes are the music and sound effects. Somehow the producer thought is was necessary to add an extra level of suspense/tension to every single scene by using dramatic music. Even if the scene is not dramatic. This way the music loses its added value and to be honest it's a kind of insult to the storyline. It doesn't need this suspense-building effects. Only here and there, where appropriate. Not everywhere.

Some sound effects are also annoying, like the 'accelerating car' effect that sounds like a Porsche but is used everytime a car (not being a Porsche) is accelerating or driving away from a traffic light. The exact same sound.
31 out of 52 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Plenty of twists as one would expect in a Harlan Coben story.
Tweekums6 January 2024
This adaption of a Harlan Coben novel sees the story relocated to the north of England. Former soldier Miya Stern has a shock when she sees her husband Joe on her new nanny-cam... the last time she saw him was when he was fatally shot in front of her some time before! She asks the nanny about this but she pepper sprays Miya and takes the memory card containing the evidence. She determines to discover the truth; is there a link with the murder of her sister? What is the connection to her Joe's wealthy family and the death of his brother many years previously? The police are still investigating the murder and Miya's actions make her look more suspicious.

It had been long enough since I read the book that thankfully I couldn't recall most of the details of the story so could still be surprised. The plot contains the twists and turns one would expect from a story by Harlan Coben. The main story kept me gripped as did a subplot involving the health of DS Sami Kierce, the police officer leading the official investigation. The cast is solid, notably Michelle Keegan as Maya and Adeel Akhtar as DS Kierce. Transferring the story from the US to the UK does inevitably bring up moments that don't work as well here but nothing too irritating. Overall a solid thriller; I'd certainly recommend it to fans of other Harlan Coman adaptations.
21 out of 33 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Wardrobe persons needs to be fired
bobparsons-4305014 January 2024
The appalling wardrobe person should never be near a set ever again. Shane Tessier appears as a Military Police Staff Sergeant. He wears his beret incorrectly, with the cap badge over his right eye - a big no no. His cap badge is not correct. His uniform contains the wrong insignia etc. Even a cursory look online would have been good. Lazy, sloppy work from someone who should clearly be folding sweaters in a store.

Story is quite good actually. Yes, a few inconsistencies but nothing major tbh. I agree about the lead actress, limited range and lacks the "authentic" presence as a retired military officer.
3 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
Like Hallmark tried to make a drama thriller and failed
greysky722 January 2024
This show is utterly ridiculous. The acting is obnoxious. The main character is supposed to be some smart badass but in actuality she's the dumbest most frustratingly stupid character I've seen on a show in a long time. I wanted to scream at her for being such a dumbass.

This show feels like hallmark tried to make a mystery drama thriller and failed. I think the story could have been represented better, I'll admit it's the actors/acting that annoyed me most and made the show almost unwatchable. Love Armitage but he's not even in the show. Maybe I'm just in the wrong mood and the show didn't hit the spot. Maybe if I'd watched it on a dif day I'd have liked it. Maybe but probably not. This was a fail for me.
325 out of 386 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Surprised by the negative reviews
nikitacpv23 February 2024
I really don't understand how this show got so many bad reviews!

I personally thought the acting was good, the way the story all comes together towards the very last end.

The show got me hooked from start to finish, and that is what I look for in a tv show.

A bit of a disappointment that the very last episode was only 35 minutes long.

I must say that I had no clue about how the show was going to end until the very last minute! A bit shocked to find out it ended like that but I suppose it's like what Corey the Whistle said: ''she had it planned like that'' so I suppose I do have peace with that.

Once again great tv show, it might not be for everyone but I don't think it deserves this low rating.
7 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Interesting with lots of plot questions
nasimzhosein-695-7947482 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I did watch this series despite of the bad negative reviews. I haven't read any of the authors books so can't comment on the adaptation. But the show is interesting until the viewer figures it out. In the beginning it is easy as the camera can be hacked and that's what happened. Why the lead actress was targeted is a silly excuse. If her colleagues were under fire or under attack from an approacj=hing car and she was under orders to stay put. And she decided to take action and fire at the approaching car. Why not just fire at the road damage the road sufficiently to stop the car from approaching. Win-win situation for all. But I guess writers don't use common sense logic when adapting.

The show has several sub plots sometimes a bit unnecessary and i found myself FFWD through some of it. Howerve, I did watch the entire series.
29 out of 53 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Don't be fooled, it's terrible
BlockLike4 January 2024
The more I think about how this series progressed, the more it annoys me.

It starts as a fairly interesting thriller, but there are early signs of shoddy acting and a souless feeling to it all.

But then as it progresses, it spirals into absolutely atrocious acting, a complete mess of unnecessary plot twist upon plot twist which eventually crescendos into an overall ridiculous story.

If the book is good, then this series gave it no justice at all.

It just seems to get more and more stupid and unbelievable the further you get into it.

I had to make myself finish watching just to see how bad it got.

And ohhhh boy, it got really bad.
274 out of 333 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed