Harlan Coben’s Lazarus – Series Review | Prime Video

LAZARUS on Prime Video is a new Harlan Coben crime thriller series with a supernatural element. It stars Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy, and is told in six episodes. Read our full Lazarus series review here!

Harlan Coben’s LAZARUS is a new Prime Video series with a crime thriller plot that includes supernatural elements. This is not usually something we see from Harlan Coben, and while I am okay with this element, the characters aren’t great.

Well, some of the characters are good, but I found myself getting really tired of the main protagonist very fast. I do believe that’s the intention, but only to a point. And, to me, it went way beyond any acceptable “point”.

The series has just six episodes, and all were watched for this review.

Continue reading our Harlan Coben’s Lazarus series review below. Find all episodes on Prime Video from October 22, 2025.

A son and his father

In essence, Harlan Coben’s Lazarus is the story of Joel “Laz” Lazarus (Sam Claflin), who tries to understand his father (and a past tragedy) better. Laz returns home when his father, Dr. Jonathan Lazarus (Bill Nighy), has died.

His death is ruled a suicide, but only a strange and short note has been left behind. This leads to Laz looking into his father’s most recent case. Before long, he starts having paranormal experiences when he’s in his father’s office.

Obviously, he can’t explain those experiences. And he especially can’t explain how he suddenly knows things that can solve crimes and cold cases.

Could this newfound skill of communicating with his father and his past patients help him solve the mystery of his father’s death? And possibly even the tragic murder of his twin sister that happened 25 years ago?!

Would you please stop yelling?!

I usually like seeing Sam Claflin in most things. From The Hunger Games franchise to Enola Holmes, Every Breath You Take, and, particularly, The Nightingale.

However, as Joel “Laz” Lazarus, he drove me crazy.

There is a lot of yelling in this series. Only surpassed, really, by Jason Clarke in The Last Frontier. When Laz isn’t yelling at someone and claiming that yet another person is “the one who killed his father”, then he is whining.

Those emotional outbursts can be extremely powerful, but not when they happen multiple times. Per episode, I might add.

Fortunately, we have Bill Nighy (The First Omen) as the counterbalance. He is calm as a cucumber in both flashbacks and as a ghost.

Also delivering some balance are Alexandra Roach (Bodies) as Laz’s sister, Jenna, and David Fynn (The Mauritanian) as Seth, a police officer and childhood friend of Laz. These two are truly wonderful characters in Lazarus.

Watch the Lazarus series on Prime Video

The Lazarus miniseries is based on an original story idea and written by the New York Times best-selling author Harlan Coben and BAFTA-winner Danny Brocklehurst (Fool Me Once). A damn solid starting point for any production.

Directors of the six episodes in the series are Wayne Che Yip (season 1 of Hunters), Nicole Volavka (The Pact),  and Daniel O’Hara (The Stranger).

For the most part, we’ve enjoyed series based on Harlan Coben stories. Whether Polish, British, French, or Spanish productions, they just work! Including the one with teenage main characters, which was also a Prime Video production.

Well, with a few exceptions, I must admit. For me, Lazarus is ultimately one of those exceptions, and I did not see that coming. Reading about it and watching the trailer, I loved the darker and more horror-adjacent vibe.

Unfortunately, the story just wasn’t impressive, and a few characters were just too annoying. Still, if you’ve enjoyed most Harlan Coben productions so far, you should obviously check it out for yourself. Maybe you’ll enjoy it more!

All 6 episodes of Lazarus are on Prime Video from October 22, 2025.

Details

Director: Wayne Che Yip, Nicole Volavka, Daniel O’Hara
Writers: Harlan Coben & Danny Brocklehurst
Cast: Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy, Alexandra Roach, David Fynn, Karla Crome, Kate Ashfield