You would be forgiven if you findHarlan Coben’s Sheltereerily and creatively adjacent to the crime-solving antics found in shows likeNancy Drew, Stranger Things,and13 Reasons Why.Producer Allen MacDonald came from the latter series, in fact, and joins Coben here, who is on board as executive producer. They make a fine creative pair, and if you dig twisty tales filled with occasionally overdramatic teens on a quest to solve potential crimes, then grab yourself some Scooby Snacks and jump into this Mystery Machine. The ride isn’t that bad.
It’s not always great, either. We’ve been in stories like this before, so much so that we can recognize all the creative beats coming. Happy moment. Hug. Smiles. Tragedy. Reaction. More Reaction. Repression. Bond with other folks to bring about justice. Rinse. Repeat.
That description may feel as if we’re watering down Coben’s compelling tale.Like his bestselling book, there is a good story to be told here — one filled with plenty of twists, too — it’s just poured through a reusable Hollywood filter. Surprisingly,Harlan Coben’s Sheltereventually overrides that aspect and, thanks to great performances by the entire cast, becomes one series we could keep ourselves invested in.
What Happened in the Past?
There’s nothing likea dilapidated old houseand a trippy old lady whose frazzled hair hasn’t seen a bottle of conditioner in ages. That would be Tovah Feldshuh inShelter.As Bat Lady, she sports a mysterious accent, part East Coast, part European, but fully freaky nonetheless. Bat Lady peers out second-floor windows, keeps a gritty badass nearby to do her dirty work, and carries a bevy of secrets that span decades and apparently involve — perhaps, maybe — missing children and other mysteries.
More on her later because the core of the story follows Mickey Bolitar (Jaden Michael ofColin in Black & White) dealing with a major life transition. The teen was all set to move forward with a potential basketball career during his next year in high school in Los Angeles, where his family relocated. That dream is immediately shattered with the sudden death of his father. Flash foward four months, and Mickey is living with his estranged aunt, Shira (Constance Zimmer) in Kasselton, New Jersey, where his father was raised.
Related:The Best Original Prime Video Shows, Ranked
On his first few days of school, Mickey meets some potential new friends. There’s geeky Arthur/Spoon (Adrian Greensmith), brooding Ema (Abby Corrigan), Sassy Rachel (Sage Linder), Troy the Jock (Brian Altemus), and fellow new student Ashley (Samantha Bugliaro). My, this is beginning to smack ofRiverdale,but hang tight, things do get interesting.
Mickey and Ashley bond, but the following day, she’s disappeared. Something doesn’t feel right, and Mickey wants to find out what happen to Ashley. Then he meets Bat Lady on his way back home. “Your father is very much alive,” she tells him, before vanishing into the house. Several pounds on her front door later, and a policeman, Chief Taylor (Lee Aaron Rosen), pulls up and takes him back to the station, where his aunt comes to fetch him. Aunt Shira and the chief were high school lovebugs, so there’s that. And a bigger mystery from the past that’s leaking into the present.
Here a Twist, There a Twist
The first few episodes of the series pack a punch as Mickey begins to slowly uncover unimaginable secrets within his seemingly quiet suburban community. With the help of Spoon and Ema, he learns about a boy who went missing in the past. His aunt later tells him his father went to school with the boy and that Mickey’s father was once dared to go inside Bat Lady’s creepy house. (You would think the neighborhood homeowners' association would encourage or insist that this woman spruce up her house after more than four decades, but alas, this is television.) Aunt Shira tells Mickey that her father was never the same after coming out of the house.
Related:Every TV Series Coming to Prime Video in August 2023
Slowly, Mickey begins pulling back the sleepy facade of Kasselton anduncovers a truly dark undergroundthat just may hold the answers to decades of disappearances, deaths, and legends — and his complex family history, in fact.
Jade Michael effectively carries the series, and he’s in good company with Greensmith and Corrigan. Together, they make for a fine crime-solving trio. There’s some creative thickness to plow through here, though, as this series seems to love to explain things far more than it should. Still, these three characters shine and the show itself has enough creepy bad guys to keep you interested and curious as to what’s really going on. It’s also nice to see Constance Zimmer here, who is believable as an aunt who has plenty of her own secrets. Tovah Feldshuh is dream casting as Bat Lady. There are some surprises with her character, as she seems to be pulling a lot of strings.
Harlan Coben and Charlotte Coben (Stay Close, The Stranger) created this outing, which captures your attention and keeps you invested despite some of its familiar tropes. Bottom line: Take shelter here. The series is engaging and at times thrilling and suspenseful. To that end,Harlan Coben’s Shelter,which consists of eight episodes, manages to stand out nicely in a jam-packedstreaming-verse filled with crime thrillers.
