Stay Close

Stay Close

Company type	Television series
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)
Founder	Harlan Coben (creator, producer)
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Television drama series
Parent	Red Production Company

Stay Close is a British mystery drama television series adapted from Harlan Coben's 2012 novel and produced by Red Production Company for Netflix. The show consists of eight episodes and debuted on 31 December 2021.

Plot

Megan Pierce, residing in the fictional town of Livingstone, is a suburban mother who hides a complicated history while raising a family alongside her partner, Dave. Ray Levine, once an aspiring documentary photographer, now works as a paparazzo focusing on affluent pseudo-celebrities following the loss of his partner. Detective Michael Broome remains troubled by the unresolved disappearance of Stewart Green, a local man who vanished years ago; Stewart’s wife continues to hold onto hope for his return.

On the anniversary of Stewart Green’s vanishing, another man goes missing, prompting Broome to reopen the case despite potential personal and professional consequences. As his inquiry unfolds, it threatens to disrupt relationships and expose concealed secrets. Simultaneously, two cunning psychopaths advance their own schemes, intersecting with the lives of the central characters.

Cast

• Cush Jumbo portrays Megan Pierce / Cassie Morris, a former exotic dancer and mother of three
• James Nesbitt plays DS Michael Broome, a disillusioned police sergeant
• Richard Armitage appears as Ray Levine, a photographer
• Sarah Parish acts as Lorraine Griggs, proprietor of Vipers nightclub
• Jo Joyner features as DC Erin Cartwright, Broome’s partner and ex-wife
• Daniel Francis takes the role of Dave Shaw, Megan’s fiancé
• Youssef Kerkour plays Fester, a friend of Ray
• Bethany Antonia is Kayleigh Shaw, the eldest child of Dave and Megan
• Alibe Parsons portrays Frances Shaw, Dave’s mother
• Poppy Gilbert appears as "Barbie"
• Hyoie O'Grady plays "Ken"
• Ross Boatman acts as Del Flynn
• Leon Annor features as Jamal
• Eddie Izzard takes on the role of Harry Sutton, a lawyer
• Dylan Francis is Jordan Shaw, the youngest child of Dave and Megan
• Tallulah Byrne plays Laura Shaw, the middle child in Dave and Megan’s family
• Rachel Andrews appears as Bea, Kayleigh’s close friend
• Andi Osho portrays Simona Farr, Ray’s friend
• Jack Shalloo acts as DCS Brian Goldberg, Broome’s superior officer

Background

In August 2018, American author Harlan Coben entered into a five-year agreement with Netflix to adapt fourteen of his novels into television series, with Coben serving as producer on all projects. Stay Close is among several Netflix adaptations of Coben's work alongside titles such as Safe (2018), The Stranger, The Woods (2020), as well as The Innocent and Gone for Good (2021).

Development

Netflix announced the eight-episode adaptation in October 2020, appointing Danny Brocklehurst as lead writer and Daniel O'Hara as principal director.

Casting

The principal cast features Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt, Richard Armitage, and Sarah Parish. By February 2021, Netflix had expanded the cast to include Eddie Izzard, Andi Osho, Daniel Francis, Jo Joyner, Bethany Antonia, and Rachel Andrews.

Filming

Production commenced on 18 February 2021 and wrapped up on 30 July 2021. Shooting locations encompassed various sites across North West England including Brinscall, Lancashire, Manchester, St Helens, Runcorn, Widnes, Ashton-under-Lyne, Blackpool, Formby, and Morecambe, notably featuring Runcorn's Silver Jubilee Bridge. The series prominently incorporated Jaume Plensa’s sculpture Dream.

Music

The soundtrack was created by composers David Buckley and Luke Richards.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 92% approval rating, with an average score of 6.2 out of 10, based on evaluations from 13 critics. Meanwhile, Metacritic assigned a weighted average of 51 out of 100 from 7 critic reviews, reflecting "mixed or average" feedback.