Imagine discovering your son beaten to death in his bedroom while you slept. Then imagine being convicted of his murder and sentenced to life imprisonment because every piece of evidence points to you, despite your innocence.

It cuts deep on I Will Find You on Netflix.

It’s an unbearable double blow: losing a child and being branded the monster who killed him. It’s Sam Worthington’s opening gambit as Boston law professor Davi Burroughs in I Will Find You.

The show’s an adaptation of the 2023 Harlan Coben novel and has delivered Netflix’s biggest opening week for 2026 so far.

Millions have watched it, and there’s good reason for it. It’s a really good binge.

The plot thickens quicker than an Illuminati conspiracy theory as, after five years of prison life and no contact with visitors, David’s sister-in-law rocks up at prison to see him.

Reluctant at first, he’s ushered to see Rachel Mills (played by Britt Lower), who shows him a picture taken at a funfair.

But so what? That is, until Rachel shows him a child in the background that looks remarkably like his son, who was supposed to be dead.

Plot thickens quicker than an Illuminati conspiracy

Things escalate quickly after that as David breaks out of prison, with a little help from Rachel, to find his son, ergo the title of the show.

What’s made clear from the get-go of the story, which is interesting, is that there’s no self-interest here.

All David wants to do is find his child, and seems far less interested in proving his innocence. That’s simply a sidebar narrated by sideshows. It’s the selfless, unconditional love of a parent that drives him. Little else.

What follows is another seven episodes of chasing down clues, twists and turns that demand viewer attention, along with a few red herrings and a gigantic Trojan horse in the middle of it all.

The latter, almost impossible to see until the final two episodes, when creator and showrunner Robert Hull serves it up blatantly.

In fact, it’s so well hidden throughout that the No Way! moment at the plot twist is inevitable.

Watch the trailer

Now, back to some of the background because a lot of layered stuff is also going on during David’s missions.

His ex-wife, Cheryl, was now happily married and pregnant, wed to a hospital administrator whose side plot revealed a second sidebar.

For a few moments in the show, it seems like David may not be the biological father of his purportedly murdered son.

Also, how Cheryl’s new husband’s desire to be with her impacted the night that the son was murdered.

It’s a lot to keep up with, but it makes the entire series layer-caked and manages to keep the audience’s interest piqued at every turn.

Layered plot keeps you intrigued

Worthington’s performance in I Will Find You is solid, though he mumbles a bit too much.

The supporting cast features veteran Madeline Stowe along with The Rookie’s Aaron Ashmore, who play Cheryl’s husband.

Erin Richards gives Cheryl a believable vulnerability. Meanwhile, Milo Ventimiglia is suitably menacing as Hayden Payne, Rachel’s former lover and the privileged heir of the influential Payne family. The latter, son of Stowe’s Gertrude Payne, the obligatory rich and influential family whose reach can grease the palms of anyone.

All Harlan Coben books are equally good, but some adaptations are ‘gooder’ than others.

The Netflix affair with the author has resulted in some pretty good shows, like Safe, Fool Me Once and the French-produced Gone For Good, to the less snackable Polish edition of The Woods.

There’s a lot, and while all were not created equally, among Netflix’s growing collection of Harlan Coben adaptations, I Will Find You comfortably ranks near the top.

It may not surpass Fool Me Once, but it comes remarkably close, making it one of this year’s easiest binge recommendations.