- Network: Prime Video
- Series Premiere Date: Aug 17, 2023
Critic Reviews
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The characters describe familiar types, but the writing and performances make them feel original, individual.
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Shelter is broader than a barn door, but, at full pelt, it’s also a whodunit with heart, soul and an infectious sense of fun.
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It sounds like a lot – and it is. But it is all played with great brio and sufficient confidence to allow you to overlook the occasional misstep.
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Yes, it strains credibility. So what? Most creations from talented author Harlan Coben (Netflix’s “The Stranger,” “Safe” and “The Woods”) do. We’re hooked from the first episode. With its tongue-in-cheek humor and wild twists, this will become your next guilty pleasure.
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While the endpoint of this mystery tale leaves something to be desired, the path to get there is filled with good company.
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Despite its wobblier moments, Shelter is a solid little mystery-thriller and will absolutely appeal to people who love this genre.
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We wish Harlan Coben’s Shelter gave us a bit more of a cohesive story in its early going instead of what feels like taking all of its mysteries and putting them in a storytelling blender. But the charm of the leads and the fact that the mystery has multiple layers give us hope that as things are revealed, the storytelling will become a bit less frenzied.
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It doesn’t always work, but anyone with a soft spot for the genre is going to derive at least some enjoyment from Shelter, which may yet end up with a second season depending on how things pan out.
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With a near-unwieldy quantity of interrelated mysteries established in its first episode, it remains to be seen whether Shelter can deliver on its myriad lofty promises; then again, the level of production and familiarity of the character tropes lends a sense of comforting assurance to proceedings.
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Ultimately, there are compelling moments, but it never quite culminates into something more elevated or unique. There’s a more daring, riveting show somewhere in here, but unfortunately, it’s sheltered under plainer, more middling fare.
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There are bumps in road—too many sanitized characters, murky overplotting—when crime-fiction master Harlan Coben takes on a streaming series aimed at young adults. Still, you can count on Coben to deliver the essential ingredient in any mystery: the pleasure of the unexpected.
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“Harlan Coben’s Shelter” has a strong foundation, but loses its center in the twisted web of storylines.
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Shelter is so muddled in its storyline and so poorly-executed that the series feels almost like a joke. Not in the way of a comedy, but in the way of a drama that had some foundations to be good... and just very badly missed the mark.