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The Latest Harlan Coben Adaptation A lever groans, a pipe judders and thunk; another length of premium-grade bunkum is extruded from the Harlan Coben Industrial Adaptation Complex™. This particular emission – an eight-part assemblage of fists and mumbling entitled I Will Find You – is the 13th of Coben’s novels to have been processed by Netflix as part of a 14-book deal. The Plot Thickens The gist is, as usual, this: somebody is missing. Somebody else is accused of a crime wot they did not do. The police are inept and/or corrupt, there is much scowling in expensive leisurewear, and everybody from stoic hero to snarling baddie speaks. Like this. To imply a sense of urgency. And gravitas. Whereas it merely makes them sound as if. They’re just back from. Zumba. A Familiar Formula In a startling break with Netflix-Coben tradition, I Will Find You is set not in Europe but the US, which means the breathlessness comes with bigger guns and the captions shout things like BOSTON rather than LONDON, ENGLAND. In every other respect, however, I Will Find You is classic small-screen Coben, which is to say: maddeningly watchable crap with bells on. The Verdict The upshot? Palpable cobblers. The script is made of Play-Doh and our protagonists are but flaps of luncheon meat pegged to a washing line. And yet still we must – must! – find out what happens. And so we stagger, dazed, into the next episode. And the episode after that. Until many, many red herrings, narrative cul-de-sacs and splutter-inducing plot holes later, we are deposited at the end of another Coben adaptation with virtually no memory of how we got there. Confound it! That’s 13 down, one (??) to go. Stay strong, everyone.

The 2026 World Cup has turned the summer into a nonstop football marathon, with 104 games, 40 more matches than the previous tournament and many fixtures airing in the small hours for UK viewers. The Guide #246 provides a curated list of films, TV series and music festivals that can serve as a welcome distraction. World Cup Overload Meets a Bloated Schedule With the tournament stretched over more than a week longer than before, almost half of the matches air in the early morning, turning ordinary evenings into sleepless watch‑parties. Numbers That Make the Fever Harder to Swallow 104 total games scheduled 40 additional matches compared with the last World Cup Nearly 50% of fixtures broadcast in the UK during the "wee small hours" Over 5 weeks of continuous football coverage Pop‑Culture Counter‑Programming: Film Releases to Watch Obsession and Backrooms – horror sensations still in cinemas Disclosure Day – Steven Spielberg’s latest blockbuster Toy Story 5 – early buzz for its screen‑addiction themed story (out 26 June) Jackass: Best and Last – Johnny Knoxville’s final stunt‑filled outing (26 June) A Private Life – Jodie Foster’s French‑language debut (26 June) Minions & Monsters – family fun (1 July) The Invite – Olivia Wilde’s much‑talked‑about thriller (8 July) Evil Dead Burn and live‑action Moana remake (10 July) The Odyssey – Christopher Nolan’s biggest film of the year (17 July) Television Line‑up to Distract the Fanatics Widow’s Bay (Apple TV) – comedy‑horror finale (next Wednesday) I Will Find You (Netflix) – Harlan Coben thriller starring Britt Lower (Thursday) House of the Dragon season 3 (HBO Max) – weekly from 21 June The Bear final season (Disney+) – all episodes 26 June Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness (HBO Max) – Larry David’s satirical look at America (26 June) Silo season 3 (Apple TV) – dystopian thriller (3 July) Ride Or Die (Prime Video) – action‑comedy thriller starring Hannah Waddingham (15 July) Heartstopper Forever (Netflix) – final feature‑length episode (17 July) Music Festivals and Live Events as an Escape Route Isle of Wight Festival – classic summer music gathering Creamfields (Cheshire) – electronic‑dance extravaganza TRNSMT (Glasgow) – indie and rock showcase Refer to the Guardian’s summer festival guide for a full rundown of UK events running alongside the World Cup. What’s Next: Summer Releases to Keep You Busy As the tournament winds down, the cultural calendar stays packed. From blockbuster films to high‑profile TV seasons and sprawling music festivals, there will be plenty of alternatives to keep screens occupied and minds off the endless stream of matches.