After starring in The Big Bang Theory for 12 seasons, Kaley Cuoco reinvented herself. In TV thrillers like The Flight Attendant, Role Play and Based on a True Story, Cuoco did much more than just comedy, and showed she has a knack for action and mystery-packed series. And, in her latest release, she proves that all over again.
On February 1, 2026, Cuoco’s new series Vanished premiered on MGM+, and the four-episode thriller has been a streaming hit ever since. According to FlixPatrol, Vanished, which also stars Lazarus’ Sam Claflin, is #1 on MGM+ in the US, and is followed by The Running Man, From and Wildcat. The series has gotten a mixed reaction from viewers, but is still the perfect weekend binge for Cuoco and Flight Attendant fans alike.
What Is ‘Vanished’ About?
Vanished starts off with Cuoco’s Alice Monroe, an archeologist, as she receives a job offer as a professor at a prestigious university. To celebrate the big news, she goes on a trip with her boyfriend, Tom Parker (Claflin), and asks him to move in with her, to which he responds with a less-than-enthusiastic yes. From the get-go, it seems he’s hiding something, viewers (and Alice) just don’t know what. Then, while on a train in France, Tom completely disappears while Alice takes a nap. When she wakes up and searches everywhere on the train looking for him, she finally gets him to answer a call, just to be hung up after a suspicious noise instead.
After leaving the train, and getting nowhere after a meeting with the local police, Alice pairs up with an investigative journalist she met on the train called Helen (Karin Viard). Together, they combine their skills to find clues about Tom’s whereabouts, and in turn find themselves in a web of lies, secrets and danger at every turn. As the series goes on, Vanished suggests that nothing is what it seems, and within the span of four episodes, there are countless twists and turns you won’t see coming. The series, created by David Hilton, also stars Matthias Schweighöfer, Simon Abkarian, Dar Zuzovsky and Olivier Sa.
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Kaley Cuoco stars alongside Sam Claflin.
‘Vanished’ Has Received Mixed Reviews
While Vanished has only been out for a few weeks, reception has been quite divided. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has earned a disappointing 48% from critics, and 58% from the public. Among the critics’ reviews, while Cuoco’s performance is often praised, the series has been described as unoriginal and predictable, lacking an edge to make it standout among the other thrillers out there.
According to Jasneet Singh’s review on Collider, however, the series earned a much better rating of 7/10. According to the review, Vanished does indeed deliver as an unexpected and sometimes shocking thriller. “Each episode consistently rewrites the narrative while remaining cohesive and true to the story and its characters, playing with perception and the truth in wildly absurd but thrilling ways,” the review wrote. With that said, the finale, which has the most bombshell moment of them all, was an all-around disappointment for Singh. “Every plot twist in Vanished is shocking, and the majority of the show is plotted well, but the final twist is nothing short of jarring and inconsistent, and it makes you wonder what the show was trying to achieve after everything,” the review called out.
All that being said, it seems Vanished, despite mixed reviews, is still a worthy watch for fans of Cuoco, Claflin or some of their best shows, like The Flight Attendant. With a mind-bending mystery, a steamy romance and a determined female protagonist led by Cuoco at its heart, Vanished has become another impressive and unpredictable thriller viewers will be hooked on from the very beginning.
Release Date
February 1, 2026
Network
Prime Video
Directors
Barnaby Thompson