{"id":659941,"date":"2026-06-26T20:16:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/659941\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T20:16:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:16:16","slug":"jennifer-saunders-top-rated-drama-is-a-twisty-thriller-with-siobhan-finneran-streaming-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/659941\/","title":{"rendered":"Jennifer Saunders&#8217; top-rated drama is a twisty thriller with Siobhan Finneran \u2013 streaming right now"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"3\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Jennifer Saunders may still be best known for her iconic part in the beloved British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, which she wrote and co-starred in. But with the exception of that legendary comedy, her highest-rated TV drama \u2013 according to critics on Rotten Tomatoes \u2013 is actually Harlan Coben&#8217;s The Stranger.  <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"9\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">First premiering in 2020, it&#8217;s often credited with being the first breakout hit for the popular author on Netflix, whose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a69131916\/harlan-coben-shows-ranked\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a69131916\/harlan-coben-shows-ranked\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"subsequent TV adaptations\" data-node-id=\"9.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">subsequent TV adaptations<\/a> have gone on to become something of a streaming event for fans. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"13\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Based on the novel of the same name, The Stranger centres around a family man called Adam Price, whose life starts to crumble when he encounters a mysterious woman in a diner. Of course, it wouldn&#8217;t be a Harlan Coben story without plenty of twists and turns along the way, and he soon finds himself entangled in a conspiracy.<\/p>\n<p><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"siobhan finneran, kaddif kirwan, harlan coben's the stranger\" title=\"Siobhan Finneran, Kaddif Kirwan, Harlan Coben's The Stranger\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2002\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/siobhan-finneran-kadiff-kirwan-harlan-coben-the-stranger-669e4e73dbadd.jpg\" class=\"css-0 e1g79fud0\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Netflix<\/p>\n<p>Who was in the cast of The Stranger?<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"19\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Jennifer Saunders was just one of the impressive ensemble of actors that starred in the Netflix mystery thriller. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"23\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The main character of Adam was played by Richard Armitage, who then later went on to appear in a number of other Harlan Coben shows, including Fool Me Once, with Michelle Keegan, and the more-recent Missing You. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"27\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Buffy the Vampire Slayer legend Anthony Head also starred in The Stranger, along with Happy Valley&#8217;s Siobhan Finneran, and Marvel star Hannah John-Kamen. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"32\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Elsewhere, the cast list for The Stranger includes: <\/p>\n<p>Paul Kaye (Small Prophets)Kadiff Kirwan (Slow Horses)Shaun Dooley (Mr Bates vs. The Post Office)Stephen Rea (Prime Target)Jacob Dudman (Fate: The Winx Saga)<img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"jennifer saunders in the stranger on netflix\" title=\"Jennifer Saunders in The Stranger on Netflix\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2876\" height=\"1420\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9a1bf566-8123-4f9d-8b80-91f34581ec15.png\" class=\"css-0 e1g79fud0\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Netflix<\/p>\n<p>What did the critics say about The Stranger?<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"39\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">As mentioned previously, it&#8217;s currently Jennifer Saunders&#8217; highest-rated drama on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/tv\/the_stranger\/s01\/reviews\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/tv\/the_stranger\/s01\/reviews\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Rotten Tomatoes\" data-node-id=\"39.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>, with only BBC comedy series (not a drama!) Absolutely Fabulous sitting with a higher score. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"43\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">&#8220;With revelations dealt out like treats, actors of the quality of Stephen Rea and Jennifer Saunders in the cast, and pacing that is guaranteed to elevate your pulse rate, just try to watch one episode without being sucked in,&#8221; wrote Sydney Morning Herald. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"47\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">&#8220;A clever, mystery thriller, that doesn&#8217;t reveal its secrets until it absolutely has to,&#8221; said The Post NZ, while Den of Geek added: &#8220;It&#8217;s an enjoyable and entertaining series that, while it doesn&#8217;t leave a lasting impression, also doesn&#8217;t allow any time for boredom.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"51\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">&#8220;A strong and sprawling cast (Stephen Rea is also in it, as is Jennifer Saunders) work hard to keep all the balls in the air, and you will feel a strong urge to watch the second episode immediately, if only to clear up a few things,&#8221; read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2020\/jan\/30\/the-stranger-harlan-coben-netflix-review-was-she-ever-even-pregnant\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2020\/jan\/30\/the-stranger-harlan-coben-netflix-review-was-she-ever-even-pregnant\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Guardian\" data-node-id=\"51.1.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2020\/jan\/30\/the-stranger-harlan-coben-netflix-review-was-she-ever-even-pregnant\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2020\/jan\/30\/the-stranger-harlan-coben-netflix-review-was-she-ever-even-pregnant\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"&#039;s three-star review\" data-node-id=\"51.2\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">&#8216;s three-star review<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"the stranger trailer\" title=\"The Stranger trailer\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/the-stranger-trailer-netflix-1579257518.jpg\" class=\"css-0 e1g79fud0\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Netflix<\/p>\n<p>If you liked The Stranger, here are some other shows to stream now<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"57\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Harlan Coben&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a71634604\/harlan-coben-i-will-find-you-netflix\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a71634604\/harlan-coben-i-will-find-you-netflix\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"latest Netflix release\" data-node-id=\"57.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">latest Netflix release<\/a>, I Will Find You, only dropped on the streaming platform last week, and is already proving to be a hit, drawing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/ustv\/a71695589\/harlan-coben-i-will-find-you-netflix-record\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/ustv\/a71695589\/harlan-coben-i-will-find-you-netflix-record\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"impressive viewing numbers\" data-node-id=\"57.5\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">impressive viewing numbers<\/a> for the streaming giant. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"61\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">If it&#8217;s more Jennifer Saunders you&#8217;re after, the comedian and actor made a cameo appearance in Too Much. Starring Megan Stalter (Hacks) and Will Sharpe (Amadeus), the Netflix comedy-romance series followed a heartbroken American girl as she moves to London. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"65\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">And of course, if you want to revisit Absolutely Fabulous, that&#8217;s available as a full boxset on BBC iPlayer. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"69\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The Stranger, I Will Find You, and Too Much, are all streaming now on Netflix.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"73\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a70049607\/streaming-guide\/\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a70049607\/streaming-guide\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Streaming Guide\" data-node-id=\"73.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Streaming Guide<\/a> now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"77\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating the global phenomenon of BTS, is here! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hearstmagazines.co.uk\/livinglegendsbts\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.hearstmagazines.co.uk\/livinglegendsbts\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Buy this ultimate fan guide in newsagents or online\" data-node-id=\"77.3\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Buy this ultimate fan guide in newsagents or online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782504976_452_30ac7e7c-7f8e-4df2-ac0f-23e171d563f7_1603993319.file.png\" alt=\"Headshot of Laura Jane Turner\" title=\"Headshot of Laura Jane Turner\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"css-o0wq4v ev8dhu53\"\/><\/p>\n<p>TV Editor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Digital Spy<\/a> Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. \u00a0Previously at LOOK and now heading up the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">TV<\/a> desk at the UK&#8217;s biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. \u00a0As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world&#8217;s oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/1989ljt\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">linkedIn<\/a><br \/>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jennifer Saunders may still be best known for her iconic part in the beloved British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":659942,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[147950,149865,379,221386,381,96,190731,1156,221385,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-659941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-collection-latest-news","tag-collection-netflix","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-64a16373-0deb-473b-96b4-1ac0bd68ff0c","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-jennifer-saunders-top-rated-drama-is-a-twisty-thriller","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=659941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659941\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/659942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=659941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=659941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=659941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}