Fans of mystery thrillers and Dexter need to give 2018’s Safe a try. This miniseries is among the hidden gems on Netflix. It arrived on the streaming platform back in 2018 and was met with high viewership, positive audience reception, and fair critical acclaim. Over the last seven years, however, Safe has somewhat fallen out of mainstream recognition.

Safe was one of Harlan Coben’s early projects with Netflix, paving the way for others like Fool Me Once, Missing You, The Stranger​​​​​, and many more. Like much of Coben’s work, Safe centers its mystery on the consequences of an event from the past that isn’t quite what everyone thought it was. It’s a tried-and-true formula that always makes for a great binge. What makes Safe a little extra special, however, is its star.

Safe Is A Harlan Coben Mystery Thriller Starring Dexter’s Michael C. Hall

Safe stars Michael C. Hall, who plays the titular character in the crime-drama procedural Dexter​​​. This is, of course, a massive series that has spawned several sequels and spinoffs, so it’s what Hall is most associated with. Safe is one of the handful of TV shows the actor starred in between the end of the central Dexter series and the character’s return in Dexter: New Blood.

In Safe, Hall plays a recently widowed father, Tom, whose teenage daughter goes missing after a night out at a party. Desperate to find her, Tom begins his own investigation, but only seems to turn up more troubling and confusing secrets.

Of course, this is a significantly different role for Hall than Dexter. Still, with that classic Coben-style suspense and the mystery-thriller premise, fans of one are sure to enjoy the other. What’s more, Safe makes for a deliciously quick binge.

Safe Is The Perfect Binge For Mystery Fans

Safe isn’t quite perfect, but it performed admirably with critics and general audiences. Rotten Tomatoes gives this miniseries an overall score of 71%, so it’s officially “Certified Fresh.” The cast was almost unanimously agreed to be an asset to the series, as it includes Amanda Abbington, Audrey Fleurot, Marc Warren, and more, in addition to Hall. Even more prevalent, however, was the praise around Safe‘s structure and form.

Safe has only eight episodes, each about 45 minutes long. It’s the perfect recipe for a bingeable mystery thriller. There’s plenty of time to build suspense, but viewers can dive in knowing it won’t be long before they get that satisfying payoff. Between this and Hall’s performance, Safe is an easily defined Netflix hidden gem.