It looks like Netflix is onto another winner with its latest adaptation of Harlen Coben’s work.
Following the success of original series like The Stranger and Stay Close (as well as Safe, which was created by the author especially for Netflix), the streaming giant has brought Harlen’s novel Fool Me Once to life on the small screen, with the show quickly shooting to the top of its most-watched list after debuting on New Year’s Day.
As has become the tradition, the show is led by a predominantly British cast, some of whom are household names here in the UK.
If you’re struggling to place where you recognise certain Fool Me Once stars from, here’s our guide to some of their most famous work…
Michelle Keegan as Maya Stern
Taking the lead in this new thriller is Michelle Keegan, who is still probably best remembered for her seven-year stint as Tina McIntyre in Coronation Street.
In the decade since her Corrie character was killed off, she’s appeared in the dramas Our Girl, Ten Pound Poms and Ordinary Lies, the Sky comedy Brassic and the sports biopic Tina And Bobby, in which she played Tina Dean, the wife of the iconic footballer Bobby Moore.
Michelle is also frequently in the headlines because of her relationship with reality star Mark Wright, to whom she’s been married since 2015.
Richard Amritage as Joe
Fool Me Once marks Richard Armitage’s third appearance in one of Netflix’s Harlen Coben adaptations, after previously taking the lead in The Stranger and appearing in Stay Close.
His other TV credits include the British comedy The Vicar Of Dibley, the erotic thriller Obsession and the drama Hannibal, for which he was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award in 2016.
Adeel Akhtar as Sami Kierce
Impressively, Adeel Akhtar has two TV Baftas to his name, for his performances in the TV series Murdered By My Father and Sherwood.
You may have also seen him in action in the crime drama The Tunnel, the Channel 4 thriller Utopia (in which he played the Wilson Wilson survivalist conspiracy theorist Wilson Wilson), the surreal sitcom Ghosted and the second and fourth seasons of Killing Eve.
He previously collaborated with Netflix on the 2021 post-acolapyic drama Sweet Tooth, earning him a nomination at the Children’s and Family Emmys.
Joanna Lumley as Judith Burkett
You probably recognise Dame Joanna Lumley for her iconic performance in the much-loved British comedy Absolutely Fabulous, but there’s plenty more to her CV than just playing Patsy Stone.
As well as shows like Jam & Jerusalem, Sensitive Skin, The New Avengers and Finding Alice, Dame Joanna has appeared in several films like Tim Burton’s James And The Giant Peach and The Corpse Bride, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and The Wolf Of Wall Street, and fronted a series of travel documentaries.
Her appearance in Fool Me Once comes after her Ab Fab co-star Jennifer Saunders’ stint in another Harlen Coben show, The Stranger.
Emmett J Scanlan as Shane Tessier
In the early 2010s, Emmett rose to fame as Brendan Brady in Hollyoaks, appearing in more than 300 episodes in three years with the hit soap.
Since then, the Irish performer has played Billy Grade in Peaky Blinders, D.C. Glenn Martin in The Fall, Stephen Duffy in the ITV drama Butterfly and “Mad Stab” in the award-winning comedy Derry Girls.
Back in 2014, he also played a minor role in Marvel’s first film adaptation of Guardians Of The Galaxy.
Dino Fetscher as Marty McGreggor
Dino Fetscher has already racked up a number of impressive drama roles in the last decade, appearing in Russell T Davies’ Cucumber as Aiden, before teaming up with the TV super-producer again when he played Ralph Cousins in Years And Years.
You may have also seen Dino in Gentleman Jack, the Netflix crime drama Paranoid or the Apple TV+ sci-fi drama Foundation’s second season.
Before rising to fame as an actor, he was also a former recipient of the Mr Gay UK title, which he won back in 2008.
Jade Anouka as Nicole Butler
Jade Anouka’s TV career began with small roles in shows like Doctor Who and Michaela Coel’s Chewing Gum, before she made the jump to His Dark Materials, Small Axe, the Sheridan Smith-led drama Cleaning Up and the 2021 adaptation of the play Cock, in which she shared the stage with Taron Egerton and Jonathan Bailey.
Impressively, Jade is also a published poet, with her first collection Eggs On Toast debuting in 2016.
Natalie Anderson as Claire Walker
Soap fans will recognise Natalie for her performance as Alicia Metcalfe in Emmerdale, which she stepped down from in 2015.
After bidding farewell to the Dales, Natalie played Nessarose in the West End musical Wicked, and, more recently, made the jump to Hollyoaks, in which she played police officer Lexi Calder.
Hattie Morahan as Caroline Burkett
Hattie Morahan has an interesting and eclectic CV, first appearing in shows like Outnumbered and the medical drama Bodies, while her film credits include The Golden Compass and Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty And The Beast, which she narrated as well as playing The Enchantress.
In the last few years, Hattie appeared in the war drama Operation Mincemeat, the Netflix original Enola Holmes and the Apple TV+ thriller Hijack, playing the fictional foreign secretary Louise Aitchison.
Laurie Kynaston as Corey Rudzinski
Laurie Kynaston is perhaps most renowned for his work on the stage, earning him the Emerging Talent title at 2020’s Evening Standard Theatre Awards for his work in The Son.
His past TV work includes Des, Derry Girls, The Man Who Fell To Earth and Netflix’s reworking of the Neil Gaiman classic The Sandman, which saw him playing Alex Burgess. He has also appeared in the films How To Build A Girl and as Johnny Marr in the Smiths biopic England Is Mine.