Netflix bosses are keen to bring Michelle Keegan back for the second season of author Harlan Coban’s TV drama Fool Me Once… but there’s a problem

It’s one of the biggest TV hits of the year – and Netflix is ​​desperate to bring it back.

But the US giant faces a tricky problem as it pursues a second season of Fool Me Once – at the crime drama’s climax they killed off its star attraction, Michelle Keegan.

An insider says writer Harlan Coben wished he had written a more ambiguous ending, joking that he wants to compose a “Harold from Neighbors” moment for Ms Keegan so he can bring the former Coronation Street actress back . She gained greater fame through the drama.

Just as Dallas’ Bobby Ewing rose from the dead in the shower in the ’80s, Harold Bishop rose from a watery grave in the Australian soap opera in the ’90s.

Five years after he was feared lost at sea, it emerged he had actually been rescued by a passing trawler and taken to Tasmania. Conveniently, he had suffered from amnesia and so hadn’t bothered to tell anyone.

But the US giant faces a thorny problem as it killed its star attraction, Michelle, at the height of the crime thriller

An insider says writer Harlan Coben wishes he had written a more ambiguous ending

Although a number of American writer Coben’s novels have been made into Netflix dramas – and some are set in Britain – the inclusion of 37-year-old Ms Keegan as sensual protagonist Maya Stern in “Fool Me Once” helped make the series popular became one of the most popular Netflix series.

Now the former Our Girl star has achieved international fame and is being recommended for Hollywood roles.

But her character’s demise in Fool Me Once has left Coben “kicking herself in the ass” and looking for a storyline, however far-fetched, that could allow her to reprise her role in the second installment to regain.

A source close to Ms Keegan said: “Michelle and Harlan got on really well while filming Fool Me Once and he thinks she’s great.” He believes Michelle is a big part of the show’s gigantic success.

“There was a real heart-to-heart at the National Television Awards recently and Harlan said he was absolutely disappointed that he killed off her character and that he would do anything to bring her back from the dead so she could could have one.” ‘longingly awaited sequel.’

According to the source, nothing is off the table and the pressure to get a sequel off the ground is on. Coben, who has sold around 60 million books, is preparing to release his next crime novel, “Nobody’s Fool,” in March 2025.

The source added: “Fool Me Once is the sixth most-watched series on Netflix and they are keen to repeat their success.” Harlan is now thinking about a spin-off show so they can do a second season.

“Michelle is also disappointed because it gave her a worldwide reputation and her outfits from the show went viral, which helped her brand.”

A source close to Ms Keegan said that Michelle and Harlan (right, also with Ms Keegan’s on-screen husband Richard Armitage) formed a real bond during filming

The exhilarating eight-part series received rave reviews. In it, Ms Keegan – who is married to TV reality star Mark Wright – plays a former soldier whose husband is murdered. The plot begins to unfold when she subsequently sees him on camera visiting her young daughter.

Fans on X, formerly Twitter, thought the storyline was unlikely, but it was a ratings winner.

One said: “Watching Fool Me Once.” This is absolutely ridiculous nonsense with Michelle Keegan and Joanna Lumley chewing the scenery for their lives. “Of course I’m obsessed.” Another viewer said: “As time went on it became more and more ridiculous.”

The source said: “The fact that ‘Fool Me Once’ is knowingly a bit crazy only makes it all the more likely that Michelle could find her way back.”

Netflix declined to comment and a spokesman for Coben said: “We have nothing official to say at this time.”