Fool Me Once has topped the global Netflix charts.
And clearly delighted by the show's success, Harlan Coben, the author of the book on which the show is based, revealed on Instagram on Sunday that he had filmed a sneaky cameo in the second episode of the Michelle Keegan-directed drama.
The American mystery and thriller writer, 62, who has seen nine of his books developed into shows by the streaming giant, shared a screenshot of a scene in which Maya Stern – played by Michelle, 36 – is in an arcade bar.
The arcade in question is Bury's Arcade Club, the largest free video arcade in Europe. Just visible behind the bar in the pink light-hued scene, Harlan revealed himself as a cameo performer in the show, based on the 2016 thriller.
He added a hilarious caption next to the shot: 'Scene stealing from @michkeegan as “bartender at the arcade.” You can't learn this kind of acting. You either have it or you don't. #foolmeonce @netflix @netflixuk'.
Have you seen Harlan Coben's Fool Me Once cameo? The author behind Netflix's thriller revealed his volatile performance in the mega-hit series
He added a hilarious caption next to the shot: 'Scene stealing from @michkeegan as “bartender at the arcade.” You can't learn this kind of acting. You either have it or you don't. #foolmeonce @netflix @netflixuk'.
Harlan is pictured in 2011
Harlan published his first novel in 1990 at the age of 26 and has since sold more than 80 million books and is now a TV hit thanks to his mega-money deal with Netflix.
Fool Me Once has had viewers hooked with its gripping episodes and plot twists since its release on New Year's Day. In the series, Michelle's character Maya deals with the murder of her husband Joe, months after the murder of her sister Claire.
The eight-part drama series, which also stars Adeel Akhtar and Joanna Lumley, is the latest in Netflix's successful series of adaptations of works by American mystery thriller writer Harlan.
Not long after Joe's murder, Maya sees her late husband on a secret nanny camera she installed to keep an eye on their daughter Lily.
Maya's discovery soon leads to a web of lies and conspiracy as she tries to discover what happened to Joe and his family's possible involvement.
However, the amount of twists proved to be too much for some as viewers who spent the first week of the year binging the series took to social media to complain about the new release.
Fans shared their thoughts on X – formerly known as Twitter – saying: 'Watching Fool Me Once. This is completely ridiculous nonsense, with Michelle Keegan and Joanna Lumley chewing scenery for their lives. Of course, I'm obsessed with the fact that I'm about to start Episode 4.”
The series stars Michelle Keegan, whose character Maya deals with the murder of her husband Joe, months after the murder of her sister Claire.
For fans of Harlan Coben looking for more, Netflix has long been the go-to place for film adaptations of his novels. The most recent production, Fool Me Once, was released early this month and has viewers hooked
Last week, Michelle shared a screenshot showing fans that Fool Me Once reached No. 1 in the United States
Michelle shared a slew of photos of what her camera roll has looked like lately and thanked fans in disbelief at the popularity it has gained
“Fool me once, that's okay. Too Americanized. Wondering why her gun wasn't picked up by the police when her husband was killed, but after the funeral? Ridiculous. Lots of crazy things happen. Still entertaining.'
'Is it me or is Fool Me Once way too complicated? Michelle Keegan is brilliant in it but all the red herrings are ridiculous #skiptotheend.”
“It got more and more ridiculous as it went on. A bit of light-hearted fun instead of some serious whodoneity. I was fooled once, but never again, of course.'
Many were still gripped and enjoyed the series, but were left with questions at the end, with one writing: 'Fool Me Once was good but I finished the story in episode 6 and can't decide on the ending! Was it good or a bit ridiculous?'
'Fool Me Once is downright ridiculous. I got sucked in by people saying this is the best show on TV, and it made me realize how many imbeciles I was surrounding myself with.”
“Am I the only one who doesn't like Fool Me Once, it's so far-fetched and ridiculous?”
'I was surprised that Fool Me Once is so popular. The plot twists were too ridiculous to maintain credibility, and that wasn't helped by the huge holes in the story.'
'As a fan of Harlan Coben's Netflix shows, I have to say that Fool Me Once is great. Essentially they are all the same, which is to say ridiculous, wildly implausible and extremely entertaining.'
The show has been storming the charts on Netflix since its release on New Year's Day
The eight-part drama series, which also stars Adeel Akhtar and Joanna Lumley, is the latest in Netflix's successful series of adaptations of works by American mystery thriller writer Harlan Coben (pictured)