Is Netflix’s Caught season 1 based on a true story? Details explored

Caught is a Spanish-language series that is directed by Hernan Goldfrid and Miguel Cohan. Cohan also has writing credits for the series as he wrote the screenplay with his sister, Ana, María Meira, and Gonzalo Salaya. The mystery thriller series features six episodes and was released on March 26, 2025 on Netflix.

Caught Season 1 is adapted from Harlan Coben's novel of the same name, published in 2010. It is a fictional story and not based on true events. Called Atrapados in Spanish, the series is produced by Vanessa Ragone of Haddock Films and executive produced by Miguel Cohan.

The show's official synopsis, as per Netflix, reads:

"Known for catching criminals, famed reporter Ema Garay faces a dilemma when the suspect in a teen's disappearance turns out to be someone close to her."

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The story of Caught Season 1 is a fictionalized account

Soledad Villamil is posing for an Instagram picture with the author Harlan Coben in March 2025 (Image via Instagram/@solevillamilok)

The Netflix series is the first Latin American adaptation of one of the American author's novels.

Furthermore, the book's setting is New Jersey in the United States, while the series is set in the city of Bariloche in Argentina. As such, the character names are also changed to align with their geographical locations. The reporter Wendy Tynes from the book is named Ema Garay in the series. Similarly, the book's leading suspect, Dan Mercer, is named Leo Mercer in the Netflix series.

Also, the book's timeline is set in the year it was published - 2010. The onscreen adaptation, however, takes place in 2025, the year of its release.

Harlan Coben spoke to Variety on March 25, 2025, ahead of the show's worldwide premiere, and shared his thoughts about setting his American story in Latin America.

"Bariloche is a fantastic location, offering both stunning beauty and a sense of isolation that makes it perfect for a thriller," he said.

Miguel Cohan agreed with the author and added:

"Bariloche captures the same spirit and emotions evoked by the novel, even if the setting isn’t an exact match. It organically becomes its own universe – a small city that isn’t quite a town but not a metropolis either."

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What happens in Caught Season 1?

Caught Season 1 focuses on the journalist Ema Garay's investigation into the sudden disappearance and murder of the 16-year-old violinist Martina Schulz.

The plot begins with Ema suspecting Leo Mercer, a respected and trusted member of the community, of being a se*ual predator responsible for grooming young girls and assaulting them. However, Ema discovers that Leo is innocent and that he was set up by his childhood friend, Marcos Brown. The latter wanted to reclaim his family land that is currently owned by Leo's Fronteras Foundation.

So, he plans to destroy his close friend's reputation by levying child abuse allegations against him. Martina unknowingly helps Marcos frame Leo as a pedophile and gets into a heated argument with Armando, the son of Leo's ex-girlfriend Juliana. She dies after he accidentally pushes her down the flight of stairs and dumps her body in the woods with his mother's help.

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All episodes of Caught Season 1 are available to stream on Netflix.