I can't say how The Mosquito Coast compares to the movie/book because I never saw/read it. However, as a show, it feels incomplete. It's suspenseful and engaging, but there is very little in the way of character development and nothing is really resolved. It also fails to give much backstory, only hinting at why this family is on the run. At only seven episodes, it could have used a couple more hours to flesh out the "why" of it all. That said, Justin Theroux is excellent in an endlessly watchable performance. Overall, it's good, but it could have been better.