Run Away, 2026

Review of the series "Run Away!" — an unexpected hit with viewers this winter

A fast-paced crime thriller about the disappearance of a wealthy financier's daughter.

Paige (Ellie de Lange) gets involved with the wayward Aaron (Thomas Flynn), starts taking drugs, and runs away from home. Her father, wealthy financier Simon (James Nesbitt), and his wife Ingrid (Minnie Driver) relentlessly search for their daughter and try to bring her back home. Simon's chance encounter with Aaron in the park ends in a brutal beating of Paige's boyfriend. Several witnesses film the scene on video and post the clip on the Internet. The video quickly goes viral. A few days later, Aaron is found dead in his home with multiple stab wounds and three fingers missing. Simon becomes one of the main suspects. The father fears that Paige may have been involved in the murder. His daughter's whereabouts are still unknown.

In 2018, American crime writer Harlan Coben signed a contract with Netflix, and in 2022 he renewed his agreement with the streaming service. As part of the collaboration, new adaptations of the writer's works appear every year. The adaptations are filmed in different languages: Polish (Into the Woods), French (The Lost), Spanish (Harlan Coben. Innocent), although most often in English (The Safe, The Stranger, The Past Will Not Let Go). In 2025, the series The Shelter was added to this list on Amazon, so viewers have plenty of Koben to enjoy on any platform. The writer's name has not yet become a mark of quality. The level of film adaptations varies greatly, and it is difficult to call the author a modern classic, but the master of the detective genre knows how to come up with exciting plots. For streaming services, this is a gold mine.

Run is based on Coben's novel of the same name, published in 2019. The showrunner for the series is Daniel Blocklhurst, screenwriter for The Naked and Shameless, who previously worked on other adaptations of the American writer's works, including The Safety, The Stranger, The Past Will Not Let Go, and Once a Lie. For Nimer Rasheed, this is already the third series based on Coben's work, and for Isher Sahota, the second. So the project was worked on by a film crew that knows what detective stories are all about and how to keep the audience's attention.

Run Away captivates viewers with its investigation of not just one crime, but several incidents that are connected in one way or another. The police are looking for Aaron's killer. Simon is eager to find his daughter Paige as soon as possible. Private detective Elena (Ruth Jones) is hired by a wealthy man to track down the missing son of businessman Henry. Sometimes the detectives join forces, and sometimes they work in parallel. The writers regularly jump from one character to another. In addition, a series of murders is taking place in the city, and the victims are connected to each other. In general, viewers of this detective series will not have time for tea breaks — two or three important events take place in each episode.

Koben's film adaptation cannot be considered a premium project. The authors touch on painful topics, but do not focus on pressing issues or dig too deeply. However, if you put several plots together, you could even call it a social commentary if you really wanted to. The seemingly happy family had its secrets, even between the parents, and the father was often away at work and did not always devote time to his children. When tragedy struck the daughter's life, there was no one there for her. The film criticizes questionable cults, the adoption system, and the inaction of social services, which are powerless to do anything about domestic violence. However, these are just common themes for detective stories. And the authors do not seem to be trying to deceive the audience's expectations and want to entertain first and foremost. The plot needs conflict, lies, and secrets. When Koben and the authors tie a tight knot of several intrigues, there should be as many problematic characters as possible.

The series cannot be accused of being slow-paced or lacking in events. The overly dramatic music, melodramatic twists and turns, and the actors' expressiveness may raise questions, but the creators of the project do not cross the line into bad taste. Run Away! confidently maintains its pace throughout all eight episodes, which is already an achievement for a modern show, and the dénouement does not disappoint. This is not noir, black comedy, or a cozy thriller; there is plenty of blood, shootouts, fights, and quarrels. All fans of dynamic detective stories that you want to watch in one go will love this new adaptation of Coben's work. You're unlikely to want to rewatch Runaway, but a one-time viewing is almost guaranteed to be enjoyable.

You can watch "Run Away" at NETFLIX

This article was sponsored by Ibrahym Hasanov