Run Away 2026 Tv Show Review
Netflix’s new adaptation of Harlan Coben’s Run Away is ambitious, addictive, and binge-worthy. The premise is simple: how far will a father go to save his drug-addicted daughter? Filled with twists and turns, one can’t help but press ‘play’ for each subsequent episode. It stars James Nesbitt, Ellie de Lange, Alfred Enoch, Ruth Jones, and Minnie Driver and is streaming now on Netflix.
Successful Simon Greene (Nesbitt) has a loving wife (Driver) and three happy children. That is, until one of them, Paige (de Lange), gets addicted to drugs. She drops out of university and shacks up with her nightmare boyfriend (Thomas Flynn). Nobody can find her. One day, Simon comes across her husking in a park, looking worse for wear. Desperate, Simon chases after Paige to no avail, tussling with Aaron in a scene that goes TikTok viral. This marks the beginning of Simon’s problems. Before he knows it, Aaron is found murdered, and everyone’s a suspect.
Run Away does a good job of establishing multiple plotlines, allowing for a deep storyline. At first, the viewer will wonder what exactly is going on and how all these characters are related. A detective team made up of Isaac Fagbenle (Enoch) and Ruby Todd (Amy Gledhill) hunt down Aaron’s killer. Private Investigator Elena Ravenscroft (Jones) searches for a missing young man. A murderous couple (Jon Pointing and Maeve Courtier-Lilley) make their way across the countryside. Meanwhile, Simon Greene may not know his wife as well as he thinks he does.
There are several hiccups scattered throughout the series. Some characters, for the sake of narrative movement, are a little too helpful. Sometimes they use too much expository language, in case the viewer has lost focus. Run Away asks many questions, and is slow at giving few answers. Another twist? You might think.
The storyline also seems out of place for London and the surrounding environs. Many of the criminals have Italian names. Everyone is adept at using all the guns. A casualty of moving the setting away from New York City, where Coben’s novel originally takes place.
As for the cast, Driver is also woefully under utilized. It is a shame, as she is magnetic onscreen. However, Nesbitt picks up the slack and he is excellent as the everyman character. There’s also a dazzlingly small turn with Tracy-Ann Oberman as Simon’s lawyer, but for every delight, there is a dismay. The killing duo of Ash and Dee Dee (Pointing and Courtier-Lilley) draw comparisons to Tim Roth and Jennifer Jason-Leigh in Twin Peaks: The Return. Alas neither of them are either as ominous or unstable as Roth and Jason-Leigh were in a similar role. It is a weak spot in the series. And what is Run Away trying to say about the power of addiction?
Putting those items aside, it is a great way to spend either a day or spaced out over a few evenings in front of the television. There are eight episodes, each roughly 50 minutes long. Run Away won’t run away with many awards, but it’s a solid viewing choice from the Netflix catalogue.
