Info in Movie News | The new mystery thriller series named Run Away, based on Harlan Coben's best-selling novel, is Netflix's first offering in 2026. The limited series comprising eight episodes is scheduled to be broadcast on the first of January 2026, thus delivering a suspenseful tale with themes of hidden family secrets and surprise elements that shock the reader. Following the massive success of Missing You in 2025, Coben is back with a new story which, like Run Away, delves into the most terrible aspects of love and loss.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Run Away is about Simon Greene character who is James Nesbitt portrays a man who once had it all, a loving wife, a stable career, and a happy family. However, his life came crashing down when his eldest daughter, Paige, disappeared without a trace. A few months later, Simon came across her in a city park where she was heavily dependent on drugs and looked very weak and lost. He tries to help and bring her home, but Paige is not alone. A confrontation ends tragically and violently, leaving Simon to lose his daughter once again, this time more painfully. From here a dangerous search full of secrets and lies begins.
The Run Away series is produced by Quay Street Productions, part of ITV Studios, with Harlan Coben acting as executive producer through Final Twist Productions. The screenplay was written by Danny Brocklehurst (Fool me Once, Brassic) who also served as executive producer alongside Nicola Shindler and Richard Fee. While the director's chair is shared between Nimer Rashed (Episodes 1-3, 7-8) and Isher Sahota (Episodes 4-6), two names known for their cinematic directing style and emotional storytelling.
The ensemble of the cast likewise contributes to the allure. Minnie Driver acts the part of Ingrid Greene, the wife of Simon, a sturdy, virile character but she carries a secret in her heart. As a character throwback from the Greene family's history, Ruth Jones feels Elena Ravenscroft and Alfred Enoch as Isaac Fagbenle, a man whose motives are hard to discern. Besides, the mighty cast is upraised by various characters portrayed by Lucian Msamati, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Jon Pointing, Annette Badland, Maeve Courtier-Lilley, Ellie de Lange, Adrian Greensmith, Ellie Henry, Ingrid Oliver, Finty Williams, and Joe McGann. The depth of the mystery unravels with their interaction, as every one of them embody vital figures.
The principal photography was done in Manchester and the North West region of England while the story location was changed from the United States to England after the successful pattern of Coben's previous adaptations such as the Stranger and Fool me Once. It is the desolate and cold atmosphere of the city that gradually turns into a flawless mirror of Simon's emotional voyage that is full of remorse, terror, and a twisted kind of love. The dark and realistic atmosphere makes this drama feel alive and close to reality.
Coben described Run Away as “a story about a family, about the extent to which one is willing to fight to keep it, and the secrets hidden from loved ones.” The emotional element is what really makes Run Away different from other thrillers of its kind. The show doesn't just cage character's psycho side through fast action sequences but instead it depicts characters' internal struggle, which is guilt and love driving the characters to do the unthinkable.
Parts of the first half of the movie show a terrifying atmosphere: Simon covered in blood and rain, Paige quivering in the dark, and two shadowed figures looming over a dead body. Nimer Rashed's camera work keeps the series very realistic and suspenseful throughout. At the same time, the lighting and the lines spoken by the characters are there to deepen the feeling of an unknown and mysterious world.
Run Away is a major collaborative project between Harlan Coben and Netflix, which comprises 13 adaptation titles. These three titles are among the outcomes from their productive collaboration: Stay Close, Gone for Good, and Fool Me Once. In short, Coben is a proficient writer who can develop complicated characters, and hence each character is a possible victim and a perpetrator, which keeps the spectators in suspense up to the last unveiling.
Moreover, Netflix is also employing cross-country adaptation strategies to broaden its audience base. By making England the location of the story, Run Away not only feels global, but also brings a distinctively British feel that is sharp, realistic and emotional. This Formula proved successful, as the British version of Coben's adaptation series often topped the ratings in various countries.
Although Run Away is packaged as a limited series with a movie-like duration and there are no plans for a follow-up season yet, its success could pave the way for another story from Coben's universe. Other projects such as Caught, Just one Look, and I will Find you are being developed with Netflix.
'Run Away,' a series just about to be launched on the 1st of New Year, is expected to be the headline of the very first days of 2026. It combines the fiery plot of a crime thriller with the touching aspects of a family drama, therefore, it is a show that its viewers are unwillingly compelled to examine their relationships with their closest ones and to entertain the hypothetical notion of what if their trust was suddenly transformed into suspicion.'
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline
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