Harlan Coben, acclaimed mystery writer and novelist, is still going strong thanks to his deal with Netflix that he signed back in August 2018. Under the multi-million-dollar five-year contract, 14 of Coben’s novels would be adapted, whether that was as a television series or feature film. The streaming platform has no shortage of crime series, but Coben’s flair for the dramatic and signature twists help to give Netflix an edge over the competition. Now, the first look images for the latest adaptation, Run Away, have been released, teasing plenty of the intensity and drama that fans of Coben’s work have come to expect.
Based on the novel of the same name, Run Away follows Simon (James Nesbitt), a family man whose seemingly idyllic life with his wife and children falls apart when his oldest daughter, you guessed it, runs away. His efforts to get her back home devolve into a dark journey into a dangerous underworld, especially because of a shocking and violent event that happens when he first finds her. It’s an exciting premise that will undoubtedly show the cracks within Simon’s life that he never himself noticed before, which is sure to engage viewers on Netflix.
Ruth Jones, Minnie Driver and Alfred Enoch also star in the series, and much like several of the other Netflix adaptations like Lazarus and Missing You, Run Away will change the backdrop from the United States to the United Kingdom. Filmed in Manchester, Run Away also already has a release date of January 1, 2026, coming out only a day after the gargantuan Netflix original series Stranger Things drops its series finale. ITV Studios-owned production company Quay Street made the series, which makes sense as they have been responsible for several other Coben adaptations.
‘Run Away’ Continues Netflix’s Hot Streak of Harlan Coben Adaptations
Danny Brocklehurst, who previously worked on the 2024 series Fool Me Once (which is also a Coben adaptation) serves as the lease writer and executive producer of Run Away. Tom Farrelly, Amanda Duke and Charlotte Coben also all serve as writers for various episodes in the eight-part series. It’s unsurprising that Netflix is continuing on its hot streak with Coben adaptations as the previous one, Missing You, became a top-ten all-time English-language show for the platform, attaining 94 million views since it premiered in January of last year. This is far from the last Coben adaptation, either, as I Will Find You is also set to be released soon, though it does not have a release date.
With a strong ensemble cast and exciting plot, Run Away is poised to be another big hit for Netflix. When also taking into consideration the tried and true creative team that has worked on other Coben adaptations, it’s hard to imagine that Run Away won’t find an audience on Netflix. The mixture of twisty and unpredictable crime storytelling with family dynamics will help the series stand out from the massive library that the platform already has, especially in the crime and drama genre.
- Network
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Netflix
- Writers
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Daniel Brocklehurst
Cast
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Ruth Jones
Elena Ravenscroft
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