Run Away: Should You Stay Back & Watch It?

Published by C Reema on January 3, 2026January 3, 2026

Run Away (2026) is an 8-episode-long British Crime Drama Mini-Series. This suspenseful, thrilling mystery tale takes us into a dark and twisted world that eclipses the Greene family.

Series Review [Spoiler-Free]: Run Away (Season 1/2026) English

In FOCUS: It Is Like A Pulp Fiction, Which Boasts of Quite A Few Twists & Turns

Synopsis

You've lost your daughter.

She's addicted to drugs and to an abusive boyfriend. And she's made it clear that she doesn't want to be found. Then, quite by chance, you see her busking in a Park. But she's not the girl you remember. This woman is wasted, frightened and clearly in trouble. You don't stop to think. You approach her, beg her to come home. She runs.

And you follow her into a dark and dangerous world you never knew existed. Where criminal gangs rule, where drugs are the main currency, and murder is commonplace.

Now it's your life on the line. And nowhere and no one is safe.

(Source: Run Away novel)

Harlan Coben

Well, this suspense-filled “Run Away” (2026) Limited Mini-Series is based on Harlan Coben’s 2019 novel of the same title. In the not-so-distant past, we had also reviewed the “Missing You” (2025) and “Fool Me Once” (2024) Limited Series based on Harlan Coben’s novels, too. It seems that Harlan and his team have been making it a habit to release their limited series on the 1st of January in the last couple of years.

And, as expected, our viewing experience was no different from those of the past two years.

In fact, after watching Harlan Coben’s limited series for the past couple of years, we have come to a certain point of view that we would like to share with our readers.

📌Markedly, his mystery crime dramas are a little bit like pulp fiction. In essence, they are like exciting and digestible fiction, which depicts interconnected crime stories with socio-political undertones.

📌Usually, his crime dramas are slow-paced. Especially in the first half of the series. So, one requires a little bit of patience to watch the first few episodes. And then the story picks up pace in the final episodes.

📌 This crime drama has the expected and unexpected twists and turns, and the viewers should be prepared. However, sometimes we failed to understand the logic and rationale behind the plot twists.

📌 However, that should not deter the viewers. Essentially, it is good enough for one time guilt-free watch. One could say that the “Run Away” mini-series is like fast food. Don’t question. Just enjoy.

Poster

Brief Storyline

In the “Run Away” limited mini-series, the perfect life of the protagonist, Simon Greene (James Nesbitt), is shattered when daughter, Paige Greene (Ellie de Lange), runs away. Later on, a desperate father searching for his runaway daughter gets caught up in a murder case. His frantic search leads him into a dangerous underworld where an act of violence rocks his life.

Furthermore, Simon also stumbled upon secrets that could destroy his family for good. So, how far into the tangled web of dark secrets would Simon go to find his missing daughter?

Be prepared for the shocking end.

The Greene family (especially the two members) have to live with the ugly and horrific secrets and carry the heavy burden for life.

[When one takes a logical and closer look at its storyline, then definitely, some of the twists, turns, plotlines and explanations do not really add up. But we leave those holes for you to find out.]

Actors & Actresses

The acting performances by its cast members are just about adequate, as if they are going through a motion in this year-opening crime drama. Still, a bunch of them were quite impressive.

📍James Nesbitt (Simon Greene) has used a couple of facial expressions throughout the eight-episode series ‘Run Away’. In other words, he managed to stay angry and violent in most scenes.

📍Minnie Driver (Ingrid Greene) has looked good in the limited screen time that she got. We think her talent has been grossly underutilised in the show, as per her role’s requirement.

📍After a long time, we have come across such an inept bunch of police characters in a British series. They are effortlessly played by Alfred Enoch (Isaac Fagbenle) and Amy Gledhill (Ruby Todd).

📍The character of the private investigator is portrayed by Ruth Jones (Elena Ravenscroft), and she is quite good. Her character was used to send shockwaves among the viewers, and it worked.

📍We liked the performances of a young bunch of actors, Adrian Greensmith (Sam Greene), Ellie Henry (Anya Greene), Ellie de Lange (Paige Greene), Maeve Courtier-Lilley (Dee Dee), Jon Pointing (Ash), etc.

Rating

Conclusion

Watching this ‘Run Away’ series on the first day of the New Year was like taking comfort food. They do not tax your brain cells too much. And yet they fill your evening time and offer you a pastime option. So, we have to admit that the ‘Run Away’ is the first series that we have watched and reviewed in the New Year 2026. And despite its apparent flaws, we enjoyed this ‘Run Away’ limited mini-series, so can you.

Trailer

Key Details

[Lastly, read: How Does Run Away End? All the Murders and Secrets Explained | Netflix Tudum.]

Poster & Featured Image: Run Away (2026) Limited Series | Pictures Credit: Netflix