‘Run Away’ (2026) Netflix Series Review - A Puzzle Box with Nothing Inside

After Fool Me Once and Missing You, Harlan Coben and Netflix are back with another New Year offering, this time titled Run Away, yet another adaptation of one of Coben's novels. Did you enjoy those earlier titles? If yes, you might also like Run Away. I, on the other hand, am not a fan. That said, this new series shows a bit more ambition, which makes it slightly different from the previous adaptations.

For starters, Run Away introduces multiple narrative threads that initially appear disconnected and only fall into place near the end. It is also good news that writer Danny Brocklehurst and directors Nimer Rashed and Isher Sahota display a willingness to follow through on these ambitions. Their efforts, however, are ultimately undermined by the limitations of the source material. One of my major complaints with Harlan Coben adaptations is that they begin with a great deal of promise—strong atmosphere and mounting intrigue—only to eventually settle for cheap tricks. When the mystery is finally revealed, the audience is left frustrated, feeling they have been conned by a scammer who promised shocks and a grand surprise.

The same criticism applies here, although Run Away does bend over backwards to deliver shocks and a big reveal. The problem is that, in its attempt to conceal secrets and manufacture distractions, the series takes such a long, torturous route to its destination that it becomes tedious midway. All of its energy is spent constructing a puzzle box, encouraging viewers to constantly wonder which piece fits where. That, unfortunately, becomes the entire viewing experience. As a result, we care less about the characters—their struggles, goals, and pain—and more about answers to questions such as: What happened to Paige (Ellie de Lange)? Who are Dee Dee (Maeve Courtier-Lilley) and Ash (Jon Pointing)? Is Simon (James Nesbitt) guilty of murdering Paige's toxic boyfriend? And what is the deal with Elena's (Ruth Jones) stalking behavior?

By the time these questions are answered, our interest largely evaporates. (I did, however, remain curious about Simon's younger daughter, who is sometimes shown in a wheelchair and at other times walking like a perfectly healthy individual.) Run Away relies almost entirely on its mysteries to keep viewers invested; nothing else truly holds attention. The show keeps its cards pressed tightly against its chest to conceal the solutions to its riddles, but I wish it had shown the same commitment to fleshing out its characters.

There are, after all, some potentially fascinating figures here. Lou (Annette Badland), for instance, is a 75-year-old IT expert—a character you rarely encounter in fiction. Then there are two police officers in a budding romance, but they never share any meaningful or intimate conversations. Most of their interactions revolve around the case, occasionally punctuated by shallow (but cute) romantic gestures, such as checking out each other's buttocks. Elena, too, has a tragic past and grapples with something complex in the present, yet her life is reduced to another puzzle, leaving her without personality or emotional depth.

The series also gestures toward ideas about Gen-Z, social media, and modern life, but never meaningfully engages with them. Simon uses an app to check a patient's status, while Elena remarks that such a feature did not exist during her previous visit to the hospital. Isaac (Alfred Enoch) mocks people for oversharing on social media, implicitly revealing a preference for older ways of life. In another scene, an elderly woman defends herself by saying, "It was a different time," when confronted by people she physically assaulted. The show even scoffs at colleges with "modern rules," such as policies that limit parental involvement under certain circumstances. Is Run Away critiquing technological progress, or is it nostalgic for a pre-social-media, pre-woke days? It is difficult to say, as these elements function merely as window dressing. The series has no real opinion on them.

Like most Harlan Coben adaptations, Run Away is primarily concerned with its hermetically sealed plot and increasingly bizarre revelations. It casts a wide net, dragging in everything from local drug lords to cult figures—because these shows are never content with simple, straightforward paths. The end result is a series that takes satisfaction in the clicking sound of puzzle pieces falling into place. If only those pieces had been positioned through compelling investigation rather than blunt exposition. Run Away, alas, is yet another bland Coben–Netflix collaboration, and another example of squandered potential.

Final Score- [4/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times