When RUN AWAY arrives on screen, adapted from Harlan Coben’s 2019 novel by his frequent collaborator Danny Brocklehurst alongside Tom Farrelly and Amanda Duke, it signals something of a shift in the streaming thriller landscape that Coben has come to dominate with algorithmic precision. This is one of his less bombastic efforts, trading in the usual baroque plot gymnastics for something more harrowing, more grounded in the kind of parental nightmare that doesn’t require secret societies or buried corpses to feel genuinely unsettling.
At its center is James Nesbitt as Simon, a father whose daughter Paige has vanished into the undertow of drug addiction, and while the role doesn’t break new ground for an actor who has made a career of playing tormented everymen, it serves as a sharp reminder that few inhabit that particular emotional territory with quite his weathered authenticity. What elevates the proceedings beyond standard missing-person melodrama is the supporting cast, particularly Tracy-Ann Oberman as Jessica, Simon’s lawyer, who brings a magnificently terrifying energy to every scene, and Ruth Jones as private investigator Elena Ravenscroft, all iron fist wrapped in velvet glove, radiating a faint but beautifully calibrated unease that lingers long after she exits the frame.
The machinery of plot unfolds across eight episodes in increasingly convoluted but surprisingly well-oiled grooves, each twist engineered to open fresh avenues of intrigue and ensure you’ll return for the next installment, which is precisely how these things are built to function in the streaming era even if we pretend we’ve been unshackled from the tyranny of appointment television. Simon, against the wishes of his wife Ingrid, played by a woefully underused Minnie Driver who spends much of the series comatose in an ICU bed while dialogue so hackneyed it would disgrace CASUALTY plays out above her inert form, continues his secret search for Paige despite the official wisdom that addicts must hit rock bottom before they can be saved.
The first episode closes with the kind of calculated revelation that defines Coben’s approach: Paige’s brother at university with her busking guitar stashed in his room, Elena discovering that Henry’s last Instagram post before his alleged two-week holiday came from Paige herself, all those familiar notes of dum-dum-dah that once would have kept us waiting seven days and now simply keep us clicking through to the next hour. We mock the formula even as we submit to it, because Coben has perfected the art of the ratings banker, the dependable machine that converts recognizable faces and competent craft into engagement metrics, and RUN AWAY, for all its modest ambitions and occasionally creaky dialogue, delivers exactly what it promises: a sleek, functional thriller that understands the difference between innovation and reliability, and has long since chosen the latter.
Killarney`s own Jessie Buckley just took home the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress for HAMNET, and her acceptance speech was pure gold 🏆✨
In HAMNET, Buckley delivers a devastating performance as Agnes, William Shakespeare`s wife, navigating the grief of losing their 11-year-old son. Critics are calling it unforgettable, and now she has the trophy to prove it 🎬💚
More Jessie at irishfilmtv.com.
HAMNET star Jessie Buckley shines in BEAST, now on #Netflix.
A troubled woman living in an isolated community finds herself pulled between the control of her oppressive family and the allure of a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🕺✨ DANCING WITH THE STARS IRELAND is back for S9 tonight!
Get ready for spray tans, sequins, and Sunday night sparkle because Ireland`s favourite winter escape is almost here. Who`s ready to vote their faves to victory? 💃
More at irishfilmtv.com.
** Now on Netflix **
RUN AWAY brings Harlan Coben back to form with James Nesbitt doing what he does best—playing a tormented father searching for his missing daughter against all advice.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Available everywhere January 1st!
The fight that divided a nation is finally on screen. SAIPAN brings the infamous 2002 World Cup showdown between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy to life, and it`s absolutely electric. ⚡
Éanna Hardwicke is a revelation as Keane—capturing that legendary intensity, rage, and surprising humor. Steve Coogan matches him beat for beat as McCarthy. This isn`t just sports drama; it`s a masterclass in casting and a story we`re still arguing about 20+ years later.
More at irishflmtv.com.
By order of the Peaky Blinders, Merry Christmas!
A teaser for the new film PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN just dropped, and it features Cillian Murphy’s gangster Tommy Shelby returning to his old ways despite leaving them all behind at the end of the TV series.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
Domhnall Gleeson heads to a remote Scottish isle for THE INCOMER!
He plays an awkward council worker tasked with relocating two siblings who survive by hunting seabirds, talking to mythical beings, and fiercely defending their homeland from outsiders.
More Domhnall at irishfilmtv.com.
Andrew Scott is bringing one of theater`s most powerful true stories to life.
The ALL OF US STRANGERS star will portray Scottish actor Ian Charleson in ELSINORE, chronicling Charleson`s breathtaking final performance as Hamlet at London`s National Theatre before his death in 1990 at age 40.
More via irishfilmtv.com.
Belfast-born Ciaran Hinds shines in Bradley Copper`s IS THIS THING ON?
With Hinds, you`re not just getting an actor. You`re getting decades of gravitas, warmth, and that rare ability to make every scene feel like it matters. From prestige drama to fantasy epics, he`s built a career on understated brilliance. And now? He`s ready to find the humor in heartbreak.
More Ciaran at irishfilmtv.com.
Gothic drama LIES WE TELL is now on Netflix.
With powerful performances by Agnes O`Casey and David Wilmot, the Irish drama takes Sheridan Le Fanu`s classic novel UNCLE SILAS and transforms it into something urgent and vital for our moment.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
When Colin Farrell and Jessie Buckley finally sat down together, they were strangers—but within moments, the conversation became profound.
Both Irish actors are carrying the weight of devastating roles this year: Farrell as a gambling addict spiraling in Macau in BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER, Buckley as Agnes Shakespeare grieving her son in HAMNET.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
From FAIR CITY to KNIVES OUT! Daryl McCormack shines in the new #netflix film WAKE UP DEAD MAN.
McCormack just wrapped Netflix`s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE opposite Jack Lowden, Emma Corrin, and Olivia Colman. Talk about range: trading viral grift for Jane Austen elegance. Same actor, different century, wildly different moral compass.
More Daryl at irishfilmtv.com.
Eve Hewson brings ghosts to life in Noah Baumbach`s JAY KELLY.
From her breakout in THIS MUST BE THE PLACE to BAD SISTERS and beyond, she`s now haunting George Clooney as Daphne—a face from the past that forces a movie star to confront who he became while chasing fame.
More Eve at irishfilmtv.com.
When the past catches up with you in Amsterdam 🌊
Ciarán Hinds and Lesley Manville star in MIDWINTER BREAK—a retired couple`s winter getaway becomes a reckoning with memories they`ve tried to outrun for decades, in theatres Feb 20.
New trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
James Nesbitt is back in Harlan Coben`s twisted universe. 🔍
RUN AWAY drops January 1st on #Netflix — and this one`s personal.
When Simon (Nesbitt) finally finds his missing daughter strung out in a city park, it`s supposed to be a second chance. Instead, it`s the beginning of a nightmare.
New trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
