Harlan Coben on New Netflix Series ‘Run Away’ Getting Disturbing, Like All His Stories: “In Real Life, I’m Actually a Fairly OK Guy”

The start of the new year not only means hangovers and festive season exhaustion. It also means that it’s time for Netflix to unleash its latest Harlan Coben series, as has become a tradition in recent years. Run Away is the new series adaptation of a typically twisty Coben thriller novel, and it stars James Nesbitt, Ruth Jones, Minnie Driver and Alfred Enoch, among others.

Following the 2025 success of the limited thriller series Missing You and the 2024 hit Fool Me Once, Run Away explores family and addiction. “After his eldest daughter, Paige, runs away from home, angst-ridden Simon is determined to reunite the family,” reads a synopsis for the series, which uses the tagline: “How far would you go to bring her back?”

In a recent London appearance, Coben shared that the story for the novel was inspired by drug paraphernalia he found in his daughter’s room.

The author also discussed how he thinks about mixing heavy drama and darkness with comedy and lightness. “We’re big on having some of that humor, which [Nesbitt and Jones] brought out so well,” Coben explained. “I think you do need that. You can’t have an up without a down. You can’t have the right without a left, and you really can’t have dark without light.”

Asked why his novels and series always have dark, disturbing themes, as is also the case with Run Away, the author said: “I hope there’s a heart. It’s a family battling, and life’s not easy. It’s also compelling and fun.” And he quipped: “I mean, if things were going swimmingly for this family, who the hell’s going to want to watch, so you have to have things go wrong.”

Fans seem to bring this up in conversations with Coben. “I think people always think, ‘Oh, my God, you must stay up all night, worrying. I don’t worry about my kids at all,” he shared. “I pass that on to you. You guys are sort of my therapists. I take all my fears and channel them this way. In real life, I’m actually a fairly OK guy.”

Run Away is produced by Quay Street Productions, part of ITV Studios. Coben serves as executive producer through his company, Final Twist Productions. Quay Street Productions’ Nicola Shindler and Richard Fee are also executive producers.

Other cast members of Run Away include Lucian Msamati, Jon Pointing, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Annette Badland, Maeve Courtier-Lilley, Ellie de Lange, Adrian Greensmith, Ellie Henry, Ingrid Oliver, Finty Williams, Joe McGann and Amy Gledhill.