First look at James Nesbitt in Harlan Coben’s twisty new Netflix mystery Run Away

It lands on the streaming service on January 1st

With just one month to go, Netflix has just released the first trailer for its new Harlan Coben series starring James Nesbitt that lands on the streaming service on New Year’s Day.

The new limited series is adapted from his novel Run Away and stars the Northern Irish actor alongside Ruth Jones, Minnie Driver and Alfred Enoch. The series arrives on Netflix on January 1 and follows 2025’s hugely successful limited thriller series Missing You.

Netflix dropped the first trailer for the series on Monday showing a glimpse at the leading cast and a window into the drama to come alongside a brief synopsis: “A desperate father searching for his runaway daughter gets caught up in a murder case- and stumbles upon secrets which could destroy his family for good.”

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According to the author and executive producer, the new eight-episode series, which is inspired by the 2019 novel of the same name, delves into themes he’s always been drawn to, like missing people, family bonds, trauma, secrets, and redemption. From Run Away, fans can expect plot twists that have “profound emotional implications.”

From the outside, Simon Greene (James Nesbitt) has a picture-perfect life, as shown through a montage of cheery memories captured on camera in the trailer above. Coben says this reflects how memories are stored and “carefully cultivated” in the modern digital age. But, in a flash, that facade crumbles when Simon’s eldest daughter, Paige (Ellie de Lange), unexpectedly runs away.

The disappearance leads Simon on a search, and it turns out he’s not the only one looking for Paige. “I really need to speak to your daughter,” private investigator Elena Ravenscroft (Ruth Jones) tells the distraught father over the phone in the trailer.

Now that they’re both invested in this missing persons case, Simon and Elena could choose to work together — and learn whether or not to trust one another. Meanwhile, the hunt to uncover Paige’s whereabouts becomes even more complicated when one of the last people she was seen with, Aaron (Thomas Flynn), is found murdered.

After a shocking encounter with his disoriented daughter in the park, Simon begins to suspect that Aaron has been keeping Paige against her will. This means he — or someone close to his family — may have a motive for the murder.

As Detective Isaac Fagbenle (Alfred Enoch) investigates Aaron’s death and Elena and Simon continue their search, secrets are revealed that could tear the Greene family apart forever. “You’ll think you have the answer several times — but you don’t,” Coben teases. “Hang on for that last-minute shocker.”

“We just need to find her and bring her home,” Simon says to his wife, Ingrid (Minnie Driver), as the trailer comes to a close. But just how far will he go to make that happen?

In keeping with previous Harlan Coben adaptations, Run Away will relocate the story from the US to the UK. Filming took place in and around Manchester and the North West of England.

The series is produced by Quay Street Productions (Part of ITV Studios). Harlan Coben will serve as executive producer through his company, Final Twist Productions. Danny Brocklehurst is the lead writer and serves as executive producer. Quay Street Productions, Nicola Shindler and Richard Fee are executive producers.

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