REVIEW: 'The Runarounds' Rock New Talent But Runs Too Fast For Its Own Good
- Moriba Forde
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Runarounds might be the introduction to the greatest "futhermuckers" the world has ever known.
Prime Video's new series is about young love, music, and chasing the dream when almost everyone wants you to wake up. The teen pop-rock drama chronicles a band on the heels of a new genesis, graduating from high school, and risking it all to face the trials and tribulations of the music industry in hopes of making a name for themselves one day. Along the way, the youths deal with rejection, heartbreak, and betrayal, but learn to use all of that as fuel to make better music, not only as a band, but as a family of their own.
The Runarounds is filled with music that anyone can rock out to, featuring new talent with the potential to make a significant impact in the entertainment industry. The plot is relatable, especially to Generation Z, but the drama still needs more time to marinate.
Run Around With The Runarounds!
William Lipton, Axel Ellis, Jesse Golliher, Jeremy Yun, and Zendé Murdock are the best dudes to play The Runarounds. They have to be, considering how their characters are based on themselves. They may have different names in the show, but make no mistake, these are the real Runarounds.
Jonas Pate, the creator of Netflix's Outer Banks, saw something special in this band that compelled him to tell their story using their original voices. That decision to go organic pays off. The bandmates, despite having no prior acting experience, deliver the most authentic performances possible. It never feels like they're acting; they are simply following a script while remaining true to themselves.
Slow Down... Just a Bit
While the acting deserves high praise, the writing needs to be fleshed out a bit more. The story exhibits potential in chronicling the lives of these teens. We see how their parents burden them with the weight of their expectations, and how some kids have more broken homes than others; however, the pacing of those scenes does not give us enough time to truly resonate with them.
Without going into spoiler territory, there is a predictable subplot involving the band's frontman. The writers seem to be aware of that, as they leave very little room for doubt, opting to confirm suspicions in what feels like five minutes, to get back to the band rocking out.
Their personal lives almost feel like afterthoughts. They are established to show the contrasts among the main characters, but there is little room left for exploration. As soon as we see any of the stars face a dilemma, we see a quick transition to the next scene until we see the band together. The story beats are so rapid that they restrict the Runarounds from standing on their own, individually.
The Next Big Thing
Despite the story's rushed and predictable elements, the series remains entertaining, relatable, and cathartic, thanks to the magnetic leads doing what they do best with their love language: music.
The Runarounds' raw talent carries the show, with their chemistry, bravado, and determination. Those qualities are amplified by their music, as their vocals, melodies, and personalities fuse to create an addictive auditory bliss, no different than nirvana. The entire soundtrack is a wild trip down memory lane to a time when we all felt invincible and vulnerable all at once. Whether you are Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, or whatever generation, the music will make you remember the taste of adolescence's paradoxical nature fondly.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
About The Runarounds
Premiere Date:Â September 1, 2025
Episode Count:Â 8
Showrunner: Jonas Pate
Writers: Nora Kirkpatrick, Jonas Pate, David Wilcox, Ilana Wolpert
Director: Jonas Pate
Production:Â Rockfish Films, Amazon MGM Studios, Skydance Television
Distribution: Amazon Prime Video
Cast: William Lipton, Axel Ellis, Jeremy Yun, Zendé Murdock, Jesse Golliher, Lilah Pate, Maximo Salas, Kelley Pereira, Marley Aliah, Mark Wystrach, Brooklyn Decker, Hayes MacArthur, Shea Pritchard
Synopsis: The Runarounds follows a tight-knit group of young adults from all walks of life who come together to form a rock band the summer after graduating from high school. Against the backdrop of Wilmington, North Carolina, The Runarounds will have to choose between succumbing to the pressures of real life or risking it all to become the greatest band of all time.