UK Edition
Feeds
Cast: Donnie Wahlberg as Paul Rader, Leslie Hope as Lily Rader, Dustin Milligan as Henry Rader, Sarah Ramos as Hannah Rader, Nathan Gamble as Tommy Rader, Susan Floyd as Gina Bennett, Karen LeBlanc as Angela Huntley
Airs: Mondays at 9pm on The CW
Timeslot competition: The Bachelor (ABC), Heroes (NBC), Vanished (FOX), Two and a Half Men / The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)
UK pickup? Channel 4 / E4
Plot in a nutshell: The Rader family are permanently on the run after the patriarch is framed for a crime he didn't commit.
What's it all about? Paul Rader, wife Lily and their three kids are on the run after Paul was framed for a violent crime he didn't commit. Moving from town-to-town with cops in pursuit, they have placed themselves in their own self-created Witness Protection Program, adopting false identities and backgrounds to sustain their lie. As the kids struggle to adapt to their new life, Paul is attempting to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy that caused their predicament.
Does it work? It's a predictable pattern. Lost was a breakout, so along came Surface, Threshold and Invasion the season after (I'm still bitter over the axe of the former, but we'll gloss over that). Last season it was the turn of Prison Break, so this season we have a slurry of new dramas hoping to captitalise on that same element of intrigue. Runaway is one of them and, although the odds are stacked against it, it may well succeed. Unlike its peers - Vanished is a prime example - Runaway doesn't try too hard. The plot is clear, the cast are instantly believable and crucially, the pacing is perfect.
You'll like this if you liked... Prison Break
Chances of success: The series has tough competition in its slot but is one of only a handful of new series from The CW in the Fall lineup, so gets a fair share of promo behind its launch. That said I can't help but shake the feeling that this could be one of those great shows that ultimately goes unrecognised.
