Runaway (2006 TV series)

Runaway is an American drama series that aired on The CW from September 25, 2006 to October 15, 2006. The series was created by Chad Hodge and was produced by Golly and Darren Star Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television. Along with The Game, it was one of only two series on the new network not to be inherited as previously aired from either of its predecessor networks, The WB and UPN. The series aired on both Global and CH in Canada. The show was officially cancelled on October 18, 2006.^[1]

Synopsis

Runaway chronicles the life of the Raders, an average middle-class American family who just moved to Bridgewater, Iowa from Potomac, Maryland. Although they may look like the perfect family neighbors see every day in their lives, the Raders are also a family with a secret: they are frequently on the run from the law. That's because Paul Rader, the patriarch of the family, was convicted for a crime that he didn't commit. But there is also another reason for trying to keep his family together: they are also hunted by the real killer, who had made good on targeting his family, especially his children. These two reasons alone are enough for Paul (similar to the plot line of The Fugitive) to seek out the evidence that will clear him and end the nightmare that put him and his family in hiding from the justice system, which seeks to capture him and the person who framed him.

Cast and characters

Main

Paul Rader (Donnie Wahlberg) is the patriarch - husband and father of the family, a successful attorney. He was wrongly accused of the murder of Erin Baxter, a beautiful young associate in his law firm. The real killer's next move is to go after his three children, so Paul must relocate them.

Lily Rader (Leslie Hope) is the wife and mother of the family who owned an art gallery near their previous home in Maryland.

Henry Rader (Dustin Milligan) is the elder son in the family, high school sophomore. He misses his girlfriend Kylie in Maryland and sometimes takes rash risks in order to try and communicate with her.

Hannah Rader (Sarah Ramos) is the only daughter in the family, high school sophomore, who seems to be the only one who prefers the possibility of creating a new life where she isn't the social outcast she was back in Maryland.

Tommy Rader (Nathan Gamble) is the younger son of the family, eight years old. As the youngest, it is the most difficult for him to keep his lies straight.

Angela Huntley (Karen Leblanc) is the defense attorney assigned to the Raders' case and is considered one of the best agents in the U.S. Marshals Service.

Gina Bennett (Susan Floyd) is the Raders' local realtor, a single mother with a law school education, who helps the Raders.

Recurring

Jake (Craig Olejnik) seen in the first episode taking an instant dislike to Henry and making his life at the new school difficult from running his car into the ditch and assault. Turns out later that he and his mother have been on the run from an abusive husband, with new identities and contacts that could have potentially also helped the Raders.

Minor

• Amber (Leah Cudmore)
• Tannen (Aaron Abrams)
• Erin (Sandrine Holt)

Cancellation

The CW cancelled Runaway on October 18, 2006, four weeks after its debut. Runaway holds the distinction of being the first show to be canceled on the new network. The show never found an audience and had the lowest ratings of the programming on all 5 major broadcast networks.^[2]

Episodes

Note: Thirteen scripts were ordered, nine episodes were filmed, but only three were broadcast. The unfilmed scripts were named "They Say It's Your Birthday," "Dashing Through the Snow," "Trial and Error" and "Knock, Knock."

Ratings

For the season it was broadcast, Runaway scored dead last with a ranking of 142, and an average of 2 million viewers.^[3] In May 2007, the other new scripted CW drama picked up Hidden Palms would go to achieve a new CW record with even lower viewer turnout than Runaway even in the least competitive summer season.

Other releases

In March 2009 3e started showing Runaway for the first time in Ireland

In June 2007, British Television channel E4 started showing Runaway. Episode 5 was due to be shown on July 18, but was replaced by How to Look Good Naked. The episode was eventually shown early the next morning at 1:35am and since then had a very late timeslot of around 1 am, Thursday morning. The show's slot was moved from late evening to early morning due to poor ratings. All nine episodes were aired in the UK.

In January 2008 Slovak Television channel TV JOJ started airing Runaway. All nine episodes were aired from 8 January.

In January 2008 Latin American Television channel AXN started airing Runaway. All nine episodes were aired from 12 January.

In February 2008 Polish Television channel Polsat started airing Runaway. All nine episodes will be aired following from 4 February.

In Hungary the show aired on RTL Klub from February 17, 2008.

In August 2008, Spanish Television Channel Cuatro started airing the series. All nine episodes are scheduled for airing.

In September 2008, Italian Television Channel Fox started airing the series. All nine episodes are scheduled for airing.

In January 2010, Belgian Television Channel 2BE started airing the series. All nine episodes have aired since the 21st of March 2010. It also was aired on La Une.

In October 2008, French Television Channel TF1 started airing the series. All nine episodes are scheduled for airing on a Sunday afternoon slot.^[4]

In October 2010, Portuguese Television Channel SIC started airing the series. All nine episodes are scheduled for airing three times a week, from Monday to Wednesday.

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Runaway (2006 TV series)

• Runaway at the Internet Movie Database
• Runaway at TV.com
• Runaway at Metacritic