In a season as cold and depressing as this one, I find that I need something to hyperfixate on to get me through these sad, dreary months. This past fall, I became obsessed with a new Amazon Prime show called The Runarounds. Created by Jonas Pate, who also wrote Netflix’s Outer Banks, The Runarounds is an 8-episode teen drama about a teenage band from Wilmington, North Carolina. The show follows the band’s attempts to make it in the music industry the summer after they graduate high school. I am a sucker for a teen drama, especially about a band, so I did not doubt that I would love the show. But I was surprised by just how fixated I became on it! I attribute this to the unique chemistry the band members have, as they are actually a band in real life!
The band has 5 members: William Lipton, lead singer/guitarist who plays Charlie Cooper; Axel Ellis, singer/guitarist who plays Neil Crosby; Jeremy Yun, lead guitarist who plays Topher Park; Jesse Golliher, guitarist who plays Wyatt Wysong; and Zende Murdock, drummer who plays Bez Willis.Â
The show was actually designed around the band. Creator Jonas Pate first formed the group of Indie-Rock-Pop musicians to play a wedding band in the background of a party scene for an Outer Banks episode. They loved the chemistry of the musicians so much that they offered the band a show idea they created for them. These boys were not actors and had to be completely taught how to act and operate on a set. Before this, though, the band was sent off to work on their music and create an entire album, which would be the soundtrack for the show. The boys became so close that they remained an actual band and are now touring across the country playing the show’s soundtrack!Â
I think what makes this project so special is the way it has created a unique experience where viewers can see their favorite fictional band become real! There is a certain spark about them that I can’t fully explain. The show has a great energy filled with summer days, where anything is possible. It has strong themes of friendship and reflects on how precious our youth truly is. We follow the boys giving everything they’ve got to make this band happen, all while managing romances, family dynamics, and other life challenges.Â
There are a few other main cast members that help the band along in the show: Pete Antuna (played by Maximo Salas) is the band’s lovable, but very musically untalented, best friend who becomes the band’s manager. Sophia Kinney (played by Lilah Pate) is the girl of Charlie Cooper’s dreams, and she spends the summer helping Charlie write lyrics for The Runaround’s songs. She is close friends with Amanda (played by Kelley Pereira), who is Topher’s responsible girlfriend who tries to get the boys to come to their senses and plan more realistic futures for themselves; as well as Bender (played by Marley Aliah), who is a free spirited film maker that loves the band, and more specifically a certain guitar player.Â
Overall, the show is a perfect comfort watch that makes you want to forget everything and move to North Carolina and follow the band! Luckily, they are on tour right now, so you can live out that dream for real! I’m actually seeing The Runarounds tomorrow night in Seattle, and I’m sure it is going to be the best time. So whether you want to binge a new teen drama or just get into some new indie pop music, check out The Runarounds and get obsessed!!!