The Runarounds is a new and popular TV series produced by Amazon, MGM, and Skydance Television. It follows eighteen-year-old Charlie Cooper and his friends on their journey of life, love, and self-discovery— oh, and one more thing; music. Charlie graduates from high school with no plans to go to college. He is one hundred percent certain that his band will make it. He thinks he won’t need college because he and his friends will get signed, and this lifestyle of the rich and the famous will magically appear before them.
I’ll be honest, when I first clicked on this show, I didn’t think it would be too far up my alley. I thought I’d get bored within ten minutes and quit the show completely. I was, however, pleasantly surprised when I got hooked and couldn’t stop watching. The cast members’ performance throughout the show was, if anything, impeccable. Their ability to switch between rocking out and playing amazing music and yelling or crying during an emotional segment was absolutely astonishing. It’s a skillset that every young actor needs, but not everyone has.
Don’t even get me started on the music! They are truly incredible— and if I had to guess, I’d say it’s probably because they are a band. That’s right—the cast members actually have a real band. Not only that, they’re touring. Unfortunately, at the moment, they are only touring around the East Coast. Meaning, all of us Western folks are missing out on the opportunity to see them live, but there are high hopes for new tours in the future. Some of their more popular songs include Ghosts, Downtown, Beautiful Stranger, and Arrhythmia.
The series spans over Charlie and his band’s final summer as “kids.” After that summer, most of them are going to college– or, if you’re Neil, taking over the family painting business. So the band decides to give it their very best shot. They decide to play any gig they can and try their absolute hardest to get signed to a label. The problem? If this fails, Charlie has no backup plan. In the first episode, he states, “If you have a plan B, you aren’t fully committed to plan A” and rejects the only college that accepted him, meaning if, somehow, the band fails, Charlie is truly and utterly done for.
Throughout the show, there are plenty of things that are clearly rearing for the band to fail—drama, love interests, stolen equipment, van accidents— the real question is; can the band’s will to play music and determination to actually get somewhere save them from the fate almost predestined for them since the very beginning?
The Runarounds are popular for a reason. It’s a phenomenal series with engaging plotlines, intricate storytelling, and fascinating melodies that leave viewers watching until the very last second. If you are at all interested in watching this show, I recommend it one hundred percent. Even if you aren’t, giving it a shot might just be worth it. The music, the acting, all of it is outstanding.