The Runarounds cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the Prime Video teen drama?

The Runarounds will arrive on Prime Video on September 1, 2025. The series brings together music and teen drama in a way that stands out because the band on screen is also real. The young cast isn’t just playing roles on screen, they are a real band too, carrying the story outside the episodes.

Filming took place in Wilmington, North Carolina, a place already known for shaping teen dramas. Titles like One Tree Hill, Dawson’s Creek and The Summer I Turned Pretty were all filmed there, so the connection is hard to ignore. The city seems almost built for these kinds of stories, and now it turns into the backdrop for another one.

This time it is about a band of friends trying to handle their own problems while chasing something new. The Runarounds arrives with eight episodes released together on day one, so each person can decide: watch everything in a single rush or slow down and spread it out.

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Main cast and characters

Bez Willis — Zendé Murdock

Zendé Murdock plays Bez Willis, the drummer who joins the group after the others are already connected. According to Murdock, Bez is driven by big ambitions for his drumming career and spends the season questioning whether to follow an individual path or remain committed to his friends.

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Neil Crosby — Axel Ellis

Neil Crosby, portrayed by Axel Ellis, is described as the “Buddha of the group.” Ellis explains that Neil is reflective, with a calm presence and a tendency to follow his heart. In addition to his role in the band, he also finds himself drawn into matters of affection, becoming infatuated and not always seeing what is closest to him.

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Topher Park — Jeremy Yun

Jeremy Yun plays Topher Park, who has just graduated from high school. The character is unsure about his future. Guided by the expectations of his family and girlfriend, Topher has been pushed toward a more traditional route, but he has always felt a strong passion for music and for pursuing it with his friends.

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Charlie Cooper — William Lipton

Charlie Cooper is the singer and guitarist of the group, played by William Lipton. His story is defined by a mix of devotion to music and his relationship with Sophia. Lipton notes that Charlie can become his own biggest obstacle, sometimes creating challenges for himself and the others despite his genuine intentions.

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Wyatt Wysong — Jesse Golliher

Jesse Golliher portrays Wyatt Wysong, the bassist. Wyatt is more reserved than the rest of the band. Behind this quiet side is a difficult family background. Golliher explains that Wyatt is trying to break away from the problems that surround him while staying close to his friends.

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Additional cast

The Runarounds also features Brooklyn Decker, Maximo Salas, Marley Aliah, Hayes MacArthur, and Mark Wystrach. Their participation adds to the series beyond the core band members.

The Runarounds series premise

The Runarounds is about a group of kids just out of high school who lean on music to figure themselves out and see where it might take them. Their world isn’t simple: family pressure, relationships, the usual mess of growing up all keep getting in the way. Music ends up being the thing that connects it all, sometimes lifting them, sometimes pulling them back, but always shaping how the season plays out.

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The band’s origin

What makes The Runarounds unique is that the cast members also formed a real band. Jeremy Yun and William Lipton had been making music together before the series began. Zendé Murdock, Axel Ellis, and Jesse Golliher joined them later after auditioning for new projects. Together, they became a group that now exists both on screen and on stage.

The creation of this lineup has roots in another production. Murdock, Ellis, and Golliher originally sought small roles in Outer Banks, a series cocreated by Jonas Pate. Pate is also behind The Runarounds, and the opportunity ultimately led to the formation of the new band that drives the show.

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Release and expectations

All eight episodes of The Runarounds will be released at once on Prime Video on September 1, 2025. Soon after, the group will begin the Minivan Tour, bringing the connection between the series and real-life music even closer. The dual launch of both the show and the band’s tour emphasizes the idea that the project was designed to exist inside and outside television.

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Conclusion

The Runarounds introduces characters who balance personal discoveries with the shared goal of making music together. The authenticity of the cast, who are also real musicians, reinforces the production’s identity. With Wilmington as its backdrop and a tour tied to the release, the series arrives as a Prime Video project that merges teen storytelling with an active band ready to perform beyond the screen.