Who is Charlie Cooper in The Runarounds? Character explored in depth

Charlie Cooper is a dreamer and the heart of Prime Video’s latest teen drama, The Runarounds. But who is Charlie Cooper? Portrayed by William Lipton, Charlie is a young up-and-coming musician who is determined to take his band to greater heights. From navigating through personal obligations to handling chaotic band dynamics, Charlie sets out on a journey of self-discovery.

The Runarounds follows the story of a high school music band from Wilmington, North Carolina. After graduating from high school, they set out to establish a name for themselves in the music business. The teen drama series is created by Jonas Pate, who also co-created Outer Banks.

It is interesting to note that though the series is fictional, the band is made up of real musicians. The Runarounds are a real-life music band, who were selected by Pate out of 5,000 submissions. Together, they also wrote the songs that appear on the show. They also briefly appeared in Season 3 of Outer Banks. Season 1 of the new series premiered on Amazon Prime Video with eight episodes on September 1, 2025.

Who is Charlie Cooper in The Runarounds?

Charlie Cooper is an 18-year-old musician who aspires to make his band a success. His entire world is rock and roll. But the path to his dreams is full of hurdles, as he would come to learn during the summer after high school graduation. He just has one month before he starts college, and the pressure around it makes him take some difficult decisions that not just affect him but the whole band as well.

Charlie is the lead singer and guitarist for his band The Runarounds. As the frontman, he is determined to crack the music business with his wit and talent. Along with his friends Neil (played by Axel Ellis), Topher Park (played by Jeremy Yun), Bez Willis (played by Zendé Murdock), and Wyatt Wysong (played by Jesse Golliher), he helps restructure the band.

Starting with assigning the role of manager to Pete Antuna (played by Maximo Salas), who was the drummer for the band. Charlie also develops a romantic relationship with his high school friend Sophia Kinney (played by Lilah Pate), who will end up writing songs for the band.

While the band is Charlie’s foremost focus, his family dynamics also make up a big part of the series. He learns that his biological father is Catesby Shaw (played by Mark Wystrach) and not Finn Cooper (played by Hayes MacArthur), who raised him. Charlie feels betrayed by the disclosure and confronts his mother, Hannah Cooper (played by Brooklyn Decker).

Hannah and Catesby’s past is brought forth, leading to some new revelations that can further complicate Charlie’s life. Catesby was Hannah’s high school boyfriend, who was not aware of Charlie’s connection to him. How this news will go on to affect Charlie’s musical pursuit remains to be seen.

The Runarounds, Season 1, is available on Prime Video.

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