Collaborative team Vicky Jones and Phoebe Waller-Bridge once again strike gold. Jones created the black comedy thriller, Run, which premiered on HBO April 12th, 2020, and has aired six of the first season’s eight episodes. Jones also wrote the pilot episode, where married woman, Ruby (Merritt Wever), receives a message from her ex-boyfriend, Billy (Domhnall Gleeson), with whom she made a pact seventeen years ago. Should either text the other “RUN,” and the other answers, the two meet up at Grand Central Terminal and embark on a journey across America.

The cast includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Laurel, Mad Men’s Rich Sommer, and Archie Panjabi of The Good Wife. New episodes of Run air on HBO, Sunday nights at 10:30 pm EST. Standard of the network, the weekly viewing numbers for RUN are low, averaging about 300,000 per episode. Still, DVR numbers are uncalculated, with other viewers likely streaming at a different time, or waiting until HBO Max launches, May 27th, 2020, to binge the series, among others.

12 A Pact Between Series Creator And Collaborator Phoebe Waller-Bridge Inspired The Show

Like all good TV, Run started with a joke pact between best friends, creator Vicky Jones and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who co-stars and serves as executive producer. The two have been friends for years and frequently collaborate on each other’s creative projects. After years of friendship, Waller-Bridge took on the role of Godmother to Jones’ son, Fox.

11 Whole Episodes Take Place On A Train

In an interview with Variety Magazine, Domhnall Gleeson shared what genre elements drew him to the project, including the Strangers on a Train thriller tone and the emphasis on the discussion between characters to reveal the plot. Most of Gleeson’s career, he stuck with big-screen roles, and Run marks his first leading role in a series.

10 Jones Found Inspiration For Run In David Linklater’s Before Sunrise

In an interview, Vicky Jones revealed that Before Sunrise, David Linklater’s 1995 film and the first film in a trilogy, inspired the story and tone of Run. Both romantic dramas, the plots are minimal and focus on the relationship between the lead pair, Domhnall Gleeson and Merrit Weaver in Run, and Before Sunrise features Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.

Related: ‘Before Sunrise’ Is The 90s Movie To Watch If You’re Loving HBO ‘Run’

9 British Musician Dickon Hinchliffe Scored The Show (Peaky Blinders)

The soundtrack elevates the minimal setting and cast of Run. The American black comedy thriller is scored by British musician Dickon Hinchliffe, of the band Tindersticks. His experience in television and film include projects like Peaky Blinders and Hit and Miss. Critics praise his work on the series.

8 Phoebe Waller-Bridge Is Executive Producer

Since 2012, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s star has steadily risen. Praised for her dark humor, the actress, writer, director, and producer’s most significant projects to date are Fleabag, Broadchurch, and Killing Eve, all done in collaboration with the creator of Run, Vicky Jones. She will stream the performance of the one-woman show Fleabag for charity.

7 There Are A Lot Of Fleabag Comparisons, But Ruby Isn’t Fleabag, And Billy Isn’t The Priest

The media referred to Run through its promotion as “Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s first project after Fleabag. A common occurrence when a star or creative collaborators produce more material, is viewers seeking commonality between characters and projects. In a Vanity Fair profile, Jones and Waller-Bridge insist that Run’s Ruby (Weaver) and Billy (Gleeson) are individual characters, bruised and spiky, and proud in their particular ways.

Related: Here’s How Phoebe Waller-Bridge Impacted The Popularity Of ‘Killing Eve’

6 Critics Mostly Praise The Series Which Holds 84% On Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes deemed Run “Certified Fresh,” at 84%. Ruby Richardson (Merrit) and Billy Johnson (Gleeson) meet up after more than fifteen years for a cross country road trip. She’s married. He’s a life guru. The show flies at breakneck speed, a reminder of the train car holding the story, charging forward.

5 Kate Dennis Directed The Pilot

Kate Dennis directed four of the first season’s six available episodes (there are two still to air). She is a director and producer, who’s worked in the television industry since the late 1990s. Her credits include The Mindy Project, New Amsterdam, The Tick, The Handmaid’s Tale, and GLOW.

4 Each Episode Has A One Word Title

The show likes to keep things sharp and concise. Each episode of Run features a single-word title, usually an action or a verb. The first episode shares its title with the series. The following titles of aired episodes are, “Kiss,” “F***,” “Chase,” “Jump,” “Tell,” and “Trick.”

Related: We've Ranked The Best HBO Shows Of The Last 30 Years

3 HBO Hasn’t Announced A Second Season… Yet

It’s almost unheard of for shows to only run one season in 2020, the time of reboots, revivals, and remakes. The eight-episode first season of Run premiered April 12th, 2020, and rushes toward the finale. Some critics remarked that it would be a challenge for the show to sustain its frenetic pace. How about a season two to find out?

2 The Chemistry Between Ruby And Billy Drives The Series

American actress Merritt Wever, of New Girl, The Walking Dead and Marriage Story, among other roles, stars in Run along with Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, known for his role Bill Weasley in the blockbuster Harry Potter series, the Star Wars revival, and romantic film About Time. The unlikely pair radiate chemistry, propelling the plot forward.

1 Creator Vicky Jones Inspired Fleabag BFF Boo

In the Vanity Fair article, Waller-Bridge revealed she based the bond between Fleabag and Boo on her friendship with Jones. The title comes from a moment early on in their friendship; the duo agreed if either wanted to escape a situation, text “Run,” as a show of support, to get through mundane meetings and other life moments.

Next: HBO’s Top 20 Shows Officially Ranked (From Flop To Hit)