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Long Bright River

Long Bright River

7.2

What this hard-hitting police thriller lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in dedication and heart

TV Show

United States of America
English
Crime, Drama
2025
imdb
rt
wiki

TLDR

It can sometimes drag on, but Seyfriend’s compelling performance and the script’s sympathetic portrayal of an otherwise underserved community are enough reasons to keep watching.

What it's about

Based on the novel of the same name, Long Bright River follows police officer Mickey Fitzpatrick (Amanda Seyfried) as she uncovers the truth about her missing sister.

The take

Set in a high-crime neighborhood in Philadelphia, the series follows Mickey (Seyfried), a cop in search of her missing sister Kacey (Ashleigh Cummings), a struggling addict. Mickey believes her disappearance is connected to the strange series of deaths among female addicts in the city, but because her department would rather keep a blind eye, she has to investigate both cases in secret. All the while, she’s raising a child on her own and battling personal demons that trace back to her childhood. The premise, admittedly, is nothing you haven’t seen before. It even looks like the many other police thrillers out there, what with its grayed coloring and serious demeanors. It’s also paced similarly: slowly and surely. But what the series lacks in originality and speed, it more than makes up for in heart. It reframes common narratives about addicts—do they deserve help?—and urges us to sympathize with them, instead of ignoring or altogether ostracizing them.

What stands out

The pace can be a lot. This is one of those series that has you asking, “Would this be better as a film? Or a six-episode show at least?”

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