Our 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 it won
Golden Globes
1 nom
The story
A police officer patrols a Philadelphia neighborhood hard-hit by the opioid crisis. When a series of murders begins in the neighborhood, Mickey realizes that her personal history might be related to the case.
Elsewhere
"A beautifully structured series, Long Bright River is about sisterhood, connection and the truths often buried under deep-seated guilt and shame."
— Aramide Tinubu
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 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?”
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.
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
