Long Bright River (TV series)
| Long Bright River | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Nikki Toscano Liz Moore |
| Based on | Long Bright River by Liz Moore |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Jerry Kupfer |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Peacock |
| Release | March 13, 2025 |
Long Bright River is an American crime drama miniseries based on the 2020 book of the same name by Liz Moore, starring Amanda Seyfried as a Philadelphia police officer. All episodes were released on Peacock on March 13, 2025.[1]
Premise
[edit]A patrol officer working in the struggling, high-crime neighborhood of Kensington, Philadelphia investigates the murders of three area women while seeking information about her own sister's disappearance.[2][3]
Cast
[edit]Main
[edit]- Amanda Seyfried as Mickey Fitzpatrick, a veteran Philadelphia patrolwoman looking for her missing sister
- Nicholas Pinnock as Truman Dawes, Mickey's former patrol partner
- Ashleigh Cummings as Kacey Fitzpatrick, Mickey's missing sister
- Callum Vinson as Thomas Fitzpatrick, Mickey's son
- John Doman as Gee, Mickey's grandfather
Recurring
[edit]- Dash Mihok as Eddie Lafferty
- Britne Oldford as Dr. Aura Williams
- Matthew Del Negro as Simon Cleare, Mickey's ex-husband and Thomas's father
- Harriet Sansom Harris as Mrs. Mahon
- Patch Darragh as Sergeant Ahearn
- Joe Daru as Davis Danjarat
- Perry Mattfeld as Paula
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "These Girls" | Hagar Ben-Asher | Nikki Toscano & Liz Moore | March 13, 2025 |
| 2 | "Let Me In" | Gwyneth Horder-Payton | Nikki Toscano & Liz Moore | March 13, 2025 |
| 3 | "Mother Wolf" | Gwyneth Horder-Payton | Nikki Toscano & Liz Moore | March 13, 2025 |
| 4 | "Blind Spot" | Mona Fastvold | Russell Rothberg | March 13, 2025 |
| 5 | "Where Do You Go?" | Hagar Ben-Asher | Alexandra McNally | March 13, 2025 |
| 6 | "Hereditary" | Nikki Toscano | Nikki Toscano & Tricia V. Johnson | March 13, 2025 |
| 7 | "Wrong Devil, Wrong Deal" | Jessica Yu | Liz Moore & Alye Capone | March 13, 2025 |
| 8 | "Atonement" | Meera Menon | Nikki Toscano & Liz Moore | March 13, 2025 |
Production
[edit]A television adaptation of the Liz Moore novel Long Bright River for Peacock was announced in January 2024 with Nikki Toscano as show runner with Amanda Seyfried in the lead role. The series is written by Moore and Toscano who are also executive producers. Production comes from Sony Pictures Television and UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group. Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty and Amanda Lewis will executive produce for Original Film and Amy Pascal will executive produce for Pascal Pictures. Hagar Ben-Asher is directing and executive producer on the opening episode. [4] In February 2024, Nicholas Pinnock was cast as Truman Dawes.[5] That same month, Ashleigh Cummings, Callum Vinson, and John Doman joined the cast.[6] In March 2024, Dash Mihok, Britne Oldford, Matthew Del Negro and Harriet Sansom Harris joined the cast in recurring roles.[7]
In preparation for the role, Amanda Seyfried took part in a ride-along with Philadelphia police officers in January 2024.[8] Filming took place in New York in March 2024.[9]
Release
[edit]The series premiered on Peacock, Crave and USA Network Canada[10] with all eight episodes on March 13, 2025.[1] It was broadcast on the UK television channel Channel 4 from 17 May 2025.[11]
Reception
[edit]On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Long Bright River has an approval rating of 73% based on 22 critics' reviews, with an average rating of 7.3 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Carried along by Amanda Seyfried's steely turn as a closed-off cop, Long Bright River takes a winding path with some unnecessary detours but ultimately arrives at a compelling destination."[12] Metacritic calculated a weighted average of 66 out of 100 based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[13]
The series is set in Kensington, a Philadelphia neighborhood frequently associated with crime, prostitution and an open-air drug market.[14] In a review for NPR's Fresh Air, John Powers notes that the series "depicts the characters living in an area of Philly whose decline embodies a profound social collapse ... Propelled by its heroine's search for a killer, Long Bright River isn't just a mystery but a heartfelt story about wounded communities, wounded families and the wounded individuals who try to make things better."[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Canfield, David (28 January 2025). "Amanda Seyfried Gave Everything to Long Bright River: "I Went to Hell and Back"". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
- ^ Duncan, Charlie (27 January 2024). "Amanda Seyfried joins streaming thriller series". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b Powers, John (18 March 2025). "A police officer investigates her own sister's disappearance in 'Long Bright River'". NPR (Fresh Air). Retrieved 27 March 2025.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (26 January 2024). "Amanda Seyfried To Headline Limited Series 'Long Bright River' For Peacock". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (15 February 2024). "Nicholas Pinnock Joins Amanda Seyfried in Peacock Limited Series 'Long Bright River'". Variety. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (27 February 2024). "Peacock's 'Long Bright River' Adds Ashleigh Cummings, Callum Vinson & John Doman To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (5 March 2024). "Amanda Seyfried Peacock Series 'Long Bright River' Adds Six to Cast". Variety. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ Brandt, Joe (24 January 2024). "Amanda Seyfried does ride-along with Philadelphia police while filming "Long Bright River" series". cbsnews. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ Braun, Don (30 March 2024). "Amanda Seyfried at "Long Bright River" Filming Set in Brooklyn 03/29/2024". Celebmafia. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ "Long Bright River - Bell Media". Long Bright River - Bell Media.
- ^ "How to watch Long Bright River in the UK | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com.
- ^ "Long Bright River: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ "Long Bright River: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ Lehman, Charles Fain (Winter 2025). "Inside the East Coast's Largest Open-Air Drug Market". City Journal. Retrieved 27 March 2025.