Channel 4 has quietly dropped an adaptation of Liz Moore's bestselling crime thriller, Long Bright River, and viewers are already loving the unfolding mystery, which has been released in its entirely on the channel's streaming platform - and is set to air in late May.
The eight-part miniseries, starring Mamma Mia's Amanda Seyfried, sees the actress play Mickey Fitzpatrick, a police officer with a dark past struggling between her commitment to her work and her difficult family life, most notably her sister Kacey's struggle with addiction.
© David Holloway/PEACOCKAfter a series of murders takes place in Philadelphia, Mickey becomes obsessed with finding the truth about the killer, especially as they appear to be targeting people like her sister.
The show, which was released earlier this year in the UK on Peacock, has already created a social buzz, with one person posting: "#LongBrightRiver may not be as polished and impeccably paced as its closest comp, Mare of Easttown, but it is still a compelling, well-made miniseries with a stellar star turn from Amanda Seyfried who deserves serious Emmy consideration. The finale wrecked me."
Another fan added: "'#LongBrightRiver is fantastic so far (3 episodes in) and obvs Amanda Seyfried is great in it but the child actor Callum Vinson who plays her son Thomas might need to get some major recognition come next awards season!" A third person wrote: "i’m on episode 4 and i just wanna say u all have to watch this. It is SO GOOD and our girl is AMAZINGGG #LongBrightRiver."
© PEACOCKSpeaking about her personal connection to the show, Amanda told Variety: "The characters in this story are struggling with the opioid crisis, and maybe I connect in a deeper way to this character’s journey because of my relationship to a lot of the subject matter.
"What I didn’t expect is to feel like this experience grounded me as well. It lit a fire within me."
© David Holloway/PEACOCKShe added: "I wasn’t looking for something grounded and heavy and dark, but it was therapeutic in a way. The storytelling, the perspective was so unique, and it knew exactly what it was. It felt like if this knows exactly what it is, then maybe I will find something new within my own journey."
