Long Bright River Review: Amanda Seyfried shines in a haunting crime drama, but does the mystery deliver?

Long Bright River from Peacock is more than just a crime thriller—it is a slow descent into the underbelly of a city, a story saturated with regret, desperation, and the spectral apparitions of a shattered family.

Based on a novel by Liz Moore, the series knits together the personal and the procedural in a raw and relentless narrative that feels as tough and unforgiving as the streets where it’s set. It’s a show that centers on the heavy burden of addiction, corruption, and lost time. But does it live up to its promises?

Let's find out.

The Plot of Long Bright River

The story revolves around Mickey Fitzpatrick played by Amanda Seyfried, who patrols the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, where addiction is not only a crisis; it’s the air people breathe. For Mickey, though, it's not just her job. It’s personal.

Her sister, Kacey (Ashleigh Cummings), has been missing for months—yet another soul consumed by the city’s opioid epidemic. As one woman after another turns up dead, Mickey fears Kacey will be next. Her quest isn’t just to find her sister—it’s to make amends for the past and set things right.

This tension is at the heart of the series. Each step Mickey takes further into the case draws her deeper into a world she thought she had left behind. The police force, the addicts, the dealers — they all know her name, and not always in a good way. As the bodies accumulate, so do the ghosts, and Mickey is left pursuing shadows — some of the living, some of her own.

A Lead Performance That Keeps It All Together

Amanda Seyfried is giving a career-best performance. She doesn’t simply play Mickey — she lives in her, bearing years of fatigue in her gaze, her gestures coiled with unarticulated fury and sorrow. Mickey isn’t a hero. She is hardly hanging on. And that is what makes her interesting.

Ashleigh Cummings delivers an equally heartbreaking performance as Kacey. She doesn’t plead for sympathy, doesn’t reach for victimhood. She’s simply trying to make it through, and in a city like this one, that’s not easy. Their dynamic — love warped by pain, by years of silence — is the show’s real center, more so than the mystery.

The supporting cast does solid work but few characters make that kind of impression. Nicholas Pinnock, as Mickey’s partner, provides stability, but his character often feels like mere window dressing.

As the sisters’ grandfather, John Doman is a toughened presence, a remnant of old-school toughness that passes into harmful territory. The city itself, with its derelict buildings and unfriendly avenues, is an independent character — one that never loosens its grip.

A Program That Devours Its Silence

The cinematography matches the tone of the show—bleak, cold, and unrelenting. Shots linger, not just on crime scenes but in deserted rooms, on faces that communicate more than words ever could.

But while the show’s methodical, long-running pacing creates suspense, it also demands patience. At times, the mystery gets overshadowed by the mood, stretching the story too thin. What should be pulse-pounding moments occasionally feel padded, as if the series is afraid to run. There’s something beautiful in the stillness, but it also comes with a danger of losing momentum.

What Works:

✔ Amanda Seyfried’s powerhouse performance — She fully immerses herself into the role and carries the show’s weight easily.

✔ A haunting, atmospheric place – The city seems to have its pulse, full of history, danger, and ghosts.

✔ A stark and unvarnished look at addiction — No sugar coating, no simple solutions — just the brutal reality of a crisis.

What Doesn't Work:

✖ A mystery that doesn’t fully land — The twists are there, but they don’t always hit with the force they should.

✖ Pacing that lags in some areas — The slow-burn tension works, but at times, it lingers too long, making the story feel stagnant.

✖ Supporting characters left in the shadows – There’s a rich tapestry here, yet some arcs go unexplored.

Final Verdict

A solid 7/10 ⭐, largely thanks to Amanda Seyfried’s powerhouse performance.

Long Bright River is not a series that will hold you with breakneck twists or fast-paced action. It’s a slow thudding, a story that reclines heavy in your chest. It wants you to sense the weight of its world—understand that there are no easy answers, only people trying and failing and trying again.

Is it perfect? No. But it lingers. And sometimes, that’s enough.