Long Bright River
Long Bright River
Now Showing

Long Bright River

6.9
Yr 2025
Status Ended
Drama Crime Mystery
Your Verdict

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Series Brief

Overview

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.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 72 /100

Critical reception for "Long Bright River" was generally warm, with reviewers overwhelmingly singling out Amanda Seyfried's central performance for high praise. Critics commended Seyfried for bringing remarkable depth, controlled emotion, and restraint to her role as Mickey, a Philadelphia police officer navigating a personal and professional crisis. Outlets like Variety and NPR appreciated the crime drama's focus on sisterhood, trauma, and family history, praising its emotional core alongside its murder mystery narrative.

However, the show drew notable criticism for its pacing and narrative execution. Multiple reviewers, including those from The Guardian, Philadelphia Magazine, and RogerEbert.com, noted that the series suffered from slow pacing, excessive length, and circular plotting. Critics also pointed to predictable red herrings and clumsy flashback sequences as flaws, with several reviews comparing the series unfavorably to HBO's "Mare of Easttown."

Despite the division over its deliberate narrative speed, most critics concluded that "Long Bright River" remains a solid, deeply layered crime miniseries anchored by strong character work and Seyfried's impressive performance.

“A beautifully structured series, “Long Bright River” is about sisterhood, connection and the truths often buried under deep-seated guilt and shame.”

“a slow-burning mystery that keeps viewers engaged with strong character work and well-placed twists.”

“The series is just too long and moves too slow.”

“It's really the circular nature of the script, and its languid pacing and numerous red herrings, that lets the otherwise-workmanlike nature of the miniseries down.”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

CTV
CA
Peacock Premium
US
Peacock Premium Plus
US
Show 4 more
Channel 4
UK
Crave Amazon Channel
CA
Sky Go
UK
Crave
CA
Why fans love it

Long Bright River anchors its crime narrative in the specific geography of a Philadelphia neighborhood struggling with the opioid crisis. By framing the mystery through the eyes of a police officer who is also a single mother, the show moves past typical thriller tropes. It centers the tension on the domestic reality of a community under duress rather than just the procedural steps of an investigation.

Amanda Seyfried portrays the protagonist, whose duty to patrol her beat clashes with the sudden discovery that her own missing relative might be caught in a string of local murders. This creates an immediate friction between her professional responsibility and her private history. As a miniseries adapted from a novel, the story remains focused on this single, high-stakes collision of past and present. It avoids drawn-out subplots to maintain a tight grip on the character dynamics as the investigation unfolds.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 17
Longest run 8 eps
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried
as Mickey Fitzpatrick
8 episodes
Nicholas Pinnock
Nicholas Pinnock
as Truman Dawes
8 episodes
Ashleigh Cummings
Ashleigh Cummings
as Kacey Fitzpatrick
8 episodes
Callum Vinson
Callum Vinson
as Thomas Fitzpatrick
8 episodes
John Doman
John Doman
as Gee 'Gee-Pop' O'Brien
8 episodes
Dash Mihok
Dash Mihok
as Eddie Lafferty
7 episodes
Matthew Del Negro
Matthew Del Negro
as Simon Cleare
5 episodes
Britne Oldford
Britne Oldford
as Dr. Aura Williams
5 episodes
Show 67 more
Perry Mattfeld as Paula 5 episodes Patch Darragh as Sergeant Ahearn 7 episodes Ben Thompson as Sean Kelly 3 episodes Eden Marryshow as Alonzo 5 episodes Amber Gray as Teacher Dana 3 episodes Harriet Sansom Harris as Mrs. Mahon 5 episodes Serena Parrish as Jill 2 episodes Rivera Reese as Nicole 5 episodes Eric Francis Melaragni as Cop #2 1 episode Chuja Seo as Mrs. Yoon 3 episodes Albert DiCesare as David Miller 2 episodes Nandita Chandra as Doctor 1 episode Isabelle Poloner as Elizabeth O'Connor 2 episodes Valentina Tammaro as Encampment Woman 1 episode Mark R. Anthony as Store Owner 1 episode Philipe D. Preston as Guard 1 episode Daphne Juliet Ellis as Amelia DelVecchio 2 episodes Shawnna Thibodeau as Helen 3 episodes Hannah D. Scott as Jeannie 3 episodes Lisa Harvey as Kathleen 2 episodes Don Sparks as Twohey 4 episodes John Scurti as McGivney 4 episodes Jillian Louis as Colleen Kelly 3 episodes Stacia Stein as Older Cop 1 episode Gio Castellano as Uniform Cop 1 episode James Ciccone as Shop Owner 1 episode Devin Chandler as Gas Station Attendant 1 episode Mike Massimino as Frank 1 episode Meghan Sinclair as Waitress 1 episode Tom Costello as Jimmy Scanlon's Boss 1 episode Joe Daru as Detective Danjarat 6 episodes OT The Real as Dock McClatchie 4 episodes Russell G. Jones as Mr. Winton 3 episodes Cate Elefante as Young Mickey 2 episodes Rob Figueroa as Older Male Cop 2 episodes Victoria Joliddie as Very Young Mickey 2 episodes Evelyn Davis as Young Kacey 2 episodes Annabelle Toomey as Very Young Kacey 1 episode Mariah Lee as Lisa O'Brien 2 episodes Matt Walker as Young Daniel 2 episodes Emily Hong as Taylor Yoon 3 episodes Preston Christopher Lawrence as Officer Jackson 1 episode Michael A. Jones as Officer Boyd 1 episode Kimberli Flores as Maria Perez 2 episodes Madeline Mahoney as Cousin Hailey O'Brien 1 episode Vincent Lawson Jr. as Cousin Bobby O'Brien 1 episode Jennifer Childs as Aunt Lynn 1 episode Christine Vrem-Ydstie as Kerry Scanlon 1 episode Gabriel Oscher as Louis Driscoll 1 episode Ian Bell as Male Cousin 1 episode Lindsay Aster as Female Cousin 1 episode Tracy Wilder as Waitress 1 episode Lexy Dewland as Woman Not Kacey 1 episode Tsalta Baptiste as Firefighter 1 episode Kerry Flanagan as Grieving Woman 1 episode Jimi Milligan as Mummer's Singer 1 episode Maura Day as Teen Mickey 2 episodes Vaughan Reilly as Teen Kacey 3 episodes Nina White as Bethany 3 episodes Maggie Toomey as Young Paula 1 episode Taylor Madeline Hand as Teen Paula 2 episodes Tess Murphy as Carlotta 1 episode Hannah Jane McMurray as Corinne Huber 1 episode Matthew Sean Blumm as Mike DiPaolo 3 episodes Blair Sams as Sue Mulroney 3 episodes Hedley Harlan as Emily Morris 2 episodes Michael Gaston as Daniel 2 episodes
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Long Bright River overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

philadelphia, pennsylvania based on novel or book miniseries single mother police officer missing relative opioid crisis mystery thriller
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
March 13, 2025
Status
Ended
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
108