User reviews

Don't expect anything avant-garde. The story is one that's been done before so it starts out sorta cliche, basically how you'd expect people of a small town to react when somebody just comes out of prison for murder; you're just thrown in the middle of it and begins with more of character introduction. So far it's just about mediocre but interesting enough for a watch, the 'twist' at the end of the premiere episode is set to make things a little more exciting. I'm not expecting it to be a ground breaking miniseries but I'm a fan of Katherine Langford so I'm looking forward to seeing this all goes. She's more known for her American roles so it's nice to see her in an Australian series, didn't even know she was one till now. I don't have high expectations and don't think you should either if you really want to enjoy it because it probably won't live up to or eclipse other bigger productions with a similar premise of just-outta-prison, trying fit back into society stories. It doesn't seem to have a huge budget so it'll have to lean on the story a lot which is good as it should be, but on the other hand makes the show a bit matte to look at, makes the small town surroundings seem more realistic but no pizazz. Still, it's not a bad start and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. Will update rating if anything drastically changes about the show.

I've finished the series now and the last two episodes were really good, turned out better than I thought it would. The show kept it's mystery and suspense really well and the twists and turns at the end were well worth the wait. The side plots are also really developed well and keeps your interest. I'd recommend a watch, starts off decent and it's a show that needs to be watched in it's entirety.

Engrossing, quiet, almost Altmanesque whodunit that weaves an intricate web of criss-crossing, interconnected characters: it seems everyone is related to, or at the very least knows, everyone else in the small Australian town called Savage River. The very beautiful Katherine Langford is the nominal lead, but it's really an ensemble piece. I was kept guessing about its twin mysteries - past and present. Its only real flaw - and it's a trend I notice in more and more TV series lately - is that it's too long; it probably should have been a 2-hour movie, and would have worked better that way. *** out of 4.

The style of this miniseries is to be dropped into a situation with no context or information. We start with following along a young woman who is just getting out of prison on parole and apparently returns to the very small hometown she started out in as a young girl. Plot unrolling happens by character discovery and interactions, as well as the art of deciphering any kind of relationships and who's who. Information is slow to be had, and we don't really know what kind of a person she is or anything that has happened to develop her, inside of prison or out. The acting is decent enough, and there is some intensity which is a good start... even if fairly cliche for this storyline. Ultimately, if you find entertainment in series such as Rectify or the recent Sandra Bullock movie The Unforgivable, then I think this is worth a look, although I don't think this Australian production will outmatch either of those in writing quality or casting. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing it through.

Got me hooked to watch the whole thing in two days after work. Good writing, story was good and kept you wondering who done it. It needed to show longer pauses when the camera shot was on pieces of paper or texts; I couldn't read what it said. Character development was slow, Miki did develop somewhat and the story had enough movement to keep you watching. There were some good acting moments notably from the "good news in a box moment" around the table, that moment was very believable. It just showcases a very Australian way of life from chops for dinner, Vegemite toast, pub life, driving Holdens, yeah m8. Good job 👍🏻

It seemed to me that SAVAGE RIVER was trying to create a Scandinavian-type dark crime story. The impressive opening titles certainly gave me that impression. But, for me, it didn't live up to that expectation.

The story is about Miki Anderson, who returns to her hometown in rural Tasmania after serving a 15-year prison sentence for murder. She is determined to put her life back together and figure out who she is on the outside. But her presence dredges up long-held secrets from the past and Miki realizes everything she thought she knew was wrong.

The show is set in the present day, but it has a timeless feel to it. The pacing is slow and deliberate, and the cinematography is beautiful. The problem is that the story is just not that interesting. It plods along and takes ages to go anywhere. And the ending was anti-climactic.

So, while I appreciate the effort that went into making this show, I can't say that I would recommend it.

I came to rate this show right after the final episode aired for the first time and was shocked to see only a 6.4 rating.

What do people want?

This show was well written and very well acted; stand out performances from Virginia Gay (who isn't even listed in "top cast" section despite her leading role) and Jaqueline McKenzie among many other fine performances makes this show is compelling viewing in my opinion.

I don't really understand how this has such a low rating. I really enjoyed it and I think if given a chance many other people will too. What does it take to get more than a pass mark?

Do people not want gripping, well made, well performed Australian made drama??

An above-average crime drama mystery series where everything is too mild, whether believable or unbelievable. The best acting in my opinion goes to Hattie Hook (Ivy) who played naturally and with real charisma, wish everyone played as charismatically and with an enough mix of youth naive craziness & seriousness as her, though second best to her was her mother character Rachel Kennedy.

The screenplay plots are so so, the photography and sceneries the "best" in the show as are various realistic/unrealistic relationships throughout.

In one word, it's mildly recommended, but don't expect anything shiny as in Nordic series.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6
• Development: 7.5
• Realism: 6.5
• Entertainment: 7
• Acting: 6.5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
• VFX: 7
• Music/score/sound: 6.5
• Depth: 6.5
• Logic: 4.5
• Flow: 6.5
• Crime/drama/mystery: 6.5
• Ending: 5.5.

I found myself really engaged in this series - you know a great creation when you forget its creators and become completely absorbed in the story and with the characters.

Having said that, what a fantastic cast, and beautiful cinematography. It may have been low budget, but the team really made their dollars work for them. I appreciated the time taken to develop the characters, the storyline, and that every thread seemed to be followed through right to the end. I was suprised and disappointed not to see Virginia Gay not listed in the "Top Cast" here on IMDB's listing for Savage River - she played a very significant role and performed masterfully.

The series held my complete attention right to the end, and I was really moved by the final moments - this was so well done.

I was a bit surprised at the reviewer here giving it 1 star and saying it looks like it wasn't set in a country town but more like Sydney suburbia.

Actually it was filmed largely in Warburton and in Bright and Myrtleford - all country towns in Victoria. I can't see any resemblance of the characters to those in a Sydney suburb myself.

That said the show was disappointing for me.

It's hard to pinpoint a single reason exactly why - it just didn't grab my interest the way Mystery Road or Troppo did.

Possibly it was too long and drawn out, and by the time I got to the end I just didn't care any more.

Plus the main character was pretty unlikeable. I had no interest in what happened to her by the finish.

There also seemed to be too many separate threads to follow, making the script too complicated.

In addition it seemed fairly formulaic, unconvincing, and full of cliches we've all seen before.

I'm sure the makers did their best but something was just a tad off.

I really hoped this was just another great mini-series like the ones that are based on Harlan Coben's books. But it really isn't that good. I don't wanna spoil anything, so I'll try to stick to the broad pros and cons: Pros: The surroudings. The scenery of Tasmania is really beautiful.

The acting is pretty good. No complaints here.

Cons: It's a veeeeery slow show. It draws out every scene like it's a drama serie. The pace is the same every scene. You never get some action. And this is really weird for a series that is about a crime. In the end, I kept watching because I wanted to find out who did it. But the last three episodes felt like a choor.

There's one big mistake in this series. I really can't believe the makers didn't see it when they watched it for themselves.

Savage River was a brilliantly paced crime/drama with an incredible cast to back it up. From the outset, the plot line found a grounded feel, and escalated in a suspenseful, subversive manner.

The cinematography was stunning and shots pretty laconic. The soundscape behind it was charming no doubt.

Defiantly emblematic of regional Australia and thematically hit the nail on the head of many issues facing these townships.

The spoiler free ending was deeply satisfying - sticking the balance of answering as many questions as it perhaps raised. Really hopping that along with Mystery Road Origins, we see this renewed for another season.

This show is absolutely revolting. It uses a lot of 'shock' tactics to try to hide the absolutely ridiculous plot and characters that make absolutely no sense.

I don't know what was going through the head of these creators. The relationships of these characters made no sense, forced character interactions that left my head scratching, inconsistencies in character motivations. I just don't know what more to say about this terrible trainwreck.

I realise that these shows are supposed to be fiction, but it would be good for a show that is supposedly set in a small country Australian town to look and feel like a small country town rather than a suburb of Sydney.

I hope next time the writers do more research and actually travel to an Australian country town to better udnerstand the dynamics and people who live there.

There is a lot of research done on scapegoating mechanisms but there is little one can do to prevent it from happening. I do believe making victims aware that there is nothing wrong with them as helpful. In rural Australia town, a female scapegoat like the sacrificial lambs slaughtered to provide economic backbone of the Rural Community.... The female family scapegoat returns, to be further bullied, blamed, shamed, belittled, tricked, rejected, isolated and sacrificed for the benefit of power hungry rich 🤑 pillars of the community and government departments and'respectable' town LEADERS. Corruption in country town more about capitalism and patriarchy and the RICH 🤑 women DO the dirty work of patriarchy. Women betray women. Punch down on the vulnerable. Often the scapegoat is targeted by the siblings who were treated more favorably. In that way, the less favored sibling(s) becomes the punchingbag for everything that is wrong in the family. Family therapy can help but only rarely are the culprits and less affected family members willing to take part. So my focus would be on empowering the scapegoat(s). Often the scapegoat is targeted by the siblings who were treated more favorably. In that way, the less favored sibling(s) becomes the punchingbag for everything that is wrong in the family. Family therapy can help but only rarely are the culprits and less affected family members willing to take part. So without spoiling it hoping a focus would be on validating, showing strength of, or empowering the scapegoat(s).

As my title says I thought it was the lefty ABC at it again. But there was just too much talent in the cast to turn it off. Plenty of good old fashioned Aussie actors that kept me happy. But I didn't know of Katherine Langford as her success in 13 reasons why escaped me as it was about a subject matter that I have seen more than my share of. But I am a fan now. Also Mark Coles Smith is another talent that was new to me.(I reckon he's Aaron Pedersens love child).

I'm usually pretty good with the "who dunnit " genre. But it wasn't until the end of the fifth episode that I was 100%. But even up till the very end there were a cpl of surprises. This was a really well written script. It is definitely binge worthy as I'm writing this at 3.15 am after starting it after dinner.

Really well done to cast and crew. And my apologies to the ABC. This was nothing to do with wokeism, and all to do with what is actually happening in rural Australia right now. Cheer Dave.

Katherine Langford is doing an awesome job. A slightly ok series, she brings it to great.

She is not even extremely beautiful, but sweet and cute in a new way. So good. Thank you Katherine Langford. You are just wonderful enough.

The show is not really fresh, but it is really new. Especially with you. There are no one who compares to you. You are needed for a lot words more than here and now. I can only imagine you have done a lot of hours to become this good. I think I will not be readers enough to read this, imaging this is only week readers reading your talent. I hope this is good enoughp for you dear.

I only wanted to watch it since I saw Katherine Langford's face on the cover, and to be honest I wasn't expecting much since I reckon it was low budget series.... But, OMG it was like watching something woven together into a beautiful tapestry.

The casting was well done, the acting on point specially on the physical front, the chemistry was there, the cinematography was really the cherry on top, the plot was interesting and the scenes were really well thought of. The story moves slow, sure, but it is part of the charm; they actually developed and introduced characters in different ways which was interesting...The base of story, though not that unique, was written with proper sequence in mind - I love that about this mini series cause in some similar shows, the sequencing was just totally confusing and downright unnecessary.

Give it a watch, it'll definitely make you think, sad, thankful, sympathetic, angry, happy, cry, and loose sleep cause you won't want to stop watching.

P.s. Watched and found this gem @2024 and I think I haven't stopped grinding my teeth together from the suspense build-up and thingking/guessing.