River

I missed the first episode of River, as, from a trailer, it appeared to be the bog standard detective mini-series. It was only on another well-loved, armchair TV critic show, Gogglebox, that its surprising secret and fascination were revealed as episode 1 was critiqued.

That revelation led me to quickly catch up and to become hooked on what must be one of the more unusual detective series to have ever graced our screens.

Quite apart from the plot's twist, the characters are believable and well rounded, and our hero, River, is the kind of gentle cop we thought we'd seen the last of in the 1970s. His sidekick provides the grounded, more robust cop we know today.

Sub-plots examine love and personal relationships, race relations and mental health and all are handled with equal dignity and are thought provoking.

River has become required viewing and I cannot wait to reach the climax of this intriguing story.

I have to admit that I wasn't expecting great things. I channel surfed on Net Flix and saw that this was a BBC Detective mystery. The BBC Seems to consistently deliver quality programs, so I thought "Why not?" After the first 5 minutes, when River's partner Stevie sang joyfully to Tina Charles song "I love to love", I was transfixed. I watched all 6 episodes yesterday - a Saturday with 14 inches of snow piling up outside.

This series made me laugh and cry more than any other series I've ever watched. It was heartwarming, dramatic and suspenseful. I fell in love with Stevie and River and felt empathy for most of the other characters.

I loved this series more than I can say. I plan to watch the whole series again over Thanksgiving when my mom comes to visit.

If I could give this an 11, I would. Please ignore the haters. You really can't please everyone.

I plan to watch everything Nicola Walker ever did. She is the most amazing actress I've ever watched. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

I hesitated on this one because generally depictions of mentally ill people are pretty bad. While I cannot in anyway say I'm an authority or have lived experience with this kind of mental illness, I do know that, while also solving a fairly interesting and complex case, in which River's partner was murdered-it also manages to paint a humane portrait of a mental ill person. He is ostracized but highly functional and empathetic and kind, while also having to contend with his illness.

The production values are great. The acting is solid. Locations and cinematography and wardrobe are great. Best of all though, as is rarely the case, the script is great. The plot feels fresh, as do the beats. It has a lot of breathing room, as most British drama does. Some of which always feels like it could be truncated, tbh. But it undeniably strikes a chord; far more so than American conventions manage. It's subversive of the genre and of stereotyping the mentally ill.

It's just solid all around, really. That, plus, the audacity of subject matter and unconventional protagonist and emotional portrayal, make it almost perfect, for me. Highly recommend it.

This is by far the best thing that ever happened to Netflix. After watching a very disappointing Marvel series (you can guess the what) I wasn't holding much hope out for this. Oh brother, I was blown away!

Stellan Skarsgård is, as ever, brilliant! I am sure that he could carry any part to its limits and beyond, this simply confirms my confidence. Who would have thought Nicola Walker and Stellan Skarsgård would be so powerful a pairing but they are.

I could go on about how great the directing is and the story line, effects and everything else about the production, but frankly I'm only a viewer and lack the technical knowledge to define in a meaningful way just how 'impressed' I was.

Adeel Akhtar could be a lead and should be, but the complimentary support is outstanding.

In my opinion this is a must watch series.

Having used IMDb for years, it took this programme to make me sign up and register to leave a review. As of the time of writing, the series is 2/3 of the way through and I am already mourning the end, though certain that I will not be able to second-guess how everything is resolved (if, indeed, it is). The central character is John River, a Detective Inspector with the Police working in the East End of London. He is a genuinely complicated man, and we are only drip-fed clues to his (Swedish) background, but he has obvious mental health issues he fights to control. In the hands of most actors, I might have been sceptical, but played by the magnificent Stellan Skarsgard, I have been totally drawn into his world and left praying that everything will work out for him. I have never wanted to be able to hug a character in a programme before, but River goes through so many emotions that it is impossible not to be swept along with him. The supporting cast are also excellent - Nicola Walker and Adeel Akhtar as his partners, Lesley Manville as his immediate superior; all warm, likable and believable characters. Finally, mention has to be made of Abi Morgan, who created the series. I can only hope that she can come up with a satisfying conclusion to the series that does not slam the door on a possible second series - but only if the magnificent Stellan Skarsgard can be persuaded to return. I have already begun to delve into his back catalogue and am more impressed with every film I see.