Long Bright River

Some of the posted reviews are absolutely mind boggling in their lack of empathy and compassion. Apparently, the homelessness, drug addiction and prostitution in this area of Philadelphia (called Kensington) marks the people (especially its female members) as losers who are not worth consideration. And by caring about the fate of the women, in general, and worrying over her sister, in particular, the series' lead character Mickey, a patrol cop played by Amanda Seyfried, is branded as some sort of gullible sucker. I found the character of her sister, Kacey, as portrayed by Ashleigh Cummings, as the most realistic and fascinating in the show. It made me want to read Liz Moore's book, and I rate the series as an 8 out of 10 stars.

Amanda Seyfried is one of the most underrated actresses ever This is a compelling mini series with a plot twist every ten minutes. Being from the Philly area I really enjoyed all the local references, and the producers ( Seyfried among them) really nailed the " it's a Philly thing " vibe!

The plot is basically a story of a Philly cops desperate search for her missing sister. But the real story, is a look into the hardscrapple world of lower middle class America, and their daily struggles to just get through to the next day. And it's wonderful My big knock on this series is this, however Will somebody please pay the electric bill !!!

It's sometimes appeared as though every scene- even the outdoor scenes were filmed in obnoxiously dim lighting Director took this " film noire" thing wayyyyy Too far.

I never really considered her that serious an actor, but she is jaw-droppingly good in this. Like Kate Winslet in Mare of Easttown level-or better. I would be shocked if Seyfried doesn't take home best actress at the Emmy's. Her performance is so fluid, so natural, so understated yet full of depth. I'm like floored how good she is. (Other actors/casting also great. Maybe that means the directing is great too? I do like the choices of how scenes and episodes end-a little unconventional but with a poignant beauty. So let's give it up for the director & maybe editor too!). Bravo all around. See it!

Solid show highlighting the many devastations and complexities of addiction. Good cast with better than average acting - Amanda Seyfried was a real bright spot lead. It could have been a great show if it was tightened up to only 5 or 6 (max) episodes. What began as a tight, engrossing story that adeptly wove multiple storylines devolved into a superficial whodunnit melodrama that was, IMO, wholly unnecessary (and detracted from the depth of the first episodes). It feels like they changed editors after episode 3. It's a bummer as it had real potential to be great.

I don't understand why Hollywood believes there needs to be 8 episodes for every show. How about make as many episodes as the story requires- case in point is Adolescence, they made the number of episodes needed to tell that story and it is more powerful because of the restraint.

My rating is 5 stars for two reasons. First, it is so dark...what is the fascination with filming scenes in lighting so dark the viewer sees nothing? This technique is not something to be applauded. It is not "artistic" nor creative. Stop already! Make a podcast if all the audience can do is listen and not see! Second, the story could have been effectively told in half the episodes. It felt as if the studio slotting 8 episodes drove the content rather than the story line. A final aside - the casting for younger versions of characters was awful. By no stretch of the imagination would these actors grow up into the adult versions. I always find poor casting distracting.