Peacock Review: ‘Long Bright River’ is a Familiar Cop Drama and a Superb Showcase for Amanda Seyfried

People tend to either run towards or away from their pasts in the adult lives they choose to lead. A rough and traumatic upbringing may cause someone to get as far away as they can from a place that has only bad memories, or may necessitate staying or returning there, whether by choice or fate. Long Bright River follows a police officer whose daily work leaves her too close to home and who realizes that she may be more closely connected to her latest case than she’d like to be.

Mickey (Amanda Seyfried) works as a cop in Philadelphia and acts as a single mother to her son Thomas (Callum Vinson). She has some support in the community from Gee (John Doman) and others, but she’s largely on her own, and her son has questions about seeing his father that she isn’t eager to answer. She has a close relationship with Truman (Nicholas Pinnock), who she turns to as an ally when she discovers that a series of murders involves her sister Kacey (Ashleigh Cummings), prompting her to look to her past for clues about how to move forward and solve the case.

Despite this show’s seemingly upbeat title with the word “bright” in it, it’s the “long” that should be focused on, since happiness and optimism and very hard to find within it. Based on the book of the same name by Liz Moore, this series comes from showrunner Nikki Toscano, whose past quality projects, Hunters and The Offer, give no indication whatsoever of what to expect for this show, which has a much grimmer tone and, unlike those true ensembles, is much more about its protagonist and the journey that she’s on, with the people around her not nearly as central to her journey.

Seyfried, who got her career started with TV roles on As the World Turns, Veronica Mars, and Big Love, has made a welcome return to television in recent years with her Emmy-winning turn in The Dropout and then with The Crowded Room. She plays Mickey with a certain resigned resolve, aware that she’d rather be living a different life but that this is how the cards have fallen, and if she wants to be able to be there for her son, this is what she has to do. It’s a nuanced take that speaks to Seyfried’s strength as an actress, especially since this is one of her more subdued roles.

It’s helpful to have friendly faces in the supporting cast, like Pinnock, a veteran of Counterpart and For Life who fully applies himself to each role with the utmost seriousness and commitment, Doman, from Person of Interest and The Affair, among others, and Dash Mihok, best known for Ray Donovan, here playing Mickey’s new partner who seems to mean well but has plenty to learn about the job and this world. Their roles all revolve around Seyfried’s, as they serve to expand her connections to the city around her and its different elements, namely unreliable law enforcement and those who don’t take the time to get to know the people and the way the city functions.

Long Bright River is being released on Peacock as an eight-episode binge, an interesting strategy for a show that’s a slow-burn crime drama which could easily keep audiences satisfied and waiting for the next episode one week at a time. But those who attach to this character and her universe are sure to want to continue, even if it’s not the most immediately rewarding series which does take some time to get into and may indeed benefit from the opportunity to be screened all at once. Seyfried is the best reason to watch this cop drama that doesn’t feel vividly fresh but still has plenty to offer in its exploration of the advantages and disadvantages of being an ingrained member of the community you protect and serve.

Series Rating: 7/10