River

you know if Netflix presents it, it must be good. wrong. its incredible. the most original detective story I've come across thus far. Stellan Skarsgård knocks it out of the park with his sad eyes alone. his facial expressions speaks volumes. No other actor could have made this character so humanely profound as he does. He struggles with so many issues. I went into this knowing very little and was blown away. I was hooked almost immediately after I found out the first twist within the first 15 min. I love the way his mental decline or status is examined and how its not over the top at all but very real and we accept he's not mad. this is a must watch and very intriguing and is heartbreakingly incredible. It's art disguised as a TV series. IT'S THAT PERFECT! i don't want to spoil anything just WATCH THIS SHOW IMMEDIATELY you'll thank me

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 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.

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.

Beautifully done -- writing, acting, direction, everything. Unlike some other reviewers, my wife and I found the stretching of our perceptions that River's hallucinations required of us only deepened our immersion in the emotional truth of the story. It made River's journey all the more moving.

Special praise must go to the superb ensemble of actors, especially Stellan Skarsgård and Nicola Walker. Such beautifully nuanced performances!

We sincerely hope there will be another case that will allow us to join River on another journey.