Long Bright River is Peacock's newest addictive crime drama. Based on Liz Moore’s novel, the limited series stars Amanda Seyfried as Mickey Fitzpatrick, a Philly cop dealing with a neighborhood hit hard by the opioid crisis. When a string of murders starts to unfold, Mickey starts to realize that her own past might be connected to the crimes.
Seyfried truly shines in this show. She really encapsulates the role of a complex character weighed down by guilt and regret, who really cares about people and wants to help everyone she can. Mickey's job rules her life, but she's also a single mom, an english horn enthusiast and a Penn dropout.
She fits the mold of a familiar character: the tough, morally-driven female cop at the heart of a prestige crime drama. Similar to the complicated women cops in shows like True Detective: Night Country, Mare of Easttown and others, she’s both part of the community and disconnected from it.
She’s too close to the people she’s supposed to police because of her roots in the area, but she’s also seen as different by them. Like these other characters, she’ll watch the line between her job and personal life fade away, and, just like them, she’ll have to face corruption within the system she works for.
Mickey’s empathy, like in most stories like this, isn’t something that comes easily. It’s tied to her personal history with the drug users and sex workers, shaped by years of watching her sister Kacey get deeper into that world.
Mickey has a young son, Thomas. He doesn’t know about Kacey yet and is starting to question why his only family is his fun-loving great-grandfather, Gee. Explaining “the opioid crisis” to a seven-year-old? Yeah, not so simple.
The series digs into serious topics like addiction, family struggles, and the tough reality of law enforcement in communities facing real hardship. Set in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, the show stays true to the city’s challenging yet resilient atmosphere.
Long Bright River offers a gripping and emotional story with standout performances, especially from Seyfried. If you’re a Peacock subscriber, it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re into crime dramas. And if you're not, you should be!
All eight episodes of Long Bright River are available now.
