River

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.

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 was recommended to watch this by a fellow English person and knowing I was a big fan of both Stellan S and Nicola Walker I knew I would enjoy this. Went in not knowing anything but after the first twist I was hooked. This has a bit of a feel of The Sixth Sense with Profiler. Absolutely loved it. Put mental health on the map but in such a clever way. Stellan was pure perfection acting this unique part which is clearly what drew him to the challenge. The entire cast are genius but his relationship with Nicola Walker's character was beautiful and heart wrenching, they had great chemistry. Another standout is his new partner who is so understanding and compliments their relationship. Definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a bit of supernatural even though it's not in that category. Very clever and the acting is sensational. Not to mention fantastic sound track you'll all recognise!!! Oh....I love to love....

ENJOY!!!

I gave this a watch since I am a Stellin fan. To my surprise I found a jewel of a show. John River is a tormented soul who sees murdered individuals from his past. They sometimes guide him and other times they torment him. The show was cleverly crafted to keep watching for more as John unravels clues to his partners murder. Give it a watch....you will be pleasantly surprised.