The River

WARNING: This is not a show for hard materialists and positivist types. will no doubt 'offend' or 'bore' them somehow. That said, maybe that is why I love it. No 'Darwin' this and that. Not a single line bashing religion or God. Various people from cultures who are actually portrayed as PEOPLE, not 'noble savages' or 'lazy Latino' or the like. Very little PC at all. Very apolitical. Like a breath of fresh air.

Interesting take on the style. A great cast. The effects are more movie house than TV. BIG budget stuff.

The subject is a fascinating one involving mythology and 'magic' and is not bogged down by lame 'nerdcore' explanations of every aspect. Scientific dogma is shattered in the first 15 minutes of the first episode, and the viewer is invited down the Rabbit hole in style. Great show. 'There's Magic out there!' and it's called 'The River'.

In 2012, a new TV show aired on ABC called "The River;" amongst the constant release of "found-footage" horror films, or those mixed with traditional film, it seemed only fitting that a television series be made too, since these movies were so popular. Sadly, "The River" was canceled after only 8 episodes, and in these 8 episodes (produced by legend Steven Spielberg) we were introduced to a place where everything we know is wrong. "The River" is centered around an expedition into the Amazon, where TV show host, role model, and father Emmett Cole (Bruce Greenwood) went missing after his 22-year of the Undiscovered Country, a TV series that involved him and his family traversing the wild. Lincoln (Joe Anderson), his mother Tess (Leslie Hope) and some of the old crew of the Undiscovered Country then begin searching for Emmett, who's last position was on the Boiuna, a part of the Amazon that mysteriously vanishes into dense forest.

"The River" is easily one of the most entertaining, thrilling television shows ever made, as its strong cast, great visuals, sleek directing and creativity create an engrossing atmosphere and characters that you love and ones you love to hate. I have no clue why this was canceled because there was so much potential for this show to be something extraordinarily great; a cross between Lost and Prometheus, except Prometheus is getting a sequel. Now, I would recommend this show to everyone because it is something truly different, and full of cerebral scares (and a few jump scares), but because of the way it's filmed I cannot; some people can't handle the "found-footage" angles and shots. But those willing to watch, mainly those who love sci-fi/mystery/horror, will not be sorry. Hopefully someone can get the guys at ABC or whoever to use Kickstarter to bring back The River.

9/10 Stars

I am glad to see a good on-the-edge of your seat new series that doesn't have to do with promiscuous women or a crime guaranteed to be solved EVERY episode. I love the feeling of having to wait a week! I miss it. The new style of horror genre take on this series is refreshing and new! New content, pushed boundaries and fresh actors(esses). It is great and I cannot wait for more!! The best part is that ABC is doing it. Fox is getting predictable and I think to have the talent behind this series will ensure that it is not boring after a short while. Plus if you get tired of it, I think J.J. is making another series soon!

WOW! This show is amazing so far. I absolutely love it. I love the authenticity of it, the legends they are using so far are interesting.

To all the people Who keep complaining about the characters speaking Spanish... for one, its supposed to be in Peru, not Brazil. For 2 the father and daughter are supposed to be people who were part of Emmett's crew, they worked as part of an American show, therefore they are perfectly in the accuracy to be speaking Spanish. The rest of the cast... are American. Maybe you should pay better attention to something before you start criticizing.

Now the camera work, the show isn't supposed to be lost footage, or documentary footage. The premise of the show is these people are making a documentary, behind the scenes type show, while searching for the missing Emmett. Therefore many of the things being shown are not supposed to be the "documentary's" footage, its supposed to be both. some parts we see is whats happening while they are filming this documentary of the search for Emmett. If you can't tell the difference between the cameras then you're not paying attention. Anytime they show someone on the documentary cameras they have a caption to it, naming the person in the shot. When no one is in the shot the documentary footage is shown more grainy.

After reading other reviews, I see that "The River" is a love it or hate it kind of show. My conclusion, if you were a Lost fan, you'll be a fan of this show. I personally like this show. It's different than other shows on TV. The purpose of the show is to keep you on the edge of your seat, and it definitely does that for me.If you're usually critical of shows then you'll find things to be critical of in The River, but for the most part, the acting is believable enough, the plot is simple, the filming adds to the suspense, and it keeps me guessing. I was a Lost fan, and this show really fills the void Lost left behind. . .