Amanda Seyfried has delivered memorable performances in television dramas such as The Dropout and The Crowded Room, but she took on one of her more challenging roles in the Peacock miniseries Long Bright River. The absorbing crime thriller explores the impact addiction has on family and friends, the generational trauma it causes, and the vulnerability required to rebuild trust after betrayal.
Continuing the trend of the fantastic crime drama miniseries that have recently been released, Long Bright River is equal parts crime procedural and family drama. In the pursuit of a killer who targets the desperate and forgotten, old secrets will be uncovered, a possible romance inspires a happy future, and a family can take the first steps into forgiving one another and accepting each other as a work in progress.
What Is Amanda Seyfried’s ‘Long Bright River’ About?
Based on the novel of the same name by Liz Moore, Long Bright River follows Mickey Fitzpatrick (Seyfried), a Philadelphia police officer who patrols her hometown, the crime-heavy neighborhood of Kensington. A single mom to her son, Thomas (Callum Vinson), Mickey bears the overwhelming burden of raising him alone without any financial or caretaking assistance from his father and her ex-husband, Simon (Matthew Del Negro). Socially withdrawn and fiercely private, Mickey prefers to work without a partner as she searches the streets for her sister Kacey (Ashleigh Cummings), an addict who has been missing for longer than usual.
When the body of a young girl who resembles Kacey is found, Mickey’s experience with the signs of addiction allows her to rule out the death as a presumed overdose. After the body is linked to other deaths that follow a similar pattern, Mickey is wracked with fear that Kacey could be one of the killer’s victims. Mickey’s loner tendencies don’t leave her with many allies at her precinct, but her estranged ex-partner, Truman (Nicholas Pinnock), is willing to help track down Kacey and find a murderer the police don’t view as a high priority. As Mickey’s investigation deepens, she’ll find uncomfortable connections to her past that disrupt what she believed about her family.
‘Long Bright River’ Thoughtfully Explores the Pain of Addiction
Set in a neighborhood ravaged by the effects of the opioid crisis, Long Bright River heavily focuses on the lasting damage created by addiction. Without going too deep into spoilers, the actions of Mickey and Kacey’s parents when they were children are still impacting their adult lives on a catastrophic scale. The sisters’ exposure to addiction, whether it was indirect or more intrusive, forever alters the paths of the siblings, sending them to find comfort in ill-advised ways. Kacey becomes an addict who manages stints of sobriety before spinning into a relapse, and Mickey is groomed into a relationship with a much older police officer, Simon, who preys on her loneliness and desire for positive reinforcement.
As an adult, Mickey’s job as a police officer gives her a sense of control that has felt absent in her personal life, and she approaches her career with a sense of drive that feels disproportionate to how much passion she actually has for it. Mickey believes in the law and feels strongly about helping others, but her love of playing classical music is what gives her actual, fulfilling happiness. So, out of a sense of responsibility to fix things from the past that can’t be fixed, Mickey sets aside her talents to work in a profession she otherwise wouldn’t have pursued. Mickey’s choices have led her to perpetually exist outside of her own comfort zone, and because of that unease and her manipulative ex, trusting people is incredibly hard for her.
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At the start of Long Bright River, Mickey has cut herself off from any community, which only serves to increase her discomfort and isolate Thomas, who craves playing with kids his own age. Even Truman, who has one of the strongest bonds with Mickey, isn’t on speaking terms with her because she didn’t visit him after he was injured in the line of duty. Truman is patient with Mickey because he’s spent enough time with her to understand the trauma she’s endured, but he’s also hurt by the idea that he can’t gain her trust. Mickey’s not ready to let her guard down, but in the effort to catch the killer before Kacey is hurt, the single mother must put her fragile faith in others.
Amanda Seyfried Adds Emotional Weight to the Mystery of ‘Long Bright River’
Seyfried’s arresting performance as Mickey has earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film, and rightfully so. When Long Bright River drifts into some melodramatic territory with later reveals, Seyfried’s pained turn keeps the series from resembling a gritty take on a soap opera. Mickey carries an unbelievably heavy load of responsibility on her shoulders, and through the subtle mannerisms of Seyfried, the audience understands the toll it takes on her. The non-verbal aspects of Mickey are where Seyfried shines the most clearly, where her thoughtful expressions embody an aura of intelligence with a listless and lost spirit.
The supporting cast plays a vital part in Mickey’s journey while also contributing to the authentic world of Long Bright River. Cummings might not get the most time on screen as Kacey, but she leaves a lasting impression in her scenes, delivering a performance that sees the character battle the shame of the past while grasping at the dignity required to take positive steps forward. Pinnock is also a standout as Truman, one of the few reliably friendly faces for Mickey to rely on — even when she can’t bring herself to fully let her guard down around him.
A compelling and somber crime thriller that will make a great addition to a stacked Peacock library, Long Bright River takes the familiar beats of a procedural and subverts the viewer’s expectations by allowing the emotionally rich and complex characters of the story to make mistakes and learn from them. No character is perfect, but in the face of a tragedy, they can take the opportunity to show humility and repair relationships that seemed broken beyond repair. It’s in these personal struggles — the private victories and failures of Mickey and her slowly expanding inner circle — that Long Bright River is at its best and deserves a spot on every watch list.
- Release Date
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2025 – 2025
- Network
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Peacock
- Directors
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Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Hagar Ben-Asher, Jessica Yu, Mona Fastvold
- Writers
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Alexandra McNally
