The. Best. TV. Detective show/short drama. Ever. Stunning script. Flawless, moving acting, beautiful cinematography. Humour and heartbreak. Exceptional. Nothing else comes close. Watch it. Then watch it again

This mini series reaches a level of perfection not often found on modern television, let alone in six episodes. The acting is superb, particularly from the star, Stellan Scarsgård, who plays the title character River. He uses restraint that occasionally bursts through his usual reserve. The writing is glorious and creative with a big twist you don't expect. Again Scarsgård could've held court alone and with the writing and cinematography backing him up. But the terrific supporting cast adds an entirely new dimension to River the show and character. There's plenty of action to please those that need it. Yet it transcends your run of the mill detective show to please the biggest tv snob! I hope we'll see River again soon. Thank you Netflix for bringing this beauty to us across the pond!

I honestly disliked every moment of this mini-series and sincerely regretted the time I spent watching it. That said, once I start something I have to finish it, so I watched every episode, hoping for a climax that never came.The plot was very slow to develop, and because of this every episode felt like a drag and never gripped me - the same applies to the subplot. The depressing overtones only made the show even less enjoyable to watch, and the character development never felt interesting; River just got more bizarre and Stevie's story played out somewhat predictably. I wasn't impressed by the acting either; Skarsgård's performance lacked emotion and Walker was just plain irritating throughout. The idea that an obviously burnt-out psychotic police officer would be allowed to roam the streets obliviously talking to himself and attacking people, let alone handle an investigation into the murder of his partner, is quite frankly ludicrous. On top of this, the "manifestation" scenes were so poorly acted out that I almost gave up on the show within the first few episodes. I wish I had.While I liked the twist, I felt like it wasn't written out and portrayed well enough to be thrilling and interesting. It kind of felt like, "oh, was that it?", but I have no doubt that if this was depicted differently or with different actors it would been shocking and gripping.The conclusion of everything was wholly unfulfilling and lacked meaning.

This series took me three episodes before it sunk in. The first two episodes teetered between M. Night Shyamalan ridiculousness and Terrence Malick pompous creepiness. Episode three cuts back on the silly voice overs and laughable conversations with dead people, giving this series some serious mojo. Combine that with some top notch writing, stellar acting from Skarsgård and crisp direction and you have an intriguing and engrossing show. But best of all, Manville's strong but vulnerable boss illuminates the series with some revelatory chops that make everything seem more real and more involving with every show. By the conclusion, I was hooked and wanting more. Television shows don't get much more substantive than this.