While waiting for several series I enjoy to finish their current seasons (I like to binge), I needed something to divert me in the interim. After perusing the interwebs for suggestions, I landed on a British miniseries from 2015 called River, created and written by playwright Abi Morgan. The first thing that caught my attention about it was its star, Stellan Skarsgård, but then I got to reading some reviews and bam, I immediately knew I had my next show. Boy did I pick well, as River ranks right up there with the best British TV series that I’ve ever seen. Co-produced by the BBC and Netflix, and available on the latter, this is one you should watch if you haven’t yet. A word of caution, though, it’s a slow burn, but a beautifully done slow burn.

After DI John River (Stellan Skarsgård) witnesses the murder of his partner, DS Jackie “Stevie” Stevenson (Nicola Walker), he sets out to find her killer. The problem is, River suffers from a serious mental illness that causes him to hallucinate, seeing manifestations of the deceased, including Stevie. River’s boss, DCI Chrissie Reed (Lesley Manville), does what she can to keep her brilliant but defective detective on Stevie’s case, whereas her superior seeks to remove him. All the while, River struggles to come to terms with the loss of his partner, who may have meant more to him than anybody realized. In the end, we viewers experience a deep dive into Stevie’s murder and River’s psyche, and it’s a harrowing but thoroughly rewarding viewing experience.

What Abi Morgan accomplished with her teleplays for River is nothing short of superb. Stevie’s murder investigation plays out gradually over the six episodes, allowing each progressive reveal to be digested and dissected before moving on to the next one. Every clue receives its own examination, each of which leading to River discovering something new about his partner, about whom he thought he knew everything. Morgan’s scripting deftly captures how taxing this process is for her protagonist, cleverly using each step in the investigation as a moment to pause and analyze how love and loss are equally difficult for someone like River to process. Because of these difficulties, River seeks help from a police psychologist, Rosa Fallows (Georgina Rich), and the scenes with these two delve even deeper into his broken mind. The end result is that each episode has one or more deeply affecting moments that demonstrate the showrunner’s comprehensive grasp of human emotions.

Of course, none of these emotions would be conveyed if it weren’t for the top-tier efforts of the cast, especially Stellan Skarsgård. John River is undoubtedly the most challenging role that I’ve seen in quite a while, and Skarsgård still manages to master it. My favorite thing about River is that he isn’t a hard-boiled cop or anything we’re used to seeing. Instead, he’s equal parts dull and engaging, competent and unreliable, accommodating and obstinate. Skarsgård sells all of these traits and more. River also has a potentially dangerous dark side, which is intimated by his ongoing visions of and discussions with serial killer Thomas Neill Cream, played menacingly by Eddie Marsan (a scene stealer). But, simultaneously, River is kind and empathetic, in a way few detectives have ever been presented. River certainly feels like a police show written by a woman, and I mean that in the most complimentary of ways. And Skarsgård, well, he’s the perfect casting. I’m not being hyperbolic; he really is perfect. He’s always been a terrific actor, but this is probably his best work.

That said, I would be remiss not to mention the incredible performances from the women of this series. Even though she’s merely a figment of River’s imagination, Stevie is an amazing character. Nicola Walker, who I was unfamiliar with but now endeavor to see more of, is pure gold in every scene she’s in. Her chemistry with Skarsgård is very convincing, often leading to heartbreaking and/or humorous moments between their respective characters. Equally impressive is Lesley Manville, whose role as River’s boss expands well beyond merely that as the miniseries progresses. Personally, I’ve only ever seen Manville play angrier women, so it was nice watching her sink her teeth into something less one-note. She’s so good, and she has some of the best dialogue in the entire series when River confronts her and asks, “Where’s your balls?!” Trust me, her response is glorious, as is so much of Manville’s performance, which alone makes this show worth watching.

Nevertheless, River isn’t without its faults, though you have to really squint to spot them. For one, this series is just a bit too clean, which likely comes down to it being a BBC production. British detective shows tend to not push the envelope in terms of violence and profanity, and that’s certainly the case here. Then again, this complaint is more of a personal preference, and even so, I readily acknowledge that it barely affected this series. Also, there are a few moments that felt less organic and more contrived than they should in a production of this quality, but again, this is likely just more of my pedantry than anything else. Lastly, some of the subplots, especially involving River’s relationships with certain characters, feel unresolved after the finale. For instance, there was definitely more ground to cover with River and Rosa, or with River and his new partner Ira (Adeel Akhtar, who’s also top notch). I know it’s considered smart to leave your audience wanting more and all that, but apparently this was always meant to be a miniseries, so why do that? Gah, it’s frustrating!

My frustration in this regard is due to this series featuring some of the best character work and emotional nuance that I’ve ever seen on television. I feel I should make this point clear: River is not a cop show; it’s a show about complex people who happen to be cops. Thus, Abi Morgan rightly opts to emphasize themes of love (romantic and familial), loss, guilt, redemption, and so on more than the plot surrounding Stevie’s murder. If anything, that investigation is just the vessel through which the characters navigate the murky waters of their lives. In other words, the mystery side of River is, while weighty, secondary for the most part, and I expect that has bothered and will bother a lot of viewers who anticipate something more straightforward. I’ll admit, it bothered me at first, but then I opened myself up to what Morgan and the actors were doing, and I found myself growing perilously invested in characters I knew would be retired after six scant episodes. Again, it’s frustrating, but it’s also so damn good.

As I wrap up, I find myself already contemplating when I’ll rewatch River and scan for anything I missed. After all, there’s so much to take in, whether it’s the trickle of clues surrounding Stevie’s murder, the emotional subtleties of the characters, the mental strife afflicting the protagonist, or the stellar performances from the cast. Without a doubt, despite its few flaws and slow burn pace, River is one of the best British series that I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch. I know it was meant to be a one-and-done, and that continuing it might diminish it. Still, if you’re reading this, Abi Morgan, please conjure up another six (or sixty) episodes of River. I just finished it, and I already miss it like John does Stevie. 

If I had to score it, I’d give River a 9/10.