The River (American TV series) explained

Composer:Graeme Revell
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:8
Cinematography:John Leonetti
Runtime:43 minutes
Network:ABC

The River is a 2012 American found-footage supernatural action horror television series that ran from February 7, 2012 to March 20, 2012, on ABC.[1] Broadcast as a mid-season replacement, the first season has eight episodes.[2] Despite generally favorable reviews, The River had sub-par ratings.[3]

On May 11, 2012, ABC canceled the series after one season. After that, Netflix was in talks with ABC Studios about possibly continuing the series on its video-on-demand digital distribution service,[4] though they ultimately passed.[5]

Synopsis

Famed explorer Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) went looking for "magic" deep in the uncharted Amazon basin and never returned. The shocking truth about his disappearance is out there, somewhere, just waiting to be discovered. To the millions of children who grew up watching his nature show, Dr. Cole was a hero. To his own son, Lincoln (Joe Anderson), he was more of an enigma. Now, six months after he vanished, Lincoln is finally ready to bury the past when Dr. Cole's emergency beacon suddenly goes off. At the urging of his mother, Tess (Leslie Hope), Lincoln reluctantly joins her on a search for his father. To fund the rescue, they agree to let Dr. Cole's cagey ex-producer, Clark (Paul Blackthorne), film the mission documentary-style. The mixed crew of old friends and new acquaintances includes the missing cameraman's daughter, Lena Landry (Eloise Mumford), ship's mechanic Emilio Valenzuela (Daniel Zacapa), and private security bodyguard Captain Kurt Brynildson (Thomas Kretschmann).

Cast and characters

Main

Guest

Production

Oren Peli and Michael R. Perry created the series about a documentary crew searching the Amazon for a beloved scientist-explorer-television host. Peli told The Hollywood Reporter that producer Steven Schneider "became obsessed with this idea of nature run [amok] and animals taking over humans." Peli stated, "I started developing the idea of a missing documentary reporter who went to this weird place in the rainforest where strange things would happen". He added, "We were developing it as a low budget movie, but ... I had a meeting with Steven Spielberg". Spielberg suggested doing a television show with Peli. Perry added his thoughts, saying, "Why waste [the idea for ''The River''] on a movie, when you can do a TV show where every season they go to a different place". Then, they pitched the whole pilot to Spielberg.[6] In September 2010, ABC won a bidding war against NBC for the rights to the project.[7] [8] In February 2011, after a re-write by Michael Green, ABC green-lit the production of the pilot. In May 2011, ABC committed to produce eight episodes, announcing that the show would premiere in the 2011–12 mid-season.[9]

The pilot episode was filmed in Puerto Rico and the next seven episodes were produced in Hawaii.[10]

Release

The River premiered in the U.S. and Canada (on CTV) on February 7, 2012. The series aired in South Africa on DStv on February 21, 2012. In India the series started airing on STAR World on March 3, 2012.

In the United Kingdom the series has been picked up by Syfy on October 9, 2012 after being premiered on iTunes on February 8, 2012.[11]

On May 22, 2012, ABC and DreamWorks/Amblin released the first season of The River in DVD format on to the United States and its territories, Canada, and Bermuda. Entitled "The River – The Complete First Season", the package includes all eight episodes in their entirety and features deleted scenes and episode audio commentaries.[12]

Broadcast

The River premiered in the U.S. and Canada (on CTV) on February 7, 2012. The series aired in South Africa on DStv on February 21, 2012. In the United Kingdom the series was not initially picked up by a traditional broadcaster and instead premiered on iTunes on February 8, 2012.[11] However, Syfy announced that it would air The River starting October 9, 2012 at 10pm.

Critical reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an overall approval rating of 63% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Despite its gimmicky premise and occasionally silly storylines, The River is a moderately scary and clever supernatural thriller."[13] The show holds a 65/100 on Metacritic, based on reviews from 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14] Matt Roush of TV Guide called the show "a terrifying heart-stopper, a cleverly cinematic supernatural adventure that takes us on a wild ride into an exotic heart of darkness."[15] USA Todays Robert Bianco stated, "There are moments when The River, with its curse-around-every-corner setup, threatens to topple over into farce. But a strong cast and that things-that-go-bump-in-the-night shooting style so far keep the show on course".[16] However, Mike Hale of The New York Times rated the show poorly, saying "The mixture of Lost storytelling and Paranormal Activity style is neither intriguing nor particularly scary, and it doesn't help that there's hardly a glimmer of humor".[17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ABC Mid-Season Premieres: 'GCB', 'The River,' 'Missing,' "Work It,' 'Shark Tank,' 'Wipeout,' 'Celebrity Wife Swap,' 'Dancing With The Stars' . https://web.archive.org/web/20111120173323/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/11/18/abc-mid-season-premieres-gcb-takes-pan-am-slot-man-up-canceled-the-river-to-tuesday-missing-on-thursday/111220/ . dead . November 20, 2011 . Gorman . Bill . November 18, 2011 . TVbytheNumbers . November 29, 2011.
  2. Web site: Networks Put in Short Orders for Next Season . Schneider . Michael . July 8, 2011 . . July 11, 2011.
  3. Web site: Updated (3): 'Don't Trust The B in Apt 23,' 'Scandal' Renewed by ABC for Second Seasons; 'GCB' Canceled – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers . https://web.archive.org/web/20120514003404/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/05/11/scandal-renewed-by-abc-for-a-second-season/133523/ . dead . 2012-05-14 . Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com . 2012-05-12.
  4. Web site: Netflix Eyes ABC Drama Series 'The River'. Nellie . Andreeva . March 22, 2012 . March 25, 2012.
  5. Web site: Will 'Pan Am' Take Flight With Amazon?. Nellie . Andreeva . May 23, 2012 . June 22, 2012.
  6. Web site: 'Paranormal Activity's' Oren Peli on Scares, Spielberg and 'The River's' Pricey Pilot (Q&A). February 6, 2012. Rose. Lacey. The Hollywood Reporter. February 21, 2012.
  7. Web site: ABC Takes To 'The River' With 'Paranormal Activity' Filmmaker Oren Peli. September 2, 2010. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. August 10, 2011.
  8. Web site: UPDATE: ABC Loads Heavy Drama Guns, Orders Pilots From Marc Cherry, Oren Peli, Darren Star, 'Twilight' Producers, Mark Gordon And 'Lost' Alums. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. February 1, 2011. August 10, 2011.
  9. Web site: ABC Unveils Fall Primetime Schedule for 2011–12 Season. May 17, 2011. The Futon Critic. July 17, 2011.
  10. News: Mark . Steven . ABC to move 'The River' filming to isles . June 3, 2011 . Honolulu Star-Advertiser . 2011-08-24.
  11. Web site: The River To Get Its UK Premiere On iTunes . TVWise . Patrick . Munn . February 1, 2012 . February 1, 2012 . February 10, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120210050039/http://www.tvwise.co.uk/2012/02/the-river-to-get-its-uk-premiere-on-itunes/ . dead .
  12. Web site: The River - 'The Complete 1st Season' DVDs for this Mysterious DreamWorks/Amblin Show. TVShowsonDVD.com. Lambert. David. March 5, 2012. March 6, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120307025921/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/River-Season-1/16611. March 7, 2012. mdy-all.
  13. Web site: The River: Season 1 (2012) . December 20, 2022 . Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media.
  14. https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-river/season-1 The River: Season 1
  15. News: Tuesday TV in Review: A Thrill Ride Down ABC's River, Justified, Southland . TV Guide. February 7, 2012. Roush, Matt. February 22, 2012.
  16. News: Ride 'The River' if fright floats your boat . USA Today. February 6, 2012. Bianco, Robert. February 22, 2012.
  17. News: Rescuers, Cameras and Guide Are Jittery . The New York Times. February 6, 2012. Hale, Mike. February 22, 2012.