The River: The Complete First Season

A Network Television Excursion Into The Horror Genre: Love It Or Hate It, But At Least It's Different
In the primetime TV landscape, the usual program options have become increasingly formulaic, predictable and safe. With more than half of all network dramas being variations on the crime procedural, something that bucks the trend really has the potential to stand out. Even riskier is trying to adapt a horror offering within the strictures of regular TV in an era when audiences seem to clamor for more explicit and graphic thrills (see FX's delightfully loopy and crazed American Horror Story for something that really pushes the boundaries of conventional fare as it has much more freedom on cable). So I commend ABC executives for greenlighting the interesting eight-part experiment by filmmaker Oren Peli (who made a name for himself with Paranormal Activity). He shares the creator credit for this show with Michael R. Perry (he was also a writer on Paranormal Activity 2), a TV veteran who has dabbled in the horror genre before penning episodes of the underrated and short-lived...

Suspensful, intriguing and different
Don't believe the negative reviews. This is a suspensful series that needs to be explored in more depth. There is nothing out there like The River, including Lost, which I was a huge fan. I hope this series is picked up by another network that is willing to give it more time to develope.

for fans of lovecraft and other influences.
look i get that this show is familiar. but what i find the most intersting about this show is it's use of tropes in new ways. the best thing to me about this show is that it's typical horror t.v. monster of the week use doesn't preclude the progress of the search. it all has connection and keeps your interest. some eps. are better than others but the adult reaction with the colorful language and behavior for me makes this one of the better shows on t.v. i especially enjoy the relationships of the characters. this show keeps the viewers interest and to me it's better than celebrated shows like american horror and walking dead. why? because it seems to be less using the form of the genre while respecting the predicesors of horror. kind of in the way battlestar galactica did in the early millineum. i recomend this show for watchers looking for more depth in their scfi. especially if you are a reader of lovecraft and alan moores swamp thing - american gothic. it's everywhere if you open...

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