This series has a great benchmark - British production together with a male lead coming from Sweden... So it should be a good mix of British/Scandinavian film noir, with a distinguishable angle - in the form Nicola Walker as DS Jackie "Stevie" Stevenson - but the overall plot and crime-related events are too much subject to mental issues of DI John River (otherwise solidly performed by Stellan Skarsgård). All this accentuates the gloomy mood and enhances tense, but diminishes realism as one could hardly imagine a policeman with such a state in mind continually active in service...
So the promising beginning faded more or less into a psychological horror where the criminal investigation receded into the background too much. The ending solution was a bit far-fetched as well, although no minus points for this from me as I did not guess who the real wrongdoer was.
However, in spite of Mr Skarsgård's great efforts, the series in question is more like Bosch rather than Broadchurch or What remains, for example. But I can easily imagine that River has and will have its loyal and admiring audience.
So the promising beginning faded more or less into a psychological horror where the criminal investigation receded into the background too much. The ending solution was a bit far-fetched as well, although no minus points for this from me as I did not guess who the real wrongdoer was.
However, in spite of Mr Skarsgård's great efforts, the series in question is more like Bosch rather than Broadchurch or What remains, for example. But I can easily imagine that River has and will have its loyal and admiring audience.