ITVX’s River, the 6-part detective thriller that premiered September 25, 2025, has plunged viewers into a vortex of betrayals and buried secrets so twist-filled, fans are bingeing it in one night and spiraling for weeks, calling it “better than Dept. Q,” “more intense than Broadchurch,” and “the most haunting crime drama in years.” Created by Abi Morgan (The Hour) and directed by The Missing‘s Kate Dolan, the series—filmed in London’s fogged alleys from January to July 2025—stars Nicola Walker as DS John River, a haunted homicide cop whose probe into a singer’s “suicide” dredges up his own demons, from a partner’s unsolved slaying to a lover’s lost trust. “It’s Broadchurch’s heart with Line of Duty’s edge – darker, more addictive,” Morgan tells Radio Times, her script a scalpel slicing through the “gripping” opacity of urban shadows.
The saga’s sinister surge? Spellbinding: Episode 1’s “River’s Reflection” thrusts John into the fray, a lounge singer’s “overdose” with a locket etched “Sing for Me,” pulling him into a conspiracy where colleagues conceal crimes and lyrics lie. Walker’s River? A “masterclass in menace,” her wry wit warping to weary watchfulness, unraveling a ripple of regrets where a bandmate’s “accident” surfaces as sabotage. Co-stars carve the chaos: Siobhan Finneran as the “suspicious superior” with a sting, Tom Burke as the “haunted handler” with a grudge, and Indira Varma as the “calculating” confidant with secrets. Morgan’s script quivers with quips – “Rivers run deep, but secrets run darker” – but the “brutal” brutality bites: A botched backstage burial buries a body, a VVIP viper’s venom turns ally to assassin.
The “sharper than Shetland”? Seismic: Morgan’s adaptation amps the “pacy” probe with “spooky” soundscapes and “authentic” accents, Dolan’s direction a “gripping” gasp of “grim themes” in London’s “eerie charm.” The Guardian‘s Lucy Mangan raves “very well-made, pacy drama” with Walker’s “reliably likeable” levity; The Independent‘s Ed Power hails Finneran’s “Icily Glamorous” iciness and the “understated and spooky” score. Evening Standard‘s Vicky Jessop praises the “overall confidence, style and authenticity.” Skeptics? “Mired in melancholy,” but the 1-in-2 clue-to-cliff ratio hooks, BARB metrics outgunning The Jetty.
This isn’t whodunit wallpaper; it’s a web-weaving whirlwind, River‘s river a requiem for the righteous where waters wash away the wicked. River’s resolve? Relentless. The secrets’ sting? Sinister. September 25? Not a drop – a deluge. Binge it; the reflections ripple, the revelations rend. Walker’s wit? Wry, winning. The obsession? Overnight, inescapable.
