The River (American TV series)
A search for a missing explorer in the Amazon.
The River, an American found-footage supernatural horror series, aired eight episodes on ABC from February 7 to March 20, 2012, as a mid-season replacement. ABC canceled the show after one season. Netflix later considered but declined to continue the series.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action
- Adventure
- Horror
- Composer
- Graeme Revell
- Creator
- Oren Peli, Michael R. Perry
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 8
- Executive producers
- Oren Peli
- Jason Blum
- Steven Schneider
- Darryl Frank
- Justin Falvey
- Zack Estrin
- Michael Green
- Steven Spielberg
Facts from the source article.
Synopsis
Famed explorer Dr. Emmet Cole vanished while searching for "magic" in the Amazon basin. Six months later, his emergency beacon activates, prompting his wife Tess and son Lincoln to mount a rescue. To fund the mission, they allow Cole's ex-producer Clark to film the search documentary-style. The crew includes the missing cameraman's daughter Lena, mechanic Emilio, and security captain Kurt.
Production
Oren Peli and Michael R. Perry created the series, which follows a documentary crew hunting for a missing scientist-explorer. Peli noted that producer Steven Schneider was fascinated by the idea of nature turning against humans, and Peli himself had the initial concept of a lost reporter in a rainforest where odd events occur. After meeting Steven Spielberg, who recommended a TV format, Perry argued the premise was better suited for a series, with each season exploring a new location. ABC secured the project in a September 2010 bidding war with NBC. Following a February 2011 rewrite by Michael Green, the pilot was approved, and by May 2011, ABC ordered eight episodes for a mid-season debut. The pilot was shot in Puerto Rico, while the remaining episodes were filmed in Hawaii.
Release
The River first aired on ABC and CTV in the U.S. and Canada on February 7, 2012. It debuted on DStv in South Africa on February 21, 2012, and on STAR World in India on March 3, 2012. In the UK, the series launched on iTunes on February 8, 2012, before airing on Syfy from October 9, 2012. The complete first season, with all eight episodes, deleted scenes, and audio commentaries, was released on DVD by ABC and DreamWorks/Amblin on May 22, 2012.
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 63% approval rating based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10, and the critical consensus calls it a moderately scary and clever supernatural thriller despite a gimmicky premise. Metacritic gives a score of 65/100 from 29 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. Matt Roush of TV Guide described it as a terrifying heart-stopper, while Robert Bianco of USA Today noted a strong cast and effective shooting style. Mike Hale of The New York Times criticized the mixture of Lost storytelling and Paranormal Activity style as neither intriguing nor scary.
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