The River

:

Season 1
  • Network: ABC
  • Series Premiere Date: Feb 7, 2012
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
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Critic Reviews

  1. The Huffington Post
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    Feb 7, 2012
    60
    The River isn't terrible, and it actually has some effective elements, but it's fairly indicative of ABC's post-"Lost" flailing.
  2. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Feb 6, 2012
    58
    The River still has a quirkily eccentric charm. It's just so deliciously odd.
  3. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Feb 6, 2012
    58
    The River in comparison seems like stale tap water, unworthy of any prolonged big drink of time or effort.
  5. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Feb 17, 2012
    50
    It's reasonably clever and well acted and has strong atmosphere and a few good scares, and the concept--a found-footage voyage into the Amazon to locate a mysteriously MIA scientist--is catchy. But the format of the show may prove a dealbreaker for me.
  6. Denver Post
    Reviewed by: Joanne Ostrow
    Feb 7, 2012
    50
    Depending on your tolerance, it's either a ridiculous presentation best suited to a drinking game (take a gulp every time the screen goes black), or a paranormal adventure that owes everything to "Lost."
  7. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    Feb 7, 2012
    50
    The makers of the "River" deserve credit for spilling so much of their "X-Files" myth-ology from the start, but there's not enough reason to book passage on this voyage of the bland.
  8. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Lori Rackl
    Feb 6, 2012
    50
    After swimming in its silliness for two hours, I can only say The River goes downhill fast.
  9. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Feb 6, 2012
    50
    The performances are adequate, but in many cases, the cast deserves credit for having to enliven trite, stock situations.
  10. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    Feb 7, 2012
    40
    Although it has some nice moves and the occasional tense moment, the show's visual allure quickly leads to aggravation.
  11. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Feb 7, 2012
    40
    All these characters seem modestly interesting, but none, at least on first acquaintance, feel compelling. Nor are we drawn into their quest.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Mike Hale
    Feb 6, 2012
    40
    The mixture of "Lost" storytelling and "Paranormal" style is neither intriguing nor particularly scary, and it doesn't help that there's hardly a glimmer of humor.

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Best TV Season of 2012
17
#17 Most Discussed TV Season of 2012
86
#86 Most Shared TV Season of 2012

User Reviews

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User Score
6.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 91 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 91
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 91
  3. Negative: 22 out of 91
  1. shooter17
    Feb 8, 2012
    1
    Couldn't watch more than 30 minutes of this show before I got bored, acting was mediocre, story line was even worse. I watched toward the endCouldn't watch more than 30 minutes of this show before I got bored, acting was mediocre, story line was even worse. I watched toward the end of the 2 hr premiere to see if it got better, it didn't. This is awful. I don't understand the difference of ratings between the users and the critics...maybe the critics are afraid of Spielberg.… Full Review »
  2. Pathogen
    Feb 8, 2012
    3
    One of the worst premiers I've seen lately. The Blair Witch style camera-work is pushed to an extreme, often being very difficult to watch.One of the worst premiers I've seen lately. The Blair Witch style camera-work is pushed to an extreme, often being very difficult to watch. Every time something interesting happens, the camera is dropped and you get to watch shadows running around. The audio is very muffled, the actors mumble, and there are so many *thick* British and Austrailian accents it's almost unwatchable without subtitles. Further - No one speaks Portuguese! Even deep in the Amazon - All of the foreign parts are in Spanish. Pathetic.

    Episode 2 had an interesting storyline, but most of the dialog is missed due to the horrible audio. None of the characters are very compelling, and it's almost laughable how easily (2 minute conversation?) everyone just believes everything odd happening around them is due to "magic". Another floater that won't make it past one season.    … Full Review »
  3. Posternutbag
    Feb 8, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. I'd have to say it is not what I expected. I actually fell asleep towards the end of both episodes but tried to stay awake hoping it would get better. The way the characters acted after each encounter with a supernatural entity was like "oh, we just lost a cameraman to a ghost, let's push on, I see ghosts everyday". There was no real fear in any of the people like there is in paranormal activity, which made that movie truly frightening. With paranormal activity, the actors were truly stressed and frightened and freaking out after encountering a ghost, and the audience felt their anxiety. Nope, not with the cast in the River. It was like, hey, my mom just got sucked into a river and then emerged from the ground at a grave site, lets just pretend that didn't happen and film us a good t.v. show!........ridiculous.… Full Review »
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