Over 10 years ago, the nation was hooked by a BBC crime drama.
Six-part series titled River has remained highly popular over the years and was later released on Netflix and now available to watch for free on ITVX.
It follows the life of Detective Inspector John River (Stellan Skarsgård), who is haunted by the murder of his friend and colleague DS Jackie “Stevie” Stevenson (Nicola Walker).
While investigating her death, River has to try to hide his mental health decline from his superiors in order not to get dismissed from the force.
A synopsis for River reads: “The stages of his grief mark River’s growing bonds with those he has excluded from his heart and his mind, and when a murder suspect jumps to his death whilst being pursued by River, the pressure and scrutiny that surrounds him escalates fast.
View 4 ImagesStellan Skarsgård and Nicola Walker in BBC’s River(Image: BBC)
“As the investigation into Stevie’s murder begins to reveal her deepest secrets, River has to question everything he thought he knew about his one true friend. Their relationship might have survived her death, but can it survive the truth of who she really was in life?”
Since the show first aired, people have highly praised the crime drama, with many comparing it to the likes of Unforgotten, Broadchurch and The Wire.
One person said, “Blew me away, you know if Netflix presents it, it must be good. wrong. It’s incredible. the most original detective story I’ve come across thus far.”
View 4 ImagesThe BBC series was first released in 2015(Image: BBC)
Another added: “Pure Cinema, even if it is a ‘TV’ show. The new wave of cinema seems to be TV, and Netflix is the new HBO, for better and worse. River, is everything True Detective should have been but didn’t have the strength to achieve. River is the Netflix equivalent of The Wire.”
Someone else wrote: “The impact of this show is astonishing. Boy, did this show take me by surprise. All I can say is don’t miss it. It’s so much more than a detective series, and Stellan Skarsgård gives a performance that will take your breath away. Nicola Walker is, of course, magnificent as well.”
While one person commented, “What a gem! So glad I found this. Genuine masterpiece. Acting is believable and tender. The plot is complicated but not unbelievable.”
View 4 ImagesStellan Skarsgård would reprise his role as DI River(Image: BBC)
Although there has only been one series of the show, Nicola Walker once told Good Housekeeping that Stellan Skarsgård would be keen at reprising his role as DI River.
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However, the only way he’d be up for filming more episodes of River was if award-winning writer Abi Morgan was at the helm once again.
The same can’t be said for Nicola, who seems to be happy with the six-episode conclusion as she commented: “I kind of like that it was a really good story well told, a one-off six episodes. Not everything has to be returned to. It’s one of my favourite things that I’ve ever been involved in.”
All episodes of River are available to watch on ITVX