If you fell in love with Nicola Walker and her characters in Last Tango In Halifax, Unforgotten or The Split after devouring multiple seasons of the hit dramas, you won’t want to miss out on another one of the actor’s standout shows - River.
River is a six-part psychological crime drama which is now available to stream in full on ITVX, and has earned a near eight star rating on IMDb. Here’s everything you need to know about the show, and why it deserves a spot on your TV watchlist.
What is River about?
Set in London, River is a critically-acclaimed crime drama which centres around talented Detective Inspector John River (played by Stellan Skarsgard) who is dealing with the death of his close friend and colleague DS Jackie ‘Stevie’ Stevenson (Walker). Struggling with grief following Stevie’s murder and haunted by hallucinations of dead people, River attempts to track down a potential suspect with “tragic consequences”.
The show was created and written by Abi Morgan, who is also behind The Split and 2024 Netflix series Eric which stars Benedict Cumberbatch. She was also part of the screenwriting team for Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.
Who stars in River?
- Stellan Skarsgard plays DI John River
- Nicola Walker plays DS Jackie ‘Stevie’ Stevenson
- Adeel Akhtar plays DS Ira King
- Lesley Manville plays Chrissie Reed
- Eddie Marsan plays Thomas Cream
- Owen Teale plays Marcus McDonald
- Georgina Rich plays Rosa Fallows
- Michael Maloney plays Tom Reed
- Turlough Convery plays Frankie Stevenson
- Sorcha Cusack plays Bridie Stevenson
- Jim Norton plays Michael Bennigan
When did River first air on TV?
The drama originally aired on the BBC in 2015 before hitting Netflix later that year. It’s now available to binge-watch in full on ITVX.
What have viewers said about River?
On Reddit, viewers praised the show’s “outstanding” writing and cast performances.
“This is the best thing that I have seen this year. Outstanding writing, great execution. So many great understated performances by supporting characters.”
“This is definitely one of the better shows I've seen in a while. The plot unravels nicely, the story is engaging and has a lot of twists along with some action and tension. The cinematography is fantastic, the acting is on-point.”
“I found [it] by looking to see what else Nicola Walker was in since I was a big fan of hers from Last Tango in Halifax, Unforgotten and Annika. I loved it too, very gripping story and very touching performance by Stellan Skarsgard. I didn’t want it to end either!”
WATCH NOW River is available to stream in full on ITVX now.
