Tag: Ashleigh Cummings

Spoiler-Free Review of “Long Bright River” on Peacock: Amanda Seyfried Stars in this Emotional Crime Mystery Series

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“Every single one of your actions is a choice…”

Long Bright River premiered on Peacock on March 13th 2025 with all eight episodes available to stream now. The limited crime drama series (based on the novel of the same name) stars Amanda Seyfried, Nicholas Pinnock, Ashleigh Cummings, and John Doman. Each episode runs for approximately 50-53 minutes.

When a series of murders involving young women occur in Philadelphia, a cop named Mickey suspects that there may be a connection to her own sister’s disappearance, leading her down a dangerous path to discover the truth.

Here is the trailer:


Long Bright River is very similar to Mare of Easttown with an emotional mystery at its core and a strong female lead. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Peacock

A layered mystery with emotional connections.

I thought the core mystery here was a solid one. I was invested more because of the believable bond between these sisters. Their relationship was far from perfect, but it made it more realistic and I truly felt Amanda Seyfried’s desperate struggle to find out the truth. I was engrossed until the very end and I thought the final reveal was a good one that kept me guessing.

Images courtesy of Peacock

Amanda Seyfried gives a note-worthy performance.

She’s the main reason why I tuned into this particular series and I thought she carried it in so many ways. She was believable, compelling, and very interesting to watch on screen. Her character was flawed in a lot of ways, but Seyfried clearly understood that with her portrayal.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Peacock

Draining at times.

The episodes here were a little too long for my liking. The first two episodes felt extremely sluggish, but thankfully things turned around by the time I got to episode 3.

I also think this series tried to cover too much. This often happens when series attempt to bring over as many details as possible from a book, but I think it took away slightly from the main mystery, which was interesting enough on its own.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Peacock

I’m in about 75 percent…

Long Bright River is an emotional, gripping crime series with a solid performance by Amanda Seyfried.

There were some pacing issues to deal with, but I think the series got better and better with each episode.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Long Bright River in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A VACATION TO DIE FOR…

Blood Rose Island Ad

When sisters, Nina and Gemma are vacationing in Hawaii with their friends, they get invited to an exclusive party on a private island that seems too good to be true. There’s only one rule…they can’t miss their ferry at midnight or they’ll have to wait until morning to leave the island. Only they didn’t realize that breaking this rule meant they would be hunted down on the island one by one.

Who will make it off the island alive?

I hope you enjoy my island thriller!

Blood Rose Island is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “NOS4A2” on AMC: A Faint Spark Glimmering in the midst of all the Backstory

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“There are people in this world with abilities.”  Based on the book of the same name by Joe Hill, NOS4A2 follows Vic McQueen, who discovers an old bridge that will take her and her motorcycle anywhere in the world to find lost things.  We are also introduced to the villain, Charlie Manx, who kidnaps young lonely children, promising to drive them off to Christmasland, but visions of sugarplums have been replaced with nightmares of darkness, as he attempts to essentially drain the life force of the children to maintain his own youthful appearance.  While it appears that he is a vampire, there is definitely some mystery surrounding him and we have a lot left to discover.

NOS4A2 is available to watch on AMC and season one features 10 episodes.  The pilot premiered on June 2nd 2019.  The show stars Ashleigh Cummings, Zachary Quinto, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Virginia Kull, and Jahkara Smith.  We are immediately introduced to the villain, Charlie Manx, who appears to be a creepy old man waiting in a car, but we quickly learn that he is extremely dangerous and is in the business of stealing children, luring them with promises of candy canes and Christmas forever.

The Pros:

Nos4a2 6
Image courtesy of AMC

The acting is convincing and the characters draw you in.

I’m already a huge fan of Zachary Quinto’s work and he does not disappoint in this series, fully embracing the role of the villain.  Even with all the makeup, Quinto makes this creepy old man seem beyond twisted.  I was also pleasantly surprised and entertained by Ashleigh Cummings, who plays our main protagonist, Vic.  The performances are real and compelling and both of these characters appear to have a lot of layers for us to peel back and discover.  In addition, I was intrigued by the character of Maggie, played by Jahkara Smith, who appears to be some kind of psychic librarian, using scrabble pieces to discover clues.  Sounds like a pretty cool ability to me.

The first ten minutes and the last ten minutes give us a glimmer of potential.

I thought that the opening and closing of the season premiere was mysterious and creepy.  I wanted this vibe to continue for the rest of the premiere, but I’m hoping that this glimmer of hope can somehow translate into the remaining episodes, as this show has the potential to be something truly dark and unique.

The Cons:

Nos4a2 5
Image courtesy of AMC

Too much backstory all at once.

While I have not yet read Joe Hill’s novel, the show gave us way too much backstory for a season premiere, which made the pilot seem heavy and boring.  I understand the need to introduce us to these characters, but perhaps Vic’s backstory could have been sprinkled over all of the episodes instead, while introducing us to her interesting abilities.  Also, we barely get to see the villain in the episode and I feel like the time could have been divided up a little bit better to fully capture our attention.

Slow paced premiere.

In addition to the excessive backstory, there was just a really slow paced feel after the opening minutes of the premiere, which initially drew me in.  There are a lot of elements to be discovered here, but I just felt like there was way too much fluff for the majority of the episode and I found myself tuning out quite a bit, which is not a great sign for a season premiere.

So am I in or out? 

Nos4a2 4
Image courtesy of AMC

As of right now, I am on my way out, but I give all shows three episodes to change my mind.  There are some redeeming qualities here and the world of Joe Hill seems intriguing, introducing us to some Stephen King like elements that could be genuinely terrifying and different.  However, the pace of the show needs to pick up and we need to scratch the excessive backstory and focus on the journey ahead across the mysterious bridge.  I’m ready to lose myself, but I need much more in order to do so.  Fingers crossed that the next episodes can capture my full attention!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on NOS4A2 in the comments section below.  Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

**Goodreads Giveaway currently going on for Book Two, Embracing the Looking-Glass (100 copies available) from 5/29/19-6/21/19 Enter Goodreads Giveaway Here!

Do you love television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Once Upon a Time, Lost, Charmed, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural?  Do you enjoy dark fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, paranormal romance, horror, and mystery?  Then you may like my book series, Dreaming of Wonderland…available on Amazon!  Thank you for taking the time to check it out and I appreciate any feedback as well.  I really hope you enjoy!

The Dreaming of Wonderland Book Series is available here!

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Do you love horror series?  Of course you do!  Please also check out 12 Nights of Horror Series Coming Soon.  It’s your home for everything you need to know about new and returning horror television series including new trailers, premiere dates, reviews, recaps, and renewals!