Spoilers below.
When Liz Moore’s Long Bright River was released in early 2020, the painful story of addiction and violence was an instant hit. The story of a Philadelphia police officer searching for a killer while coping with the disappearance of her sister, who is an addict, became a bestseller and was on President Obama’s list of favorite books. Five years later, Peacock has released an adaptation of the book co-written and co-executive produced by Moore. In the time that has passed, much has changed in our country, the drug epidemic, and the way we view policing, which is reflected in the series. But while there are changes between the book and the show, the essential story remains very much the same, likely due to the significant role that Moore played in creating it.
Long Bright River intricately teases out the story of Mickey (Amanda Seyfried) and Kacey (Ashleigh Cummings), sisters who grew up in a fractured family in Philadelphia. While Kacey deals with an addiction battle that begins in her teens, Mickey becomes a police officer in the Kensington neighborhood, which is hard hit by the opioid crisis. Her role lets her strictly distance herself from her sister’s troubles, but it also gives her the ability to keep an eye on Kacey. Mickey, the single mother to a young son, Thomas (Callum Vinson), begins investigating a serial killer who focuses on sex workers. She is searching for her sister at the same time.
At their center, both versions of Long Bright River are deeply committed to showing lives impacted by addiction and poverty with truth and grace. Below, we look at some of the key differences in way that the series and book tell that story.
The Case
In both the show and the book, Mickey and her partner, Eddie Lafferty (Dash Mihok), respond to the death of a woman who is believed to have overdosed. Mickey pushes for an investigation and is able to tie it to the alleged murders of other sex workers? She asks not to be partnered with Eddie, who is insensitive to the lives of the women in Kensington, and begins investigating the case independently of her squad, with help from her former partner Truman Dawes (Nicholas Pinnock). She becomes increasingly wary of her co-workers when an acquaintance who knows the dead women tells Mickey that she believes the killer is a cop. She eventually realizes that the killer is Eddie, her former partner.
But there are a few differences in the way that the case is shown. In the show, the women are killed with insulin, while in the book they were strangled. In the show, the police suspect the killer is a man named Sean Kelly, who Mickey once arrested for domestic abuse. The book has a similar character, but his name is Robert Mulvey, Jr.
Mickey’s Childhood
One of the most significant changes between the book and the movie concerns Mickey’s family. In the book, she and her sister were raised by their grandmother, Gee, after losing their parents. In the show, Gee (John Doman) is their grandfather. And while the book’s Gee is very remote and withholding, Mickey has a slightly strained but ultimately loving connection with grandfather Gee, who has a much larger presence in the story and in Thomas’s upbringing.
In both versions of Long Bright River, Mickey polices the Kensington neighborhood, which is a center of sex work and drug use. In the series, it’s where Mickey grew up, which gives her a natural understanding of the area. In the book, Mickey was raised in nearby Fishtown.
Mickey’s Son
The most important force in Mickey’s life is her son. In the novel, he turns four and is very much a young child who is not quite aware of why his father Simon (Matthew Del Negro) is no longer in his life. In the series, Thomas is eight. He has a much more developed personality and is more vocal about missing his father and the strain that comes from his mother’s career.
In both the series and the book, we learn that Thomas is the biological son of Kacey, who became pregnant when she was raped by Mickey’s boyfriend Simon, a predatory police officer who manipulated the sisters’ relationship. Thomas was in withdrawal when he was born and Mickey took advantage of Kacey to gain custody of him.
Mickey’s Love of Music
In the series, Mickey plays the English horn and music is always a part of her life. We see her performing as a child and later introducing Thomas to pieces like Faust. The composition becomes so much a part of Thomas’s life that he speaks about Faust in a voice over, tells his grandfather about him, and explains the story in school. None of this happens in the book.
Mickey’s Education
In the book, Mickey is encouraged to attend college. She is accepted at Temple University and St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia, but when her grandmother refuses to fill out the FAFSA forms that will allow her to get aid, Mickey joins the police instead.
In the series, Mickey goes to the University of Pennsylvania after graduation. In her first year, Kacey comes to visit her and overdoses in her dorm. After that, Mickey leaves school and Kacey is blamed for derailing her education.
Mickey’s Relationship with Truman
Mickey has a very close connection with Truman. In the series, Truman is more integrated into her family life than in the book and he spends more time with Thomas as he and Mickey investigate the murders. While the book has Mickey bear an awkward family Thanksgiving with extended family accompanied by only her son, the series has Truman come with her and help to ease some of the tension.
Mickey and Truman begin spending time together trying to find the killer. After a disappointing meeting with a police officer, Mickey gets drunk and kisses Truman. In the book, he refuses her advances and becomes upset. In the series, he reciprocates and they fall in love.
