Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Long Bright River.Peacock’s Long Bright River makes some changes to the original story it is based on. Adapted from Liz Moore’s bestselling novel of the same name, Long Bright River stars Amanda Seyfried and Nicholas Pinnock, who bring the author’s story to life. The series focuses on a police officer who becomes invested in solving the crimes of four women who no one seems to care about. While there are some scenes in the series that seem like they are true to life, Long Bright River isn’t based on a true story but was instead inspired by some parts of Moore’s life.
Moreover, Long Bright River is a faithful adaptation of Moore’s novel. While the series does make some changes to the book, it maintains the heart of the story. Moore wanted to ensure that people living with addiction were treated with compassion and respect, which is something that the TV show didn’t alter (via NBC). However, it is a difficult task to translate hundreds of pages of writing into an eight-episode series. As such, some things that worked in the novel wouldn’t visually work in a series, so some alterations had to be made.
7
Thomas Is Older In The TV Series
Mickey’s Son Was Originally Only A Toddler
One of the most significant differences between the two versions of Moore’s story is Mickey’s (Amanda Seyfried) son Thomas’ (Callum Vinson) age. In the novel, Thomas is a four-year-old, while in Peacock’s adaptation, he is six years old. Although Thomas is so young in the book, he is still very intuitive and can sense when his mother isn’t well. The TV series stays true to Thomas’ mannerisms and characteristics. However, changing his age worked better for the show for one reason.
The fact that Thomas is older in the series means that he is able to understand some things that a four-year-old wouldn’t.
As a four-year-old, Thomas didn’t really understand why Simon wasn’t in his life and the scene where his father accidentally shows up at his birthday party is a testament to that because Thomas doesn’t get too sad when Simon doesn’t stay. In the TV adaptation, Thomas actually calls Simon (Matthew Del Negro) and hounds him to come to his party. When he does appear and then leaves immediately after, the young boy is distraught and tries to hold onto his father.
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The fact that Thomas is older in the series means that he is able to understand some things that a four-year-old wouldn’t. For instance, he comes to accept that Simon isn’t a good father and is more aware of how much Mickey works. Because of this, Peacock’s adaptation of Liz Moore’s book is able to add some nuance and emotional vulnerability when it comes to Thomas and Simon’s relationship, which the original story lacks.
6
Mickey Doesn’t Love Music In Liz Moore’s Novel
Mickey’s Passion For Music Was Added To The Show
In the TV series, Mickey loves music. In fact, music is the one thing that helped Mickey escape from her difficult life. During her childhood, the police officer learned how to play the horn and was extraordinary at it. Although she rarely plays as an adult, music remains something she is extremely passionate about. When she had a son, she passed on that passion to him and taught him everything she knew.
However, in the source material, Mickey doesn’t display this love for music. There are other things she is passionate about, like reading and spending time with her son. However, the TV series added this as part of her story. In a way, Mickey having something else she loves works well for her character. It would have perhaps been sad if all she had was her son and her job, which she didn’t even love doing. Being great at playing music presented a way for her to do something she was passionate about once she left the police force.
5
Kacey’s Story Is Different In The TV Show
Mickey’s Sister Kacey Goes To A Different Family Member
Both the Long Bright River movie and TV show are told partially in flashbacks depicting the evolution of Mickey and Kacey’s (Ashleigh Cummings) relationship. The series stays true to a significant part of Kacey’s story, but it does make a major change. In Moore’s novel, when Kacey goes missing and Mickey is frantically looking for her, she goes to her cousin Ashley’s place where she stays for a while before moving in with her father.
The TV show, however, doesn’t include this part. Instead, Kacey goes to live with her father when she finds out she is pregnant. He plays a huge role in helping her stay on the path to sobriety. While Kacey and her father’s relationship is sweet, it would have been worth seeing that other people in the family also cared about her well-being.
4
Some Things About Gee Were Changed For TV
Gee Is A Gender-Swapped Character With A Different Relationship To His Family
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between the TV adaptation of Long Bright River and Moore’s novel involves Mickey’s childhood. The book sees Mickey and Kacey being raised by their grandmother, while in the series it’s their grandfather who took them in after their mother died. Despite this difference, Gee (John Doman) is practically the same person in both the book and the series.
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Gee and Mickey have a close but strained relationship in the crime drama. Gee even has a sweet relationship with Thomas, who he sometimes looks after when Mickey can’t, and emphasizes many times that all Thomas needs is him and Mickey. The Gee in the book kept Mickey and Thomas far away from her. Although she loved her granddaughter and great-grandson, the loss of Mickey’s mother made her too afraid to let anyone in.
3
Mickey & Truman’s Relationship Is Portrayed Differently
Long Bright River Expands Its Romantic Subplot
The Peacock original series keeps most things from the book about Mickey and Truman’s (Nicholas Pinnock) relationship. However, like with several other plot points, there is one significant difference between their story in the source material and the subsequent TV show. The television adaptation of Long Bright River sees Mickey and Truman develop a romantic relationship after he gets involved in helping her find Kacey.
The fact that their relationship doesn’t is one of the most heartbreaking parts about Long Bright River.
In Moore’s novel, the two ex-partners aren’t anything more than friends and co-workers. When Mickey tries to kiss Truman in the book, he lets her down gently and tells her he is seeing his ex-wife, Sheila. However, Truman and Mickey’s relationship is one of the best parts of the series, especially because of how close he is to Thomas. The fact that their relationship doesn’t is one of the most heartbreaking parts about Long Bright River.
2
Long Bright River Made Some Changes To The Case
The Cause Of Death Is More Immediately Apparent In The Book
The opening scenes of Peacock’s Long Bright River depict Mickey and Lafferty (Dash Mihok) finding a woman who died from an insulin overdose. The other victims of the serial killer in the series perished in a similar way to the first. However, in the book, the murderer kills his victims by strangling them. The woman Mickey and her partner find on the train tracks has signs of being murdered like petechiae, so her case is instantly treated as a homicide.
Even Sergeant Ahern (Patch Darragh), who doesn’t really care about the victims, is part of the officers investigating the deaths of the four women. Another change the series makes to the book when it comes to the main case is how the fourth woman was killed. In the book, the woman was strangled, just like the other victims. But in the series, she was shot along with another person who was involved with Lafferty.
1
Peacock’s Adaptation Of Long Bright River Made Some Alterations To The Ending
A Different Character Takes Revenge On The Killer
Like many TV shows based on books, the biggest change made to the source material of Long Bright River was in the ending. After discovering that Lafferty is the serial killer in the novel, Mickey goes to confront him and finds him with Dock and Kacey. During a struggle, Mickey gets hit and Dock ends up pulling a gun on Lafferty. They are then joined by the detectives who were investigating the case.
Peacock’s Long Bright River concludes differently. The series sees Lafferty killed by a woman who was looking for payback for the murder of the four women. The killer, Kacey, Dock (OT The Real), and Mickey aren’t taken in for questioning immediately after their confrontation, as depicted in the book. In the Long Bright River TV show, Mickey protects the woman who killed Lafferty, understanding why she made that decision.
Source: NBC
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