Critics say the found-footage TV series, while scary, suffers from poor writing and one really annoying character. By Eric Ditzian Eloise Mumford and Joe Anderson in “The River” Photo: American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. “The River” carries a sense of pop culture inevitably in its shaky, grainy found-footage escapades. After “Paranormal Activity” resuscitated the horror subgenre with its wide release in 2009 — grossing $193 million worldwide and spawning two sequels and a slew of variously successful imitators — it was only a matter of time until found-footage scares arrived on network TV. Thankfully, that arrival comes courtesy of “Paranormal” mastermind Oren Peli . “The River,” premiering on ABC on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, borrows liberally from Peli’s hit film franchise (as well as from past network hits like “Lost”) in a midseason replacement that sees a crew venture into the Amazon to locate a missing explorer named Emmet Cole. The question, of course, is whether “The River” can replicate the successes of its wildly popular forbearers (or, perhaps, the been-there-found-that disappointments of other genre copycats). Critics, at this point, are split. Some have found the series satisfyingly scary. Others have faulted the show’s weak character development. For those critiques and more, read on for a deep dive into reviews of “The River.” The Storyline “[‘The River’] is a nifty supernatural adventure tale set in mysterious river-riven regions of the uncharted Amazon. Topographically speaking, it is ‘Lost’ inside-out. The story is this: Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood), a world-beloved, globe-trotting ‘Crocodile Hunter’ sort, has gone missing. Six months after his disappearance, an emergency beacon begins suddenly transmitting and his former crew and co-stars, including his wife and son and the daughter of his also-missing cameraman, head into the jungle to find him, with TV cameras rolling. Emmet’s television catch phrase, ‘There’s magic out there,’ will prove to be presciently literal.” — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times The Comparisons “There are so many moments in ABC’s ‘The River’ when you want to congratulate its creators for trying a little more blatantly to be ‘Lost’ than others will admit, and there are other times when you think, ‘Wow, ‘Paranormal Activity’ on a weekly basis, with a touch of ‘Heart of Darkness,’ might be interesting, too.’ Quick camera cuts, people in peril, freaky and scary happenings — what’s not to like? Put them together, and you have a series that cobbles together a pretty strong rooting interest. We all need a show like this on the small screen again. But is there really a weekly series here?” — Tom Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter The Writing “[W]hen the characters start to talk to each other? ‘The River’ just feels like one poorly written TV show. ‘The River’ is swimming in bad dialogue and clich
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