‘Long Bright River’ Isn’t Exactly Based on a True Story, but It’s Inspired by Real-Life Events

Amanda Seyfried has been featured in a variety of high-profile films. From her lauded performance in 2020's Mank to playing one of Lindsay Lohan's bullies in Mean Girls, the actor has demonstrated an ability to perform a wide variety of roles in both comedies and dramas.

It was announced that she'd be leading the new Peacock series Long Bright River, which is based on the 2020 novel from Liz Moore.

And although Moore stated that she drew inspiration from her own life to write the book, is the show based on a true story?

Despite lifting from her own experiences, Long Bright River isn't exactly a true story. Rather, it's a fictionalized account of a struggle that Moore says she and many American families have had to deal with.

Sadly, it centers around an issue that has plagued numerous people, especially in recent years with the U.S. opioid crisis.

The show centers around the relationship between two sisters: a police officer named Michaela ("Mickey") and her sister, Kacey.

Mickey is a Philadelphia cop and single mother dealing with the aftermath of her sister's disappearance.

Intensifying the stakes is that Kacey ended up going missing in the same area that three other women have recently turned up dead. Fearing the worst, Mickey conducts her own independent investigation to try and locate her sister and potentially save her from the same fate as these other women.

Throughout the series, there are jumps back and forth between the past and present. Mickey's life as a police officer and her race against the clock to locate Kacey is juxtaposed with her past relationship with her sibling.

Like similar formats, their past informs the state of their current relationship and how the two of them became distant. Moore's commentary on Long Bright River speaks to the familial issues that arise when a loved one succumbs to addiction, and the rifts it causes between these close relationships.

The Guardian quoted the author as stating: "Like many families in the United States, mine has been affected by a multi-generational struggle with addiction that continues to this day. As a kid, I felt like another parent and that part of my autobiography found its way into this book."

Furthermore, she added that she drew heavy inspiration from the research she conducted in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. The area is notoriously a hotbed of illegal drug trafficking and sales.

After publishing a photo essay of the neighborhood, Moore said that she started community outreach programs, including a writing initiative to teach women in the area narrative techniques.

According to her, the "seed" of Long Bright River's storyline was planted when she first started working in the Kensington region. Additionally, she says that the troubles within her own family that were caused by addiction also correlated with the inspiration she drew from the Kensington community as well.

"I could say that the first seed was planted by my own family’s history of addiction, which has spanned many generations and has been a topic of conversation among us since well before I was born. I could say that being a sister inspired Long Bright River, or living in the city of Philadelphia. Really, it’s a mix of all of these."

Long Bright River is currently streaming on Peacock.