Up a Crazy ‘river’

Lovers of “Lost” take heart.

ABC has a new mysterious jungle series with the down- river, patrol-boat feel of “Apocalypse Now” and a character with the relentless need for fame of risk-taking idiot Steve Irwin.

“The River” is about an expedition to find missing wildlife expert and TV personality Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood), who hosted (and took huge risks for) the fictional show “The Undiscovered Country.”

Cole is a Steve Irwin type, but one who didn’t — as far as we know — go so far as to hold his baby over a snapping crocodile’s jaws to get ratings. He did, however, force his family to live too much of their lives on camera.

When Cole went into the uncharted heart of the Amazon without them the last time, he disappeared along with his cameraman.

In a desperate bid to find him, Cole’s wife, Tess (Leslie Hope), rounds up a search crew. In order to do this, she must capitulate to the demands of Cole’s ex-producer and enemy, Clark (Paul Blackstone), for financing. In turn, he gets to document it all.

Reluctantly along for the ride is the Coles’ grown son, Lincoln (Joe Anderson), who has been estranged from his dad since age 16 and was shipped off to boarding school. Also onboard is the cameraman’s daughter, Lena (Eloise Mumford), who grew up with Lincoln.

Keeping the boat running is Emilo (Daniel Zacapa); Emilio’s possessed-by-spirits-on-and-off gorgeous daughter, Jahel (Paulina Gaitan); cameraman A.J. (Shaun Parkes); and Capt. Brynildson (Thomas Kretschmann).

The TV show-within-a-TV show allows the story to move back and forward in time — as the crew sifts through old footage for clues to where Cole may have gone on his lost journey.

And since a good third of the show is seen through the lens of A.J.’s camera, the action also veers into the “This is real!” conceit of “The Blair Witch Project.”

The first episode begins with the Coles many years earlier having a lovely (and fully documented) Christmas aboard a jungle boat.

Emmett gives Lincoln a mystical amulet which may, years later, help find his estranged dad.

Meantime, the new crew is alone in the dangerous Amazon, fighting off the spirits, a grabbing monster and a creepy doll tree (complete with the teddy bear that Lincoln tossed into the Indian River when he was 16).

This series is from Steven Spielberg — who seems to have his mitts on every TV rollout this year — with a hand from “Paranormal Activity” producer Oren Peli.

Lots of good stuff, although much is forced. Supposedly the series will wrap up with all mysteries solved in eight episodes.

But will they solve the biggest mystery of all:

What’s a 16-year-old boy still doing with a teddy bear?