Over a recent cold and snowy weekend, I binge-watched the British show Broadchurch on Netflix. Have you seen it? It's such a well-done show, cinematic show and I can't stop thinking about it now that I've finished the first season.
Broadchurch is set in a small seaside town in which a local young boy has been murdered. The investigation into the crime is led by a duo of detectives: Ellie Miller, a local with deep ties to the community whose son was friends with the victim and Alec Hardy, a jaded outsider who was recently brought in to fill the job Ellie had her sights on and who is (of course) haunted by demons from a past case. The show is part police procedural, part psychological thriller. As the investigation unfolds over the course of eight episodes, we see the residents of Broadchurch begin to turn on one another as everyone becomes a suspect.
I don't always enjoy very dark shows, and Broadchuch would certainly qualify as that since it deals with the death of a child. What makes it so compelling, though, is the fact that it's tempered with really nuanced and complicated performances, especially by David Tennant as Detective Hardy, that bring a full range of emotions to the story. Apparently there actually as an American adaptation called Gracepoint, also starring DavidTennant, that had a short-lived run on Fox. It doesn't sound like it was very well-received, but I'm tempted to try to find it just to sustain myself until Season 2 of Broadchurch premieres in March on BBC America.
I watched a few episodes when it first aired and then stopped - I'm not sure why. Maybe because it is quite dark? I would like to try it again, though, as I think David Tennant is a brilliant actor.
ReplyDeleteHis performance was the highlight of the series, and I think it gets better as his character develops throughout the episodes. Definitely worth another try if you are so inclined!
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