Broadchurch

I enjoy British crime dramas. I find the pacing and depth of characterization is more engaging than the better American shows and there is often more emphasis on "mystery". Meanwhile I find the Americans are more innovative and the plots seldom have the holes that sometimes mar British crime stories. Broadchurch is a marvel. I have never seen a TV drama that explores the emotions of so many characters so convincingly. Crimes are traumatizing. Broadchurch gets this perfectly. Nor have I have ever seen a crime drama that packs a visual punch in so many scenes. The Dorset coast is a character in Broadchurch. It plays its role as effectively as any of the brilliant actors in this piece. And that brings up the acting. You won't find a weak performance and some are unforgettable. There were times when I was reminded of how exciting it was watch Sopranos for the first time. Broadchurch may even have the same kind of influence on future television filmmakers. It transcends comparisons between the US and the UK. It's a new standard and an instant classic.

The only reason why I'm not giving it a 10/10 is because I have to leave a little room for humbleness. However, without a doubt, one of the best TV dramas that I have ever seen. It blends human frailty, melodramatic egos among professionals, frigid and temperamental relationships among small town residents, child anxieties, and mistrust, in a very artful way. It also shows the very real side of how people are often confused and blameworthy against everyone especially with the most flimsy of evidence.

I probably could come up with more adjectives, and penetrating analysis, but perhaps it is better for those who haven't seen, to see. It left me in tears at the end. I think about my own children, my own family, and it left me with a strange feeling of uncertainty and doubt. It will take me a long time to shake that.

Very good story-telling!

I have been loving the emotional depth of this show! So often families of murder victims exist merely to give clues for the eventual solution but in Broadchurch we are exposed to the grief of a bereft and torn family.

I have never paid much attention to Olivia Coleman before but what an amazing actress! She will be added to my list of actors to follow from now on! She plays Ellie Miller a local detective who is not only charged with investigating the murder but who also knows personally the various suspects and players in the drama. An interesting mix and a fruitful tension!

I am very glad for her character because Miller's superior, DI ALec Hardy (David Tennant), is very much the clichéd grumpy dysfunctional detective we have all seen in a hundred other cop dramas. Having said that he plays his role well. If we must have this trope then Tennant brings some new life to it which is a tribute to his screen presence.

The setting is small town Dorset(Southern England). The village setting with its entangled relationships is fertile soil for the twists and tangles of the story.

After 6 episodes I am very much involved with the characters from the town of Broadchurch and am hoping the producers of this show will let it come to the end of its story arc in the scheduled 8 episodes.

Broadchurch is one of those Crime/Mystery series that once you start watching you can't stop. The urge to find out what is happening, who is guilty, is jus too strong and so you start binge watching it, well that's what I did. I watched the three seasons in four days, the first one I would rate with a nine, the other two seasons with an eight. The mystery level couldn't be higher, every episode you think someone else is guilty, what makes this series so interesting to watch. But also the class acting from Olivia Colman and David Tennant, the two characters and their (non)-compliticity are pleasant and fun to watch. To me Olivia Colman was the best actress, she's very believable in anything she plays, she's pure class. The rest of the cast wasn't bad either, some better than others, but overall they all add something to the intriguing stories. They could have made more seasons if it was up to me, this kind of stuff just never gets boring, certainly not with the quality story writing they have here, that's certainly the best thing about Broadchurch, the quality story writing.

An enthusiastic reviewer started writing about this show when it started filming, speaking with great anticipation about the creator of the show's previous work and then the premise of his new show - a crime story, inherently tragic, focusing on grief, dark puzzles and a small community in which everyone knows everyone. I immediately thought of 'The Killing' and whether I would feel the same sense of of despondency when I watch shows like that.

Turns out I was both right and completely wrong. And I'll get to the emphatic 'yes!' for this show in a moment. The storyline, like in most crime shows these days, is hardly original. And you could say that like many British TV shows with veteran actors, intriguing plots with a dark narrative devoid of hope or a happy ending (contrary to most American TV shows with a similar premise), this show too, relies on intriguing characters to keep your interest in the puzzle and the secrets each character holds. But Broadchurch does all that without ever indulging in tragedy or hopelessness. No easy feat.

The acting and casting are flawless. The story feels real and unfolds with a steady, organic pace. David Tennant's nuanced take on the character, which could have easily been another self-important anti-hero with a troubled past, instead offsets Olivia Colman's character wonderfully. Her genuine, sincere approach to life, creating inevitable friction is a surprisingly fresh take on the traditional mismatched police partner or 'buddy cop' dynamics.

And then comes the beauty. Each shot framed like a painting featuring the stunning cliffs and beaches around the Dorset coast in all its rugged glory. Even interviews with suspects are photographed with elegance and an unexpected ethereal quality, using blurred light and colors. The stunning landscape setting is used not just as a backdrop, but a powerful narrative, contrasting its vastness with the small stories of each one of the locals. The calm, reflective moments in each episode feature scenes without dialog, allowing you to absorb it all.

This is where the music comes in. Too often an afterthought, a necessary element to invoke emotion or underline the words, here the music becomes one of the main characters of the show. An understated yet stunning soundtrack by Ólafur Arnalds, featured prominently throughout the series. And what a revelation it is. Allowing you to watch Broadchurch both as a sophisticated detective story and as an evocative, elegant music video. And while concert halls featured the most talented composers in the past, sadly or thankfully, TV shows (possibly more than feature length films even), seem to be the perfect outlet for the most creative contemporary artists. Utopia, Breaking Bad and Battlestar Galactica come to mind.

You could say then, that it is Ólafur Arnalds' score who helps Broadchurch transcend the sadness and grief of the story told, but it wouldn't be fair to understate the the stunning cinematography and art direction, subtle and powerful storytelling and production by Chris Chibnall. And with a cast that is able to portray the characters with depth and authenticity, it helps Broadchurch stand out from similar shows, deserving a review beyond simple comparison.