Gracepoint

I understand that many folks are staying away from the show because they are upset that FOX has made a mirror image of a highly regarded series, seemingly merely for the fact that it was "too British" for American audiences.. But as my cable option only added BBCAmerica half way through the network's broadcast of "Broadchurch" I have waited with baited breath for the "Gracepoint" and the very talented David Tennant to arrive on my screen. I was not disappointed. I urge folks to judge "Gracepoint" on its own merits. Yes, it was wrong for FOX do to what it did. But even if "Gracepoint" is a pale imitation of the original, it still is vastly superior to most USA fare. It pains me to think that drivel such as "Scorpion" becomes a hit with U.S. audiences while intelligent dramas such as "Gracepoint" flounder.

As a standalone show it was pretty good but here's the problem - it was pretty much lifted from the original Broadchurch - shot for shot and identical dialogue so writing the screenplay would have been a virtual copy and paste. So obviously you have to rate this a little lower. Tennant was excellent as always but the accent did slip a few times. The female lead is not a patch on Olivia Colman (but who is?). The big advantages were the lovely Alisen Down (I just want to give her a hug every time I see her) and obviously the absence of Lenny Henry is a massive plus. It was a shame that everyone who has seen Broadchurch would be dismissing all the red herrings straight away and - maybe if they changed the killer from the original would have got it a 9 rating.

Firstly, if I had not watched Broad Church (the BBC Original of this screenplay), I would have given this series a 10 out of 10. The casting of Grace Point is great, the cast is strong, the site selection is excellent (usually I can recognize locations across the US and Canada - I actually did not with this series - Yeah!). However, I did watch Broad Church. I loved Broad Church. Unfortunately, the screen play was altered between the two productions. I can not decide if Grace Point was changed to simplify or dumb down the complex issues the characters are forced to face on this journey or if it is to not address some issues in favour of other issues or maybe to please the puritanical sensibilities of the censors. Sadly, regardless of why huge aspects have been minimized or excluded, it greatly lessens the viewers experience. My advice is watch Grace Point, than watch Broad Church and prepare to explore more and larger concepts in a far greater depth. Possibly, a great parenting tool to start conversations with others ( but be very prepared first). If you are only going to watch one - Watch Broad Church. The second time I watched Broad Church I did it on the treadmill and it made the workout awesome. Tons of things to think about! Yeah for a cerebral but personal journey through tragedy.

Broadchurch or Gracepoint? I'm sorry but I don't understand why this remake was necessary. Why bother? On the face of it, Gracepoint looks OK but - I say again, Why? Firstly, Broadchurch was faultless. It was probably the best drama of its kind. Ever. Why mess with perfection? Secondly, why oh why get David Tennant to do it all over again? They could at least have had the decency to let some American play the part instead of persuading Tennant to adopt an uncharacteristic American accent. (I also question David Tennant's sanity in accepting this role - money maybe). And for the record, Danny's father in this version is totally unconvincing and does not have the impact it should. Somehow, there is this inability for Americans to follow the 'Britishness' of the English language. What is that all about? We, in England, suffer American programmes on a daily basis (some very good / others really not so good) and we don't complain about it. We don't feel the need to make our own version of American programmes. We have the intelligence to decipher the Americans relentless ability to completely deconstruct the English language and what's more we put up with it. Strangely, we also have the ability to understand all of your distinctly odd dialects. If Americans would just get over themselves and watch the original Broadchurch, I'm sure they could not be anything other than moved and amazed by it. I watched the first episode of Gracepoint and decided there was no point in watching any more. Having seen Broadchurch I was not interested in seeing a different version to compare it to. People of America, do yourselves a favour - watch the original.

I get why they wanted to make an American remake of the fantastic Broadchurch. I really do. But they were so concerned with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.

Inferior in every possible way, Gracepoint lacks all the charm, character and brooding of the original. On paper, the cast is fantastic - Michael Peña, Anna Gunn, Nick Nolte, and a returning David Tennant. But the performances are so flat compared to the stirring emotional turns from Broadchurch. I think Anna Gunn has it worst of all. She's a great actor and I've loved her in Breaking Bad and Deadwood. But she's no Olivia Colman, and her Ellie Miller falls so flat and feels so two-dimensional. Maybe if I hadn't seen Broadchurch first, I'd have thought differently. But Olivia Colman's Miller was so raw and biting and wonderfully flawed that Gunn's performance seems a mere shadow in comparison.

David Tennant returning in the same role (albeit, with a different name) was surprising. It was jarring to hear much-loved lines from Broadchurch delivered with a (not always great) American accent. He is still amazing in the role, but it just didn't ring as true in Gracepoint as it did in Broadchurch.

If you haven't seen Broadchurch, give this one a go. If you have, maybe skip this as it pales significantly in comparison.