Gracepoint

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.

But watchable and entertaining if not a top-rate thriller with the acclaimed character range, complexity, atmosphere and acting chops Broadchurch brought to this genre. Then most shows touted as Broadchurch quality aren't.

David Tenant's detective is intentionally charmless and interpersonally challenged. His partner would be fired in real life for her sappy lack of professionalism as, though repeatedly warned, she keeps advocating for the family. And none of the lesser roles are very interesting.

Love the beachy town. Plot fairly involving. Nick Nolte does an entirely credible job playing an old geezer while the young journalists could be played by anybody nice looking.

I find it irritating, in reality too, that the family vs police theme revolves around their resentment at not being let inside all the investigative operations, thinking, discoveries. Police don't help because they refuse to explain exactly why total transparency is out of the question, their liason is equally ill-equipped to field family's frustration, and at times, detectives promise to keep them abreast when to do so risks undermining attempts to find the culprit and could jeopordize a future court case.

More than half way through I can't yet predict who done it though I can spot some red herrings.

If you are a Tennant fan and can suspend the obvious comparison to Broadchurch, by which this version is a hands-down impoverished relative, give Gracepoint a chance. Undemanding, rather bland fare, but not as awful as some critics claim.

I won't list the differences between this and Broadchurch, as others have already done so on the Gracepoint IMDb page, but these are all, by my estimation, quite minor. The new or enhanced backpacker and the priest story lines were of some little interest, but ultimately didn't contribute much. (Particularly when you realize that the 2 additional episodes you get in the USA version vs. the UK version were meant to have existed before, and the Brits cut them for cost; meaning, these aren't a new addition, just a restoration.) Even the big ending 'whodunit' twist that was advertised, to my mind just came too late to do much other than fall flat, in terms of storytelling.

I liked the actors that played the priest and Beth well enough, and the daughter and her boyfriend were perfectly tolerable, but otherwise I found the acting to be painfully wooden---particularly Ellie Miller's character... and even my much beloved David Tennant. Maybe he was just too focused on the American accent to act as well as he is able, but side by side, the Broadchurch performance was nuanced and powerful, and this one felt more like a rote recitation of lines. I just don't understand all the positive reviews of people who've seen both.

I almost NEVER have totally negative things to say about TV shows or movies; I can always find something worth seeing, but this? Flat, stiff, bland. The soundtrack was pleasing. Er, the whales were nice. My recommendation is to give this a pass entirely, and watch Broadchurch instead. And remember, that's two series' long, so you get the crime solving and the trial, which was amazing in its own right.

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.

Godawful remake of the British series "Broadchurch" with David Tennant repeating his role as the lead investigating cop and Anna Gunn replacing Olivia Colman as Miller. The only other "names" in the cast are Jacki Weaver as Susan and Nick Nolte as Jack. The rest of the cast is lousy and act as if they're in a daytime soap.

The series tries to be a scene-for-scene remake of the British series and makes one ask, "What's the point?"

Tennant is a real oddity, trading in his normal Scottish accent for some sort of flat American one that seems forced. Gunn is a decade too old for the part of Miller.

The actress playing Beth is too strident and the actors playing Mark and the priest are way too creepy to gain any sympathy.

Stick to the original and don't waste your time of this muck.