Spoilers forBroadchurchbelow.The three seasons ofBroadchurchall have their merits, and everyone has a favorite.Broadchurchwas not just the training ground for belovedDoctor Whoactorsand one of our most acclaimed working actresses, it’s a thrilling, beautifully shot, tightly written mystery series that stands out not justamong the British detective showsthat have come after it, but among the many beloved series that have come before it. With a 92% overall onRotten Tomatoesand several BAFTA Awards nominations and wins,Broadchurchis a favorite of fans and critics.
Broadchurchis a crime seriesset in the titular English town. Fictitious and off the coast of Dorset, Broadchurch is a seemingly sleepy town, but the mysterious death of a local 11-year-old boy draws media attention, foments suspicion among former friends, and brings in the police, namely DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman). While seasons 1 and 2 focus on the murder, season 3 introduces a new crime to solve.There’s a good reason for every season ofBroadchurchto be the best, but some stand a hair above.
3Season 2 (2015)
An Internal And Well-Acted Season
Broadchurchseason 2 picks up right where season 1 left off. Joe Miller (Matthew Gravelle) is in court to answer for the crimes he admitted to in season 1, but, in an unexpected turn of events, Joe pleads not guilty to killing Danny Latimer (Oskar McNamara), and the rest of the season deals with the court politics and bureaucracy that ultimately end with Joe’s acquittal. Ellie’s life is completely turned upside-down now that her husband is a pariah, and Hardy continues to deal with the guilt from not solving the Sandbrook Case.
It’s a season that could have felt like an unnecessary tag at the end of season 1, but insteadBroadchurchseason 2 is its own story.Danny Latimer’s death still sits at the centerof the series, but it’s the effects of Joe Miller and his refusal to take responsibility that really color the season. Responsibility is a major theme of the season, with Joe’s lack of it contrasting with Hardy’s determination to set right an investigation that he bungled years ago. On the other hand, Ellie has to accept that she is not responsible for her husband’s decisions.
There are some incredible moments of acting inBroadchurchseason 2, a more personal series. The unexpected start to the season immediately drags you in as well; however, the middle of season 2 slows down in a way that the other two seasons don’t. It’s also the only season to not receive a BAFTA nomination, and it has the lowestRotten Tomatoesscore with an 84%. The worst season ofBroadchurchis still better than the best seasons ofa lot of crime shows, but it does lack some of the punch and uniqueness of seasons 1 and 3.
2Season 3 (2017)
A New Spin On The Broadchurch Story
The final season ofBroadchurch, season 3, involves a new crime separate from the Danny Latimer story. This season opens with a Broadchruch woman, Trish Winterman (Julie Hesmondhalgh), reporting that she’s been raped by an unknown assailant while unconscious. Clues lead Hardy and Ellie to determine that they may be dealing with a serial rapist. Their investigation leads them to many suspects, and it isn’t until the very end of the season that the real culprit is revealed. Hardy and Ellie have managed to put their pain behind them, and season 3 sees them focused solely on the case.
Because Hardy and Ellie have, for the most part, overcome their personal struggles from the previous two seasons,season 3 sees them primarily doing detective work, getting back to the procedural elements of the first season. Because season 3 also deals with a rape, rather than a murder, it also has a different sensibility than the other two seasons. The victim remains alive, and her demand for justice is of a different kind than that of grieving parents. Season 3 stars three years after season 2, and feels like a welcome return with our detectives sharper than ever.
Though Danny Latimer’s death isn’t the center of the story, it still lingers, and it’s rewarding to see how Hardy and Ellie have grown since season 1.
Season 3 has a 98% onRotten Tomatoes, the highest of any season, and the show also earned a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Julie Hesmondhalgh, who plays Trish. Though Danny Latimer’s death isn’t the center of the story, it still lingers, and it’s rewarding to see how Hardy and Ellie have grown since season 1. The two detectives are different, yet totally the same. They are more comfortable with one another, and it’s through that comfort we see the rest of their lives as dutiful coworkers, loyal detectives, but never pals.
1Season 1 (2013)
The Season That Started It All
Broadchurchseason 1 is the reason the series became so popular in the first place. The season opens with the discovery of Danny Latimer’s body on the beach beneath a cliff. Thought an accident initially, it doesn’t take people long to figure out that there’s been foul play, and Hardy and Ellie are called in on the case. Ellie is a local detective, butHardy is brought in from another department because of his failure in another child murder case previously. This is now his chance to redeem himself, though Hardy is convinced he’ll never be redeemed.
Everything aboutBroadchurchis laid out in season 1. Who the characters are, what this town is, and what we can expect going forward. It’s a wonderfully written first season that very well could have been its own miniseries if it wanted to be.The setting is beautifully filmed, the characters are well cast, the town is inhabited by people who feel like they’ve been there forever, and at the center is a terrible, mysterious tragedy with an answer that keeps you guessing until the very end and then rocks you with the implications.
Broadchurchseason 1 has a 94% onRotten Tomatoes, and the series earned three BAFTA nominations. One for Best Drama Series, one for Best Leading Actress for Olive Colman, and one for Best Supporting Actor for David Bradley, who plays Jack Marshall. Even better,Broadchurchseason 1 won in every category it was nominated for. It’s a masterfulexample of modern detective storytelling. There’s something comforting aboutBroadchurchseason 1, despite its grim story, and returning to it is as easy and as welcoming as returning to the town you grew up in.
