Broadchurch: A Preview Round Up



As US audiences prepare for the premiere of acclaimed crime drama Broadchurch on BBC America tonight, the US critics seem to have agreed that it's certainly a show not to be missed.The eight part series starring David Tennant, Olivia Colman and Arthur Darvill explores the impact on a small community of the brutal and shocking murder of a schoolboy.

TIME Entertainment say:
“…it is a murder mystery that is about far more than its murder or its mystery…it’s a beautiful downer, a perceptive and acute one, whose empathy distinguishes it from some of its peers.”
Read the full review here

TV.com offers compelling reasons for watching the series:
"Broadchurch offers a really great execution of a story and characters you're very comfortable with. The cast is great, the episodes visit some really compelling places, and there are some gorgeous shots interspersed throughout. "

The Los Angeles Times describes the series as: "...the brilliantly moody and emotionally unsettling eight-part series that sent British critics into rapture last year "

Meanwhile the New York Daily News say: "Broadchurch is simply a well-written, well-produced and well-acted murder mystery that’s a pleasure to watch."

The Slate looks at the examination of human nature that is the heart of the series:
“…various suspects…are closely examined and found to be troubled and traumatized, their closets filled with skeletons, shady and suspicious but doing the best they can. If people are capable of anything, then they are capable of everything: not just murder, but regeneration, stupidity, grief, remorse, sadness, love. You don’t have to be entirely innocent not to be guilty.”

Hitfix praises the performances of the leads, David Tennant and Olivia Colman:
"Tennant has the flashier part, spitting his words out in a thick Scottish burr and seeming on the verge of collapse in every scene. Colman's role is trickier, and ultimately more powerful, because Miller is still naive and innocent when the case begins, and something very different when it ends and she's learned all there is to know about her hometown."

The New York Times praise Broadchurch for standing out among a sea of dark dramas.

Finally, the Washington Post call Broadchurch "A strikingly good, strikingly sad mystery drama" and say, "It’s among the best detective shows — and perhaps even among the best dramas — in several years. It will break your heart and keep you guessing all the way through."


Watch the premiere of Broadchurch  on BBC America tonight at 10pm/9c

For more information about the series please visit our website - please be aware that some articles contain spoilers



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