Broadchurch Final Season Review

When Broadchurch premiered on BBC America in the summer of 2013, millions of Americans were captivated by a stunning portrayal of a small British town rocked by the murder of thirteen-year old Daniel Latimer, particularly by the extraordinary performance of David Tennant as Alec Hardy, a D.I from Britain demoted after the failure of a major case. One of the most exceptional series, it was adapted for Fox the following season with Tennant again cast as the lead. But  Gracepoint was a shell of itself, and the American version never caught on.

The first season was so well done, you wouldn't think that there would be much of a need to do anymore. But the second season, which followed up on the trial of the perpetrator, and its ramifications throughout Broadchurch was nearly as good. Now, as the final season begins, three years after the events in the first, we can see yet again why British TV is so much superior to ours in so many ways.

Hardy is working again with Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman, one of the great actresses of our time) on the brutal rape of Trish Harper, a middle-aged worker in the Broadchurch area. Already it is clear that this is going to be another difficult case. The assault took place at a party in a manor house where nearly sixty guests were presents. Its now very clear that the assault was planned. And the victim has not exactly gone out of her way to be helpful - she waited nearly two days before reporting the assault, and it wasn't until the second episode that she revealed she had sex the day of the attack, and with someone whose identity she is refusing to reveal.

Just as in the previous seasons, Broadchurch continues to look at a town that has not recovered from the murder of Danny Latimer. The local reporter, whose has been working for the town for nearly thirty years, has just learned that her branch of the paper is about to be closed down. The local minister (Arthur Darvil) has been trying to be helpful, but attendance at the church has been falling ever since Danny Latimer died. And the Latimer parents have still never fully recovered: Beth has moved on, and has recently taken a job as the advocate for sexual assault victims, but Mark has truly never recovered from the loss of his son, and is still angry that after the murderer's acquittal, the town exiled the criminal. He has been talking about vengeance, and this being the final season, there may be resolution.

 Broadchurch remains a singular accomplishment, even for British television. The fact that an American remake came and went demonstrates perhaps better than anything else the difference between the typical American audience and the ones for these kinds of series. Our procedurals (with few exceptions) are all about the criminals; theirs are all about the human element. Tennant and Coleman have already demonstrated that they are talents in other series, but this is arguably their finest hour.

My score: 4.5 stars.