Broadchurch Is Bloody Good

Broadchurch
BBC America
Wednesday Nights
With David Tennant and Olivia Colman
Five Scoops of Bosco

Reviewed by Allen Bacon, The Daily Bosco

Have you ever noticed how much television that we see in America actually started out originally in England?

Shows like The Office, House, and Shameless all had their roots across the pond on BBC or ITV.

Now the latest show that will fall into that category in the 2014-15 season on Fox is the excellent crime drama Broadchurch.

But you can catch the British original now on BBC America on Wednesday nights during August and September.  The show originally was seen in England on ITV at the beginning of the year and had such a great response that it was picked up for a second season.

Following the format of two excellent crime dramas that we saw or are currently watching in this television season like The Following and The Bridge , Broadchurch tracks one crime, a murder of a young boy in a small, tight coastal community and the search for his killer, all through the first season.

The first episode sets up the scenario and introduces you to the quirky characters (think of Twin Peaks) very nicely.

The show with the beautiful, idyllic setting recalls another David Lynch work Blue Velvet where evil lurks behind every picket fence or the walls of the quaint houses.  There is a murderer in the midst of the small and tight community of Broadchurch and the real question is how is that fact going to effect the people of the town?

By the end of that first show, everyone is a possible suspect even the Journalists covering the story, the Police Officers and detectives, an innkeeper, the teachers,  or the lady that lives on the beach where the murder took place.  And why can't the Father of the boy account for his whereabouts at the time of the murder?

Creator, Writer and Director Chris Chibnall uses the devise of not even letting his wonderful ensemble cast which includes David Tennant (Dr. Who) and Olivia Colman (Twenty Twelve) as the lead Detectives know who the killer is.  This adds to the suspense and I understand a great topic around the office water coolers in England during the original run.

The location for the series is set on the Jurassic Coast of Britain with filming in Clevedon and West Bay in Bridport.  A beautiful and idyllic setting which  makes one wonder where the American version will take place.  It seems like the Northeast coast of Maine or Massachusetts would be a natural setting for the USA version.

That is, unless the Americans decide to pull a 180 like the folks at The Bridge and stick it in a place like the Mexican-US border.

Your assignment during the American run is not to go on line to find out who the killer is.  Trust me,  It will be more interesting that way.