I don't know about you, but I like BBC America. They show great British shows, including reruns of Doctor Who, Torchwood, etc. They also show Star Trek: The Next Generation reruns. What's not to like.
In the past few years I have been hooked on several of their dramas, such as The Hour, Whitechapel, and Luther. By the way, Idris Elba is coming back for a third season of Luther, which begins airing this Tuesday night. If you've never watched the show, he's a fascinating character. Elba is a fine actor who you may have seen in some American films. He played Beyonce's husband in Obsession, complete with an American accent. He played a drug lord in HBO's The Number One Ladies Detective Agency. But Luther is his best work. Look for it.
Broadchurch is the current star series of BBC America. According to one critic, it's the new Downton Abbey. The British viewers have been mesmerized with Broadchurch. Now we Americans get a chance to see it.
Broadchurch stars David Tennant (my favorite Doctor in the Doctor Who series) as a Scot detective who is given a job in the small seaside town of Broadchurch in England. He is a stand-out in the small, closely knit community. His accent is strange, his ways are strange. He is suffering from PTSD, but we're not sure yet just why. It's from a previous case that went awry.
On his first day at his new job, an 11 year old local boy is found dead on the beach below the cliffs. It becomes obvious he did not jump, nor was he pushed off the cliffs. In fact, his body was placed there and the area staged. That doesn't fool DI Alec Hardy (Tennant). He knows the boy was murdered elsewhere.
Complicating his job is DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Coleman) just back from maternity leave. It seems she was promised the Detective Inspector position, but lost out to Hardy while she was away. Of course nobody bothered to tell her until she came back to work. To top it off, the boy who was killed was a schoolmate of her own 11 year old son. In fact the victim was his best friend.
Broadchurch is a small town, filled with tourists merely six weeks out of the year. The rest of the time, it's just the local residents. DI Hardy and DS Miller determine it must be someone local who killed the boy. Everybody in the town is a suspect. One by one, they interview the locals and try to unravel a considerable mystery. Local resident DS Miller has a hard time thinking any of her neighbors could do such a thing.
Along the way, they learn the child's life wasn't what it seemed.
There have been four episodes aired so far. This is a short-run series. There will be only one more this season, airing Wednesday night.
It has held my interest throughout. It's storyline is compelling, filled with mysteries, and townsfolk who have secrets, including the boy's family.
Previous episodes are available free On Demand, for those of you who have that feature.
If you like mysteries that are filled with human drama, this one is for you.
I'm not a big mystery fan, but this one grabbed my interest. If you don't get BBC America, the BBC shows are available on dvd and Blue Ray for purchase or rental.
Check it out!
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