David tennant and Olivia Colman in Broadchurch. Image courtesy of ITV.
ITV’s Broadchurch (Season One) is an absolute by-the-numbers whodunit. It ticks every box on the genre checklist - idyllic town that is the scene of a grisly murder; a little self-contained universe of characters all of whom are harboring secrets and therefore potential suspects; an investigator consumed by his own demons; and the person who did it, of course, ends up being the one you LEAST suspect. It does nothing to subvert genre conventions or play around with structure. It takes this well-traveled template and fully abides by it. And yet, it is still a fantastic season of television (subsequent seasons… eh, not so much).
What makes it good is the craft that went into it. It is very, very skillfully made and therefore, even though there are few surprises if you’ve ever seen a murder mystery story in your life, the journey it takes you on is an immensely enjoyable one. It starts with the opening scene, which takes us on a tracking shot through the coastal town of Broadchurch and introduces us visually to almost all of the major characters (and potential suspects) as they go about their morning business. This is a clever and economical way to acquaint the audience with the show’s world, and it makes great use of the medium to do it in a way that is visually interesting. A basic lesson of making cinema or television, but so many filmmakers seem to forget it.
Then you have the setting of Dorset. Again, creator Chris Chibnall made a smart decision to do a lot of location shooting which helps immerse you in this absolutely stunning part of the country. The beauty of the resort-town setting helps add another layer of depth and complexity because it makes the shocking violence of a child’s murder even more jarring. How could something so vile happen in such a place? It’s these clever little markers that are submerged in the background of the show that make it so good.
As for the story, it follows a template. But that’s OK because the writing is good and the characters are developed well and naturally. There are no sudden jolts in the plot or logical leaps that draw you out of the show by thinking “Oh that’s just not possible” or “That character would never do that.” Again, these are very basic elements of good filmmaking, but often they get thrown to the wayside in less competent productions. Not so here. Even though I knew, structurally, we were following a very predictable string through to a bunch of red herrings, I didn’t mind at all. Because the process of discovery itself, even if you know how the plot is trying to direct you, was a lot of fun.
And, of course, David Tennant’s DI Alec Hardy is a walking cliche. He is a driven investigator consumed by past demons. But Tennant is great in the role, so who cares? Olivia Colman, also great. I mean, these are British actors so what else would you expect? The remarkable thing for me is that all of these elements - cast, story, characters, setting - they were all done so well, with careful attention to detail and quality, that it injects life into a classic trope that could, in lesser hands, run the risk of feeling stale. This is a great show, and one of the best examples of how you don’t need to reinvent the genre or be the Coen Brothers to make a good product. Genre films and serials can be immensely enjoyable, as long as you don’t neglect the details.
Now, Season Two on the other hand…. well let’s just say that Broadchurch probably would have benefited from being a one-and-done and leave it at that.