US TV’s Broadchurch remake has arrived on British shores, but if you’ve already paid a visit to sunny Broadchurch, is it really worth heading to Gracepoint too?
If you ask us, we say a hearty American “Hell Yeah”!
The tagline tells you all you need to know, really: “Different town, different killer”.
Still not convinced? Here are 5 reasons why crime fans should investigate Gracepoint:
Breaking Bad’s Anna Gunn
Breaking Bad is over (for now) but if you’re one of the many viewers around the world still trying to fill the void, and if Better Call Saul wasn’t enough, Gracepoint could be certainly help. Because that’s where we find Walter White’s missus, Skyler — or at least the actress who played her!
Over the course of 5 brilliant seasons, Anna Gunn certainly grew into one of the most beloved elements of Breaking Bad. Her character arc from bored housewife to bad-ass really kicked in as the show picked up momentum in the later seasons.
By the time the curtain finally fell, Gunn was a hot property with her pick of the great roles for women in her age group. She chose to fill Olivia Coleman’s shoes in the lead role of Detective Ellie Miller.
David Tennant goes full ‘murican
When the Broadchurch remake was announced, some fans were surprised to learn that creator Chris Chibnall wasn’t just taking his basic premise to the states — he was taking one of his stars too. That’s because David Tennant kinda reprises his role from Broadchurch in the remake.
I say “kinda” because the wildly popular, one-time Doctor Who is not playing gruff-investigator-with-a-troubled-past Alec Hardy, but gruff-investigator-with-a-troubled-past Emmett Carver. That’s about as ‘murican as a character name can get, and Tennant does it justice with a spanking new accent and attitude to go with it.
He was one of the highlights of the original show, and now you can see for yourself if he brings it in the remake.
The supporting cast rocks
Broadchurch wasn’t just a success because Olivia Coleman and Tennant gave awards bothering turns. It also introduced us to an entire town of interesting characters, played by great TV actors. For a while, you suspected each and every one of them of the crime.
In Gracepoint, the calibre of co-stars goes up to 11. The townsfolk of Gracepoint aren’t just TV staples, they’re current and former stars of the silver screen. First up there’s Nick Nolte as Jack Reinhold, the owner of a kayak/bike rental store, and he’s joined by Silver Lining Playbook’s Jacki Weaver as Susan Wright, both of whom might have had something to do with youngster Danny’s death.
The meaty role of Danny’s grieving dad is taken by Michael Pena; who seems to be in everything over the past few years and always does a good job too. Pena is actually a good comic actor but here he gets to demonstrate his dramatic repertoire. Check it out for yourself.
The show is beautiful
Fans of stylish and sophisticated TV were spoiled with Broadchurch. It didn’t just give them star turns, but gorgeous views of the seaside cliffs, which played such a key role in the narrative.
In Gracepoint, the action is airlifted to the breathtaking west coast of Canada, and the cinematography is perhaps even more breathtaking. “Wait a minute…did he just say Canada?!”
Yeah, that’s right: most of the US remake was shot on location in neighbouring Canada. That means that in addition to a nerve-shredding narrative and A-list acting talent, Gracepoint brings the epic exterior visuals.
The ending is even better than Broadchurch
Let’s be frank: whenever the yanks remake one of our beloved shows, the knives are out from day one. By the time Gracepoint hit screens, those knives were good and sharp. But if the American Office taught us anything, it’s that a new take on a winning premise can reward patient and become something awesome in its own right.
That is definitely true of Gracepoint. While the majority of critics received it pretty warmly, they felt it suffered by comparison to Broadchurch, which is already considered one of the best TV shows of all time. Then they caught the ending — and everything changed.
Almost unanimously TV writers agreed that if Gracepoint did one thing even better than its predecessor, it was the way it handled the ending. Gracepoint doesn’t just give us a different killer: it gives us a different ending altogether — and if you’re a big fan of TV, it’s an ending you cannot afford to miss.
But don’t take our word for it: check it out for yourself.
The Gracepoint DVD is available to preorder right now from the Acorn DVD online store.
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