Broadchurch

:

Season 2
Season #: 3, 2, 1
User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 120 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 88 out of 120
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 120
  3. Negative: 21 out of 120
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User Reviews

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  1. EPMD
    Jul 17, 2016
    3
    Season 2 is not worth your time. It will not enhance your enjoyment of Season 1...quite the contrary. Season 2 offers a frustrating mess of irritating court scenes seemingly designed to annoy fans of the show. There is also some exploration of an old case with a new set of characters, but the show does a horrible job of making us care even 10% as much about that case as we cared about theSeason 2 is not worth your time. It will not enhance your enjoyment of Season 1...quite the contrary. Season 2 offers a frustrating mess of irritating court scenes seemingly designed to annoy fans of the show. There is also some exploration of an old case with a new set of characters, but the show does a horrible job of making us care even 10% as much about that case as we cared about the investigation in Season 1.… Expand
  2. LordMark
    Mar 4, 2015
    6
    + the performances, especially Olivia Colman's
    + a decent finale

    - far too many annoying courtroom scenes
    - uninteresting Sandbrook storyline
    - lacks the suspense of the first season
  3. WJS
    Feb 10, 2015
    9
    Broadchurch has great acting and superb storytelling, but most of all, some of the most spectacular cinematography on television...in looks fantastic!
  4. OpinionatedGuy
    Apr 5, 2015
    9
    To be honest, Season 1 of Broadchurch was okay for me. It was intriguing but some of the parts of it were underwhelming.

    Then Season 2 came up two years later and Season 2 honestly elevates Broadchurch better. The backlash from fans is quite ridiculous and they fail to see this show has always been more focused on character development rather how accurate it was. Broadchurch has    To be honest, Season 1 of Broadchurch was okay for me. It was intriguing but some of the parts of it were underwhelming.

    Then Season 2 came up two years later and Season 2 honestly elevates Broadchurch better. The backlash from fans is quite ridiculous and they fail to see this show has always been more focused on character development rather how accurate it was.

    Broadchurch has always have the greatest cinematography but this season makes it even more greater. It's shows that you can still have a great shot beautifully in 16:9 aspect ratio.

    The writing is great and I like how everything had me on the edge of my seat from the start to finish. The character development were also great!

    The cast performance is of course excellent and the best part of this season and of the show in general. The ones who stood out the most with their performances were David Tennant, Olivia Coleman, James D'Arcy and Eve Myles. I don't need to state the obvious why Tennant and Coleman are so good playing their roles as Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller respectively. But I have to say, seeing James D' Arcy on two different shows airing at the same time is fascinating. He played Irwin Jarvis, a bubbly butler of Howard Stark on Agent Carter and then he played Lee Ashworth, a shady, scary yet intriguing character on Broadchurch. It's a fascinating transformation and he is a very good actor. As for Eve Myles, it's nice to see her on TV again after Broadchurch. She played her role of Claire Ashworth very well that she lost herself into the character without being over the top.

    The second season of Broadchurch is a hit for me as it's able to put together the aftermath of Season 1 very well in the most interesting way.    … Expand
  5. oDjento
    Mar 5, 2015
    3
    I am going to be brutally honest about this season, it was one of the worst TV series I’ve watched in a while. I LOVED season 1: it was mysterious, unpredictable and with plenty of interesting and diverse characters to get invested. Season 2 however dumps all over season 1.
    Firstly, the characters. I liked and was interested or intrigued by all the characters in the first season and they    I am going to be brutally honest about this season, it was one of the worst TV series I’ve watched in a while. I LOVED season 1: it was mysterious, unpredictable and with plenty of interesting and diverse characters to get invested. Season 2 however dumps all over season 1.
    Firstly, the characters. I liked and was interested or intrigued by all the characters in the first season and they really are part of what made season 1 brilliant. For season 2 they attempt to introduce new characters and none of them are enjoyable, the main reason anyone will be watching season 2 is for the original characters like Hardy and Miller. Jocelyn is more annoying than the “sassy” old good lawyer she seems like she is meant to be and seems almost lost/completely incompetent at her job. Ashworth seems like the stereotypical intimidating villain at first that obviously isn’t the real “bad guy” even though he isn’t fully good. His character is two notes really on acting. Claire tries to be the wild card on not knowing what she is telling the truth about but she’s more just pretty bland and uncomfortable to watch. Bishop is the only new character that plays her part well (and you can tell that because you really loathe her) but is still not enjoyable to watch due to how she develops the plot.
    And now the plot. Season 1 again, awesome plot, season 2 is half assed and unentertaining. Comparing again, season 1’s twists are great and made you excited for the next episode, but season 2’s episode twists were so dull and repetitive. It usually consisted of someone not knowing something in the court room and having to have someone else speak and the people in the court room would all look shocked (oh no, twist…). And then also what Bishop speaks in the courtroom Is complete trash, you would never be allowed to do what she does in the courtroom. The courtroom scenes are boring and just reused over and over, and the Sanbrook case seems uninteresting as you just can’t get attached to it in the same way as the Broadchurch case, they just really wanted to squeeze it in. Side plots are also made and then dropped suddenly and then some plots seems so unnecessary. It’s piss annoying to be frank.
    The series started like it could go somewhere but doesn’t pick up, it becomes stale fast. Sure some direction and cinematography is nice at times but that can’t save this at all for all its major flaws. This season can best be summed by a fan of season one in a single word; frustrating.    … Expand
  6. BogKid
    Mar 4, 2015
    10
    When I heard there would be a second season of Broadchurch, I assumed we would have some of the same characters with a completely new mystery. Well we don't. The conclusion of the first season was not as conclusive as it seemed. And . . . I am hooked again.Some of the reviewers here seem to have seen more of the program than I. I have seen only the first episode.

    I had started    When I heard there would be a second season of Broadchurch, I assumed we would have some of the same characters with a completely new mystery. Well we don't. The conclusion of the first season was not as conclusive as it seemed. And . . . I am hooked again.Some of the reviewers here seem to have seen more of the program than I. I have seen only the first episode.

    I had started watching the Americanized version of Broadchurch. I cannot remember the title. It was OK with smoother production values than the BBC's, but it was just too close to the original British version and not quite as good. I am glad to see that the feel of season two, while different, is as compelling as it had been in season one. I am ready to go with this one!    … Expand
  7. ScottRock
    Jun 16, 2016
    10
    Often I like the first season of a television series but feel the quality of the writing and creativity sharply falls in subsequent seasons. This is not the case with season two of Broadchurch - far from it. I was engaged in the drama from start to finish, for every single episode and the depth and quality of this season strengthened my appreciation of the series.
  8. Danil
    May 16, 2015
    7
    I have very mixed feelings about Broadchurch. The plot is twisted and fairly addictive. But if you get to logically think about it, a lot of the plot points are plain dumb... Also the second season has pretty much all of the first season's problems: way too many annoying tearjerking scenes, long close-up shots of sad faces, some completely irrelevant sub-stories, a couple of horribleI have very mixed feelings about Broadchurch. The plot is twisted and fairly addictive. But if you get to logically think about it, a lot of the plot points are plain dumb... Also the second season has pretty much all of the first season's problems: way too many annoying tearjerking scenes, long close-up shots of sad faces, some completely irrelevant sub-stories, a couple of horrible overacting actors. And, of course, dumb criminals that always keep evidence against them in their possession.… Expand
  9. Ravens1294
    Mar 5, 2015
    9
    Still an amazing and very emotional series. Had incredible acting and some of the best cinematography. The score is one of the best ever for a tv series.
  10. eagleeyeviking
    Oct 12, 2016
    8
    While the trial of Joe Miller provides weaker drama than the murder in Season 1, the beautifully shot Season 2 of Broadchurch maintains the first season’s complex plotting, gripping character development and haunting tone & soundtrack.
  11. michaelinperson
    Jul 26, 2020
    2
    Many plot points are overshadowed by highlights from Broadchurch's first series having been dragged into season 2 to unspeakably distasteful and poorly executed measures. It becomes frustrating and exhausting for us to power through meaningless character dialogue and mundane interaction when we have been beaten down into disappointment time and time again after knowing how courtroom scenesMany plot points are overshadowed by highlights from Broadchurch's first series having been dragged into season 2 to unspeakably distasteful and poorly executed measures. It becomes frustrating and exhausting for us to power through meaningless character dialogue and mundane interaction when we have been beaten down into disappointment time and time again after knowing how courtroom scenes have purposely failed to provide us any gratification left to salvage from our unsettling awareness that Joe Miller has pleaded "not guilty" in the start of his trial, and may, in a highly likely scenario, get off scot free.
    The issue with which we must compare season 2 to season 1 is its derivativeness in finding credibility in the way it decides to finish things once in for all, even when the end-product might come to our greatest dissatisfaction and disapproval. Closing scenes are but a disgraceful attempt at uplifting viewers, the victim's family, and the wife of the child molester, to reverse what damage cannot be undone.    … Expand
  12. Bitash
    Jan 30, 2021
    10
    Absolutely loved it, yes any emotional scenes...all necessary for you to understand what each character is going through. The cast is very believable, they do a great job portraying their pain with out over acting. The court scenes is necessary for us to understand where this story evolves to. Not every season has to be suspenseful filled with detective work, I was pleasantly surprisedAbsolutely loved it, yes any emotional scenes...all necessary for you to understand what each character is going through. The cast is very believable, they do a great job portraying their pain with out over acting. The court scenes is necessary for us to understand where this story evolves to. Not every season has to be suspenseful filled with detective work, I was pleasantly surprised that this season is continuation of season one and not a complete new storyline.
    The Tory keeps you guessing, I am so in love with everyone’s acting that I just keep watching and enjoying every minute of it. Very very well done.    … Expand
  13. AlMcFly
    Sep 1, 2018
    3
    Season 1 of Broachurch? Extremely compelling. 7 - 8 out of 10 rating. My girlfriend and I watched it from start to finish.

    Season 2? Garbage. I turned it off in the middle of Episode 3 much to the annoyance of my girlfriend. I just could not stand to watch how they made a mockery of English courtroom proceedings since the very beginning of episode 1, it's sickening the artistic    Season 1 of Broachurch? Extremely compelling. 7 - 8 out of 10 rating. My girlfriend and I watched it from start to finish.

    Season 2? Garbage. I turned it off in the middle of Episode 3 much to the annoyance of my girlfriend. I just could not stand to watch how they made a mockery of English courtroom proceedings since the very beginning of episode 1, it's sickening the artistic liberties this show thought it could get away with.

    Also the number of sub-human characters sh*tting all over Ellie, it's unbearable. Season 1 made me feel unending passion and sympathy for the mother of Danny Latimer. By Season 2 episode 2, she had already become a truly detestable human being.

    No thank you.    … Expand
  14. GrantD243
    Jun 13, 2018
    7
    Season 2 of Broadchurch struggled to capture my complete interest as most of the season is spent covering the trial in a slow and frankly boring way. There were some interesting moments with Hardy looking further into the old Sandbrook case and ultimately solving it, but it wasn't as interesting as the first season. I still quite like the duo of Hardy and Miller, which saved my individualSeason 2 of Broadchurch struggled to capture my complete interest as most of the season is spent covering the trial in a slow and frankly boring way. There were some interesting moments with Hardy looking further into the old Sandbrook case and ultimately solving it, but it wasn't as interesting as the first season. I still quite like the duo of Hardy and Miller, which saved my individual episode ratings from slipping even further than they did, but if season 3 doesn't evolve in some way I can't see the show getting any better.… Expand
  15. maningrey
    Sep 16, 2018
    9
    I didn't like this season as I liked previous one but it's still very interesting to watch.
  16. All_ButTrU4
    Aug 17, 2022
    5
    The season no one needed came off not as bad as i thought it would. Focusing on the previous seasons case alongside the Sandbrook murders was an error. The sanbrook killings arc was more of an annoyance than anything that wuld keep me at the edte of my seat,i didn't care about anyone involved or the eventual resolution. Performance wose this season was on par with the first with OliviaThe season no one needed came off not as bad as i thought it would. Focusing on the previous seasons case alongside the Sandbrook murders was an error. The sanbrook killings arc was more of an annoyance than anything that wuld keep me at the edte of my seat,i didn't care about anyone involved or the eventual resolution. Performance wose this season was on par with the first with Olivia Coleman grief-stricken performance a hundred times better! The courtroom scenes serve as vehicles to pick apart perceived plot holes from the first season. The writing was weak, nothing epse really… Expand
  17. kingkini
    Dec 19, 2018
    5
    I don't like the second season of the series, because of the whole trial. way too boring. I want a crime series like the first season, not a pathetic beef between lawyers . First season was very good though

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best TV Season of 2015
88
#88 Most Discussed TV Season of 2015
100
#100 Most Shared TV Season of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    Mar 4, 2015
    80
    Mostly it’s great to see Tennant and Colman try to put back the pieces of the wrecked lives of Hardy and Miller.
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  2. The Huffington Post
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    Mar 4, 2015
    40
    Given how wonderful its first season was, the fact that Broadchurch has turned into such a muddle is the bigger disappointment. Despite the usual array of finely calibrated performances, the second season simply doesn't work, in large part because it consciously and deliberately undoes much of what was powerful about the shattering conclusion to the first season.
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  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Mar 4, 2015
    60
    The new elements and mostly the performances make it worth staying around to see what other secrets lurk within.
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