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Happy Valley

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 30 Critic Reviews

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87

USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 25 Ratings

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9.0

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9.0	Your Score
9.0	User Score Universal acclaim based on 25 Ratings

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Happy Valley

Now Playing: Happy Valley

Happy Valley

Series Details & Credits

BBC America | Netflix | Acorn TV | BBC One | AMC+ | Release Date: April 29, 2014

Summary: As West Yorkshire police sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) works on a kidnapping case, she spots Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), the man she believes drove her daughter to commit suicide, in town.

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

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Stream On

Recent Episodes

tbd
S3:E5. Episode 6
Air Date: February 5, 2023
tbd
S3:E4. Episode 5
Air Date: January 22, 2023
tbd
S3:E3. Episode 4
Air Date: January 22, 2023

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

87

Positive:

30

Mixed:

0

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

100

The Guardian Lucy Mangan

Jan 3, 2023

Season 3 Review: The warp and weft of lives, of life, is as expertly woven as ever and you couldn’t wish for a better group of actors to bring it to you. Happy new year. Read full review

100

Empire Boyd Hilton

Jan 6, 2023

Season 3 Review: There’s a grandeur to Sally Wainwright’s conception matched by Lancashire’s role-of-a-lifetime performance which puts Happy Valley way up there in the pantheon of British TV drama achievements. Read full review

100

The Observer (UK) Barbara Ellen

Sep 10, 2024

Season 3 Review: Once again, there’s a clean, pithy script (“God, you’re hard work”), all-round naturalistic performances, strong themes (family, community, humour, grief, betrayal), and the promise of another full-throated, Old Testament-style battle between good and evil, with the whole topped by that watershed lead performance. Read full review

90

The Huffington Post

Maureen Ryan

Sep 11, 2014

Season 1 Review: Catherine's "patch" in Happy Valley may be more limited than the big chunks of Baltimore covered by Bunk and McNulty, but morally and emotionally, this fantastic drama goes deep. Read full review

80

The Independent Nick Hilton

Jan 3, 2023

Season 3 Review: This final spin over the moors is a worthy way to round out one of British television’s greatest sagas. Read full review

80

The Hollywood Reporter

Tim Goodman

Mar 16, 2016

Season 2 Review: Revisiting the series and overcoming the early obstacles was, indeed, rewarding. Not every plot twist is original or even believable, but the second season only solidifies how impressive the whole Happy Valley world is. Read full review

75

Chicago Sun-Times

Lori Rackl

Aug 19, 2014

Season 1 Review: The Brit-speak can be a wee bit difficult to decipher at times but the show is good enough to warrant giving your remote’s rewind button a workout. Read full review

SEE ALL 30 REVIEWS

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9.0

Negative:

0

User Reviews

9

atouchofspice

Dec 9, 2019

This show is brilliantly written and acted, highly recommend, watch it, you won't regret it.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

8

Broyax

Jun 4, 2023

Une première saison qui peut se suffire à elle-même en attendant de voir si les auteurs sauront (ou non) capitaliser sur la suite. En tout cas, on tient là un mélange curieux et détonnant entre une série policière menée tambour battant et un épouvantable psychodrame familial…

Un psychodrameUne première saison qui peut se suffire à elle-même en attendant de voir si les auteurs sauront (ou non) capitaliser sur la suite. En tout cas, on tient là un mélange curieux et détonnant entre une série policière menée tambour battant et un épouvantable psychodrame familial…

Un psychodrame particulièrement carabiné qui en rajoute couche après couche, reléguant les Misérables (nos Misérables franco-français de Victor Hugo, re-raconté, ré-adapté maintes et maintes fois au cinéma et à la télé) au rang de bluette assez anecdotique… ou presque ! Quoiqu’il y eut Oliver Twist outre-manche et nul doute que ‘Happy Valley’ en soit un hommage moderne quelque part, avec à la place d’Oliver, cette femme flic victime de la vie et de tous les maux et malheurs qu’il est possible de concevoir…

Nonobstant ces épanchements, on se doit de saluer la façon dont ils sont si justement racontés : l’écriture est vraiment remarquable et servie par une actrice principale épatante, tout aussi bien entourée d’ailleurs ; de même la réalisation est soignée et assurément toujours efficace.

La seconde saison reste en tout cas du même tonneau que la première et rajoute quelques histoires secondaires fort intéressantes, de même que la troisième (et ultime) saison, laquelle conclut brillamment ce polar à la fois social et criminel…

Encore des épanchements ici et là bien évidemment (le gamin est un brin énervant aussi), quelques coups de théâtre… et accessoirement un certain féminisme, ma foi… mais bien fait et tout à fait justifié ; on remarquera également que la série n’hésite pas à épingler les faiblesses de la ‘justice’ (c’est un peu comme chez nous mais pas totalement, car aucun système judiciaire n’est aussi bisounours et nul à chier que le système français, bien entendu !).

Même si dans la cambrousse de nos amis rosbifs, les flics ne portent jamais d’armes à feu, ce qui ne laisse pas d’étonner… comme leurs énormes gilets jaunes fluorescents ! une série dramatique émouvante certes mais qui sait garder le rythme et parvient à rester réaliste malgré des rebondissements (dramatico-dramatiques)… un peu exagérés ! l’épilogue est aussi… un peu court. Mais rien d’alarmant, c’est du beau travail.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Seasons & Episodes

87

Series Overview
Season 3

93
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: May 22, 2023
- tbd
  S3:E5. Episode 6
  Air Date: February 5, 2023
- tbd
  S3:E4. Episode 5
  Air Date: January 22, 2023
- tbd
  S3:E3. Episode 4
  Air Date: January 22, 2023
- tbd
  S3:E2. Episode 2
  Air Date: January 8, 2023
- tbd
  S3:E1. Episode 1
  Air Date: May 22, 2023
Season 2

84
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: February 9, 2016
Season 1

83
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: April 29, 2014