Where has the Broadchurch love gone? What a difference two years makes. Back in 2013 we were hooked on Broadchuch, a British drama that matched its US counterparts in style, suspense talent and buzz. After a peak of 9.3 million viewers, seven BAFTA nominations and perhaps the ultimate accolade - a US spin off, it was no surprise ITV got cracking with series two. But five episodes into the second run, the viewing numbers are slipping dangerously while the reviews and social media chatter have been scathing. So what's gone wrong?
1. There's too much going on
Broadchurch series one's brilliance lay in its directness. Within the first five minutes of episode one we had the facts - 11-year-old Danny Latimer was dead, DCI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) was in charge of the investigation, DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) was his deputy, Miller's best friend Beth Latimer (Jodie Whittaker) was the grief-striken mum and the whole of Broadchurch were suspects. Creator Chris Chibnall stuck to those plot points for eight episodes, he didn't waver. But at the end of series one the best whodunit on telly found its who. So what next? The second series has thrown everything into the pot. We've got two cases not one, the Sandbrook murder which Hardy was having flashbacks to in series one and the resolution of Danny's murder. We've got sweaty sex, courtroom drama, never-ending subplots and even more characters moving into Broadchurch. Frankly our heads hurt.
Olivia Colman and David Tennant are back in Broadchurch series two (ITV)
2. They lied to us
The end of series one saw Ellie's husband Joe confess to the murder of Danny, with the shocker of a final episode wrapping things up with a nice bloody, bow on top. Then Chibnall had a change of heart. The opening of series two saw Joe dramatically plead not guilty. So was series one all a lie? Chibnall has promised this series will end with “the cheekiest cliffhanger yet — a real shocker." That worries us, did someone else kill Danny? Did we waste eight weeks of our lives back in 2013?
3. It's got sloppy
There's been a load of talk about the huge mistakes made in series two, everything from massive legal inconsistencies during the courtroom scenes to viewers getting in a tizz over the local Nandos having waiter service. To be a top quality drama, like the first series was, everything right down to the littlest detail needs to be on point.
4. Even the characters seem lost
The stellar cast is another big draw of the series, and the creators know that. Which is why EVERYONE is back for series two. Despite half of the show now being concentrated on the Sandbrook case, every Broadchurch resident is still sticking their nose is. That courtroom gallery is stuffed with everyone from Nige to the vicar every day, but it it really realistic that they'd all still be hanging around? If we have to everyone back, the writers should have utilised them in the right way, instead of throwing together unlikely couples (Becca Fisher and Rev Paul?) and shoehorning in plot strands that should have been wrapped up in series one, i.e. Pauline Quirke's Susan taking down her own son in court.
What happened to Beth? (ITV)
5. Beth hate
In series one we were Beth's number one cheerleader. Jodie Whittaker's heartbreaking performance brilliantly captured a mother trapped in her worst nightmare, Beth had us firmly on her side from that opening scene of her running to the beach. But a series on, she's really started to grate. Despite the two year gap between series, in Broadchurch world it's only been a few months since Danny died, so Beth's grief is understandably still raw, but does that mean she should still hate Ellie? Give her a break, SHE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT JOE.
6. What's up with Hardy?
David Tennant's lead has completely unravelled this series. His health issues are one thing, but his bizarre relationship with Eve Myles' Claire and lingering attachment to the Latimer murder has meant the focal point of the show has lost its focus. For all his faults in series one, Hardy's character had purpose.
Claire is just one of many new characters to join in series two (ITV)
7. What type of show is it trying to be?
Broadchurch was essentially a whodunit rollercoaster in series one, now we're not so sure. Is the main character Hardy or the town itself trying to come to terms with a horrific murder? If the plot had moved on from the coastal setting, we'd say we could have another Lewis/Morse franchise to roll with, but by bringing everyone else in we don't know which genre to slot Broadchurch into.
8. Where's it going to end?
Chibnall says he started to map out the story arcs for each character and the plot for both series way back in 2011 but we're just not convinced he knows where he's headed. He's promised another cliffhanger, but is that just a plot ploy to eek more money out of ITV for a third series? These remaining three episodes need to pull something amazing out of the bag.
Everyone has crammed into the courtroom (ITV)
9. We just don't care anymore
Two years ago everyone watched Broadchurch live, and if you didn't you stayed off Google and Twitter until you'd caught up. Now? We're Sky Plus-ing. And that's a terrible sign. Much of the success of Broadchurch take one was down to the huge audience on social media, who were fuelled by the build-up to the loaded final episode. Everyone live-tweeted and the next day ‘;who did it' talk was everywhere. It's just not a TV event anymore
10. The first series was just too good
Maybe the biggest problem is our hopes were just too sky-high. It was perhaps inevitable that Broadchurch 2.0 could never be as big as the original. The warnings signs should have come with the dismal US remake Gracepoint, which made it clear that greatness shouldn't be tampered with.
