I watched Broadchurch first and thought that it was amazing. The cast was great with their characters. Olivia Coleman did a wonderful job as DS Ellie Miller and David Tennant did a wonderful job as DI Alec Hardy. And the ending where it was Joe Miller who was the killer was just unnerving. I love British shows. However Gracepoint which based on Broadchurch was just as good as the original. Anna Gunn did great and put her own little bits as Detective Ellie Miller. And David had an amazing American accent playing Detective Emmet Carver, though his native Scottish did leak through every once in a while. And his performance when both of his characters, Alec and Emmet, collapsing on the job, OMG. And then the twist of where it isn't Joe who killed Danny, but his best friend, Tom. Just absolutely, positively brilliant. I'd recommend this show to anyone

I won't list the differences between this and Broadchurch, as others have already done so on the Gracepoint IMDb page, but these are all, by my estimation, quite minor. The new or enhanced backpacker and the priest story lines were of some little interest, but ultimately didn't contribute much. (Particularly when you realize that the 2 additional episodes you get in the USA version vs. the UK version were meant to have existed before, and the Brits cut them for cost; meaning, these aren't a new addition, just a restoration.) Even the big ending 'whodunit' twist that was advertised, to my mind just came too late to do much other than fall flat, in terms of storytelling. I liked the actors that played the priest and Beth well enough, and the daughter and her boyfriend were perfectly tolerable, but otherwise I found the acting to be painfully wooden---particularly Ellie Miller's character... and even my much beloved David Tennant. Maybe he was just too focused on the American accent to act as well as he is able, but side by side, the Broadchurch performance was nuanced and powerful, and this one felt more like a rote recitation of lines. I just don't understand all the positive reviews of people who've seen both.I almost NEVER have totally negative things to say about TV shows or movies; I can always find something worth seeing, but this? Flat, stiff, bland. The soundtrack was pleasing. Er, the whales were nice. My recommendation is to give this a pass entirely, and watch Broadchurch instead. And remember, that's two series' long, so you get the crime solving and the trial, which was amazing in its own right.

I looked forward every week to watch Gracepoint. I'm sad that it ended. It was captivating, with intriguing characters who all seem kind guilty. This is an example of a well made mystery show that doesn't need to show body parts to get better rating.All the actors were incredible but especially David Tennant, the lead detective, who is both annoying and captivating. Also Kevin Rankin who played the priest. You just couldn't tell if he is a healer or a criminal. Gracepoint was shot in Victoria B.C., a beautiful coastal town.The only flaw was the end. They should have spent more time showing the sick side of the person who committed the crime. I hope they'll have more episodes in the future.

I have agonized, and will stubbornly continue to, through this mess of a show which features NO, I repeat, NO likable characters. Ellie (played disappointingly by Breaking bad alum Anna Gunn) is clearly not cut out to be a detective in any way shape or form. Her partner Carver, is as stale and out of touch with humanity as an old loaf of bread. He's like a manically depressed, less entertaining Sheldon Cooper sans the bazzinga. The deceased child's' parents behavior and acting skills change on a week to week basis for no reason at all. And just when you are starting to like and appreciate Nolte's Pseudo-pedophile whale watcher, just when the character is starting to get a hint of depth, of course, he offs himself. I don't know exactly where the story is heading, but the guilt is being spotlighted mostly in the hands of the priest (cliché'), the father's work assistant (angry, cliché'), and the detective's own young son. For those who haven't figured it out yet, the kid ran away and ditched his bike. Based on his behavior at the funeral, I'm sure of that. So, in all likelihood, the killer will be none of those characters and will actually end up being somebody stupid and ancillary like the grandma. (You heard it here first.) I'm preparing for an end of Lost kind of stupidity with this ending, and I'll be very surprised if the payoff exceeds my expectations. This is because the whole thing feels like a waste of time, and even though my OCD prevents me from simply tuning out, (I have too much time invested) I will slog my way through the last three hours, none-the-less, with barf bag in hand, waiting to be disappointed some more, and lamenting the hours wasted on this drivel, no better than any individual episode of Law and Order, just agonizingly longer.