Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I find myself eschewing American TV lately for these absorbingly realistic British series. The people in this show quickly seem real and transport you effortlessly into being part of their fictional world. In Broadchurch, the seaside town is a seemingly caring, close-knit small community. Their warmth and connection to one another is heartening, and immediately puts the viewer on notice that the murder of one the village's children will affect all who live there. The newcomer is the new DI Alec Hardy, who has taken the spot from his new assistant Ellie Miller while she was on vacation. References to a dark past make you wonder about his brusque, almost-pompous attitude, and heightens the tension between him and the close-knit police force & neighborhood he has dropped into at the start of investigating the worst crime the town has supposedly seen, the murder of an 11-year-old boy. I enjoy how normal and non-stereotyped the British actors in this police show are, and the dialogue rings true and succinct. Also, not having visited, the scenes of this British beach town are a delight to see. I look forward to continuing to watch the investigation unfold as well as learning the deeper emotional lives of this multi-faceted program. Why can't American producers use real-looking characters instead of showing us stories populated with character "types" and starring "beautiful" people of normal sizes and shapes?