This Gritty 10/10 Police Drama Is One of the Most Addictive Binges on TV

There are many types of crime shows out there, from police procedurals where every clue leads down a deeper rabbit hole, to paranormal investigations, to emotionally charged character dramas that are less about the mystery, and more about the struggles the protagonists face when confronted with true evil.

If you’re looking for the latter, Happy Valley remains the gold standard when it comes to visceral, gut-wrenching, wildly suspenseful crime dramas. Very few TV shows are able to weave this kind of raw, emotional storytelling into a gritty, tense plot so skillfully. The three-season UK series is one of the most addictive, satisfying and compelling TV shows ever made.

‘Happy Valley’ Is One of the Best Crime Series Ever Made

When we talk about great crime dramas, a few shows come to mind. The first season of True Detective. Other HBO masterpieces, like The Wire and Mare of Easttown. FX’s heart-pounding The Shield, or AMC’s Breaking Bad. British series such as Unforgotten or the first season of Broadchurch. Happy Valley ranks among the best of these.

The series takes place in the Calder Valley of West Yorkshire, and follows police sergeant, Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), a middle-aged divorcee who raises her young grandson with the help of her sister, Clare (Siobhan Finneran), recovering addict. The first season revolves around the kidnapping and ransom of a young woman. One of the kidnappers, Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), has a troubling connection to Catherine and her family.

What begins as a kidnapping-for-ransom plot quickly spirals into a far darker story about violence, abuse, generational trauma, and moral reckoning. It follows a very similar structure to FX’s excellent first season of Fargo, which also came out in 2014. In both shows, a normal citizen, whose selfishness and resentment propels them into a criminal act, sets off a series of unfortunate events, ultimately leading to awful, unintended consequences for everyone around them.

But where Fargo is a dark comedy, Happy Valley is a character drama that focuses much more on the human cost of these selfish choices and, perhaps more importantly, the extraordinary resilience and courage people can muster when confronted with “the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men,” to borrow from Pulp Fiction. Whereas Fargo is largely a cynical take on human nature, Happy Valley — in spite of its dark subject matter — is ultimately a story about hope.

‘Happy Valley’ Has Some of the Best Performances In TV History

Two things set Happy Valley apart from the vast majority of crime dramas.

First, the primary antagonist, Tommy Lee Royce, is one of TV’s greatest villains. He’s also one of the most terrifying TV villains of all time. Be warned, this show is not for the faint of heart. Royce is a charismatic monster with virtually no redeeming qualities. I can’t get into details without spoiling the series, but even monstrous villains like Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) from Game of Thrones or the killer from True Detective‘s first season pale in comparison to Royce, if only because his wickedness is so much more plausible. Norton is frighteningly believable in this role, to the point that seeing him in shows like the recent King & Conqueror still gives me chills.

The main draw of Happy Valley, however, is Sarah Lancashire’s absolutely stunning performance. When it comes to crime dramas, there are a few performances that stand head and shoulders above the rest. Matthew McConaughey‘s breathtaking turn as Rust Cohle in True Detective. Bryan Cranston‘s phenomenal, career-defining take on Walter White from Breaking Bad. And, of course, James Gandolfini, who effectively became Tony Soprano in The Sopranos. Lancashire’s heartbreaking performance in Happy Valley stands shoulder-to-shoulder with each of these. Her Catherine is hard but vulnerable, broken by a tragic past but still courageous. Catherine is filled with both compassion and sorrow, and a world-weary sense of humor glimmering around the edges.

Of course, these performances are only possible thanks to the exceptional writing of the show’s creator, Sally Wainwright, whose other credits include Last Tango In Halifax, Scott & Bailey, and this year’s Riot Women. Very few shows paint such a vivid yet honest portrait of their heroes and villains.

The first two seasons of Happy Valley aired consecutively in 2014 and 2016. Season 3 came out seven years later, in 2023 and serves as a final reckoning of sorts, tying up all the loose ends, and bringing us full circle in one of TV’s best and most satisfying series finales.

All three seasons offer up gritty, brutal depictions of violence, edge-of-your-seat suspense and complex protagonists, while delving into the complexities of grief, trauma and human nature. You can — and you should — watch all three seasons now on BritBox.d

Release Date

2014 – 2023-00-00

Directors

Sally Wainwright, euros lyn, Tim Fywell, Neasa Hardiman, Patrick Harkins, Fergus O’Brien

Writers

Sally Wainwright

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