Entertainment

It takes a village

GRIM WORK: David Tennant and Olivia Colman play Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller, investigating the murder of a young boy, whose mother (Jodie Whittaker, inset) reacts to seeing her son’s body in the series opener. (
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The British crime drama “Broadchurch” premiered last March in England, averaging close to 10 million viewers on ITV for its eight-episode run — terrific UK TV numbers.

And now I know why.

“Broadchurch” won’t premiere here until Aug. 7, but I can tell you that, after watching the first two episodes, it’s that good — and I’m a tough customer when it comes to episodic TV drama.

While British television isn’t immune to bad drama, its output tends to be of high quality — there’s something about the tone of these shows — the acting, cinematography and even the music — that just feels right, and I’m including “Downton Abbey,” “The Hour,” “Ripper Street” and “Copper” in that evocative group.

You can add “Broadchurch” to the list.

On the surface, it seems like a cookie-cutter crime drama — two mismatched cops investigating the murder of an 11-year-old boy in a coastal village. But early in the first episode, we learn there’s a lot more than meets the eye — and there’s no time wasted in offering up plot points and potential red-herrings. There are a number of characters who could have committed the heinous murder — they’re trotted out like an old episode of “Perry Mason” — but I didn’t feel emotionally manipulated. In fact, I felt more drawn into the story, which revolves around the murder of young Danny Latimer, discovered dead on the beach. Anyone and everyone is a suspect — among them Danny’s father (Andrew Buchan), the creepy woman who lives on the beach, a mailman and the local hotelier. Very “Twin Peaks”-ish.

The acting here is first-rate, and the two adversarial cops investigating the case — Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) — despise each other just enough to create a palatable tension.

The second episode is even more provocative, as we learn more about the village’s seamy underbelly, its questionable characters and also more about the brooding Hardy.

Riveting.