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David Tennant is a legend when it comes to British television. While most know him for his role as the Tenth Doctor inDoctor Who, several other notable projects have made him the icon he is. From playing the role of Kilgrave in Marvel’sJessica Jonesto embodying the essence of Crowley inGood Omens, he is certainly one of the most talented actors in television.
While these are some of his best-known works, he has also been a part of a criminally underrated series,Broadchurch.While fans of the series can talk about the masterpiece for hours on end, what better way to find out about how good the show is than from Tennant himself?
During an interview, the actor talked about how the show has had a great influence on British television. While the UK series did have a lasting impact, the same cannot be said about the American adaptation.
David Tennant andBroadchurch—The Revolutionaries
During an interview withIndieWire,David Tennantwas asked to talk about his hit 2013 series,Broadchurch.Although the show is not very well known in the US, it is one of the UK’s most celebrated shows, and for good reason. While the concept wasn’t anything unique, following cops and crime, the way that the show tackled the genre was revolutionary in every way possible.
Tennantspoke on exactly this during the interview, mentioning how even though this may make him sound vain, he often thinks about how influential the series has been. The show brought about a complexity in their characters that fans hadn’t seen until this point.
Because it’s not really like much else. It has a sort of peace to it and a way of examining characters that you don’t often get in TV drama. I don’t know in the U.S. — and this is just, of course, self-centered egotism — but I do often see things coming on the TV in the U.K. and thinking, “That’s a show that wouldn’t exist before ‘Broadchurch.’”
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With this in mind, it is only natural that other shows in the country follow the blueprint that they created. The actor then went on to mention that, all jokes aside, he does think that the show has had such a great influence on television because they tried something new.
It feels like it’s had an influence and I think that’s just because Chris [Chibnall] created something very new and at the same time recognizably truthful and honest and something that just caught the public’s imagination. I’m hugely grateful to have been part of that story.
Tennant also added that to have been a part of something that left such a lasting mark was a great achievement for the actor.
Imitations and Failures
There is no denying that 2012’sBroadchurchwas a masterpiece in every definition of the word. It had an excellent cast of actors, including Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker, and Jonathan Bailey. On top of impressing the fans, the series also managed to catch the attention of the critics, having a 92% rating onRotten Tomatoes.
Unfortunately, there has been a common trend in Hollywood of remaking popular British shows for an American audience. Although sometimes, they end up outperforming the original series, oftentimes, they fail to gain any traction.
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In 2014, Fox released an American remake of the series, calledGracepoint,with the sole purpose of appealing to an American audience. What was interesting about this show was that David Tennant was also a part of it, playing a different character with a completely new cast. Unfortunately for the new series, trying to imitate perfection is a slippery slope that very few can navigate.
The show did not get much attention, regardless of having a lot going for it. Having a 65% rating onRotten Tomatoes,Gracepointwas canceled after its first season.
Broadchurchis available for streaming on Prime Video.
Ananya Godboley
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2219
Ananya Godboley is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows, with over 2,000 articles published. She has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years. Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology from K.R. Mangalam University, Ananya also likes to fangirl as a full-time job. She covers news and analyses on anything from Rick and Morty to Hannibal and even Arcane. In between these lines, she also enjoys superheroes and Taylor Swift.A philosophy enthusiast, Ananya enjoys digging deeper into the media she consumes, trying to understand the root of her favorite characters' behavior.
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