One of the Greatest Crime Thrillers Ever Made Is Back to Amaze Netflix Viewers

One of the greatest crime thriller series of all time will soon call Netflix home, as the popular British favorite will be added to the streamer’s new crop of movies and TV shows next month. First released in 2013, the series in question starred Doctor Who alumni David Tennant and Olivia Colman as two agents of the law investigating the mysterious death of an 11-year-old boy.

Fans will immediately recognize the series to be Broadchurch based on the two stars listed above. For the uninitiated, the British crime thriller was all the rage for its entire three-season run, which took place between 2013 and 2017, and rightfully so. Broadchurch featured tremendous performances from its two leads, who were anything but your standard cops. Tennant was a flawed and vulnerable Detective Inspector struggling with his own demons, while Colman brought an emotionally charged sense of realism as a Detective Sergeant whose son may or may not have had something to do with the crime.

Also featuring standout performances by Jodie Whitaker and Andrew Buchan, Broadchurch is one of those series you can watch at least once a year, even if you already know the outcome. Its coastal setting provides an excellent backdrop that becomes a character unto itself, adding an even greater sense of foreboding atmosphere to the already haunting series. It might be a bit of a slow burn that takes time to unravel, but the end result is more than worth it. Check out the detailed synopsis of Broadchurch below:

“When the corpse of an 11-year-old British boy, Danny Latimer, is found bloodied and dirty on an idyllic beach, a small Dorset community becomes the focus of a police investigation and media madness. Out-of-town Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (Tennant) gets the point position over Detective Sgt. Ellie Miller (Colman) – who feels the job should have been hers. Now she must engage in an efficient working relationship with taciturn Hardy.

“Slowly, more members of the community of Broadchurch are drawn into the investigation, with a telephone engineer drawing great attention when he admits to a special connection to the case. While dealing with so much unwelcome attention, Danny’s family tries to cope with its grief. When a suspect is named and charged, the ensuing trial sees the defendant promising to expose more of the townspeople’s secrets.”

‘Broadchurch’ Received a Far Inferior Remake in 2014

Olivia Colman and David Tennant in Broadchurch

ITV

With the success of Broadchurch overseas, Fox decided to get in on the action by ordering a remake for American audiences titled Gracepoint in 2014. Like its British counterpart, the series was also created by Chris Chibnall and starred Tennant, this time as Detective Emmett Carver. Breaking Bad‘s Anna Gunn played the part of Detective Ellie Miller, and while her performance was second to none, the series overall felt a little off.

When put up against Broadchurch, Gracepoint lacked the emotional depth of the British series, and, to be frank, felt way too similar. It was almost a Mandela effect situation, which left a lot of viewers asking why remake it at all if it’s that faithful to the original? Swapping the coast of Dorsal for the coast of Northern California wasn’t enough, which led to Gracepoint being a far inferior entry in the genre.

For fans looking to relive all the mystery of Broadchurch, or for those eager to check it out for the first time, be sure to put it on your watchlist. All three seasons of the British crime thriller will be added to Netflix on November 1, 2025.