Mixed reception to Gracepoint, the US adaptation of Broadchurch

Broadchurch remake Gracepoint has received a half-hearted response from critics following it's premiere on US TV.

The majority of critics, though unable to find any major faults in Gracepoint, just felt there was little point in the remake.

After it's opening episode, Gracepoint scored 63 per cent on Metacritic, a website which collates review scores. Broadchurch had a Metacritic score of 91 per cent.

Broadchurch star David Tennant reprises his lead role as a surly outsider detective heading the investigation into the murder of a young boy found dead in a small town.

In the American remake, Breaking Bad's Anna Gunn takes over from Olivia Colman in the role of his partner, who was in line for the job that has been given to Tennant's character.

Broadchurch played out over eight episodes, gradually unravelling the relationships and secrets of the residents in the small town until the killer was revealed, winning rave reviews, top ratings and awards to boot.

Gracepoint, which is 10 episodes long, follows the same plot until episode seven, when there will apparently be a plot twist for those who have seen Broadchurch, which screened in the US on BBC America.

The Hollywood Reporter's Tim Goodman wrote: "Why would you not seek out the original, which has completed its first-season run to widespread critical acclaim, instead of risking the American version, which tacks on another couple of episodes to muck it up?

"Why tamper with success?

"That notion is made evermore murky by the fact that the original is an English-language production. It's not like they were speaking Farsi on Broadchurch. Despite a few accent quirks, there's nothing that should stop anyone who wants to watch from doing so. It's out there. It's in English. And it's better."

Variety's Brian Lowry comments the small town setting that made Broadchurch original now feels staid, and concluded: "While it's hard to pinpoint, Gracepoint can't help but feel as if something significant has been lost in translation."

But People's Steven J Snyder, who admitted he has not seen Broadchurch, wrote: "I come to Gracepoint with minimal baggage, no real expectations and piqued curiosity - and by the end of the premiere episode, I was thoroughly hooked by this dark blend of mysterious corpses, police department feuds and the shifting sands of a picturesque community coming undone."

 

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