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- BBC America
- Jan 1, 2023
- BBC America
- Jan 1, 2023
Summary As West Yorkshire police sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) works on a kidnapping case, she spots Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), the man she believes drove her daughter to commit suicide, in town.
Created By: Sally Wainwright
- BBC America
- Jan 1, 2023
- BBC America
- Jan 1, 2023
Summary As West Yorkshire police sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) works on a kidnapping case, she spots Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), the man she believes drove her daughter to commit suicide, in town.
Created By: Sally Wainwright
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Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
93
100% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
93
100% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
It's a profound look at family, morality, and the harshness of life. We've waited seven years for it to arrive, and every single second was worth the wait.
There’s a grandeur to Sally Wainwright’s conception matched by Lancashire’s role-of-a-lifetime performance which puts Happy Valley way up there in the pantheon of British TV drama achievements.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 User Ratings
7.1
77% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
3% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
20% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 User Ratings
7.1
77% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
3% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
20% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
Our Catherine, she's been through it. One of the best shows of the last 20 years, maybe ever.
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SEASON 3
Watch this show! Watch all the seasons. Blows so many others out of the water... this is what drama can and should be. Complex family relationships... what would you do if a beloved person in your life betrayed you thinking they were really helping another beloved person in your life? There are no easy answers, no sudden "well guess that's all over" and perhaps no redemption. The ending is realistic, Catherine is Catherine throughout, principled, unwavering, caring and abrasive when needed. Only deduct 1 pt because it seemed a bit slow at times, as if there was an effort to fill an extra 20 minutes or so. A minor issue in an otherwise perfect piece.
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SEASON 3
Although Happy Valley is the kind of gripping drama that shouldn’t typically warrant laughter, Sally Wainwright brilliantly manages to weave in comedic lines – yet again – into scenes. ... Lancashire's multi-pronged performance – as a doting grandmother, a sister, a policewoman, a manager, and even a confidante for coercive controlling relationships – never ceases to amaze.
Wainwright knows how to do a proper sendoff that speaks to the series’ many recurring themes, pays homage to its troubled locale, and honors its affecting stories. While there’s not much happiness to find in Happy Valley, there’s the right amount of satisfaction in the glimmer of hope that we get a peek of at the end.
In order to set up a satisfyingly visceral conclusion, Wainwright forces the action and pushes at plausibility a little harder than those viewers will be used to. The story’s focus also is diluted by her indulgence of characters from the first two seasons who are brought back but not given much to do. Those offenses are minor, though. And the mechanics of the plot fade in the face of the prodigious performances by Lancashire and Norton.
Wainwright strikes a delicate balance between intimate character study and increasingly complex crime drama. Plot layers give Happy Valley more scope and suspense, while remaining digestible.
One of the best mystery/thriller series going delivers the intensity in its third and final season. Unfortunately, it stumbles near the finale, speeding through and forsaking the resolution of a new murder so it can get to the chewy stuff. ... Given this is the final season, it’s not that big of a deal-breaker. ... I just wish there would have been one more episode to wrap up that other crime.
With police procedurals and detective tales both loved and a dime a dozen in the UK, Happy Valley continues to offer something different, rich and satisfying. This is testament to the cast not least the phenomenal Sarah Lancashire and the writers (Sally Wainwright). It is moving, funny and beautiful to look at. The story in S3 does tread familiar ground and pushes the limits of credibility but why not go out in a blaze of glory. This is just great TV.
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SEASON 3
A decent final season of a wonderful TV show. You can't shake the feeling that the ending is a bit inconsistent and has a rushed feel, almost as if they ran out of time. Season one was a stone-cold phenomenon so not sure how season 3 has a better critic score, perhaps they were rating the whole show?
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SEASON 3