A Review Of 'Gracepoint' Which Doesn't Compare It To 'Broadchurch'

I'm no different than any other TV critic. There is more good television to watch than there are hours of the day and sometimes you just need to do a bit of triage. One of the things I decided not to watch was the British drama "Broadchurch" when it aired on BBC America last year. The show was critically acclaimed and every TV critic I knew raved about it. But when it premiered I was in the middle of a brutal project and frankly I just didn't have the time to deal with it.

So I found myself in a unique situation when I approached the new Fox drama "Gracepoint." The show is an adaptation of "Broadchurch" and when I say "adaptation," know that I use the term very loosely. Both versions of the show star David Tennant and apparently there are many scenes that are shot in the same way as the original. Think of "Gracepoint" as the television equivalent of a band going in to record new versions of the their greatest hits. It's not quite the original you know and love, but is that a bad thing?

Nearly every review I've read about "Gracepoint" focuses on the comparisons between it and "Broadchurch" and while I can understand the need to write about that, it's not something that really matters to most viewers. I try to subscribe to the Gene Siskel theory of criticism, which argues that critics should review what's on the screen. Not the show they wish it would be, or the show that it could have been. What will a viewer who comes to the show without any preconceived notions experience when they watch it? Using that approach, I can tell you that while "Gracepoint" isn't the best new show of the season, it's a solid drama that deserves the chance to stand on its own.

The show focuses on the search for the killer of 11-year-old Danny Solano, who snuck out of his house one night and was found dead the next morning at the base of the cliffs that define this small northern California town. David Tennant plays Detective Emmett Carver and he's more-or-less partnered with "Breaking Bad's" Anna Gunn (who plays Ellie Miller). At first glance, the dynamics of the show might seem predictable. Miller frets over the fact that Carver was brought to fill the supervisory role she thinks she deserved. Big-city detective Carver struggles to make sense of the town's dynamic and deal with his uneasy relationship with Miller.

But what makes "Gracepoint" work isn't the fact that it's a small town where everyone knows everyone else. It's the examination of what that means and how a seemingly tightknit community can begin to unravel under the pressure to solve such a jarring murder. The show is a complex and sometimes frustrating search for the truth and while not every moment is perfect, it's a breath of fresh air in a broadcast TV season that has brought such "fine" (cough) cop dramas as "Stalker."

I have no idea what the negative critical pre-buzz for the show will mean for its ultimate fate. All I can tell you is that as a critic who watched "Gracepoint" with no preconceived notions, I enjoyed the ride. The acting is solid, the look of the show is haunting and it's nice to have a drama that really makes you pay attention. I enjoyed "Broadchurch" in the same way that I enjoyed the first season of "The Killing." It's not a perfect show, but hey, I'm not a perfect viewer.

Ignore the buzz and watch "Gracepoint" with an open mind. I don't usually argue for the approach of ignoring TV critics. But that might be the best idea when it comes to this show.