What’s Worth Watching: ‘Broadchurch’ Returns for Season 2

Broadchurch, “Episode 1” (Wednesday, March 4, 10/9c, BBC America)

At first glance, Season 1 of the U.K. export Broadchurch had a very basic procedural element to it: after a young child is found murdered, a team of mismatched detectives search a small town full of eccentric characters to find his killer. But as the show progressed, it morphed into a hauntingly rich and beautiful study of human emotion, specifically the grief experienced by parents, siblings, neighbors and friends.

That grief continues in tonight’s Season 2 opener as the town gathers for Joe Miller’s (Matthew Gravelle) trial. But Broadchurch truly shines when its two lead detectives, David Tennant’s Alec Hardy and Olivia Colman’s Ellie Miller, share the screen and dig deep into the damaged souls they carry through this sleepy seaside town.