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Fall Preview: Should You Visit Gracepoint?

Primetimer

By Primetimer
in Gracepoint [V]

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Debenham

Debenham

I mean, they're gonna change the ending, right? Or else...? Also, I don't want to see David Tennant unless he's saying "morrrderrr" in every scene. I questioned Chris O'Dowd's Irish-cop-in-America for about 2 seconds in Bridesmaids. I don't understand the need to keep making European actors adopt American accents. Fix all my larger TV issues, Sarah, is what I mean here.

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attica

attica

I'm disturbed to see FOX going with the promo clip of Tennant trying to intone "We will catch whoever did this" while trying to tamp down that burr (with the same camera work and all!). Of all the clips to use, why do they have to use a revamped version of the one I still say out loud to myself and giggle when I'm puttering in the kitchen? ("We will catdgch hooevfer ded thess")

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Kat

Kat

I've had misgivings about this remake for months! Yet, I will undoubtedly watch every single episode Fox puts on the air, mostly because I love Nick Nolte and Jacki Weaver something fierce. And I am curious as hell, after reading several articles/interviews on the subject, about how they/if they are going to change the ending.

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trog

trog

I am happy that they are changing the ending. The ending for the original seemed to be: Well, we haven't accused this character yet, so he's the murderer! It did create some heart-wrenching moments at the end, but felt like a letdown overall.

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gonzosgirrl

gonzosgirrl

The words "David Tennant" are enough to get me to watch, and I saw, loved and now ownBroadchurch. They have repeatedly said that there will be a different ending, and despite the first few episodes being pretty much verbatim, the ensuing episodes will be different. I followed the old thread on TWOP and can't even count how many people complained about the British accents being 'too much' (no matter how facile I find that idea). So, while BBC America and Netflix do offer the opportunity to see the original, clearly lots didn't. I'm a huge Tennant fan and as such, I'm thrilled that his talent will be exposed to a much wider audience.

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Mercyseat

Mercyseat

This is so disappointing. I had hoped that they would make the story diiferent but from the snippets we've seen, every bit is word for word and beat for beat: Ellie's son deleting his computer files, Ellie asking Hardy/Carver to call her by her first name, the hotel owner chastising someone in her bar about being more worried about losing business than the death of the boy, Hardy/Carver awkwardly propositioning the hotel owner.....I could go on. I was excited to see that Matt Roush was giving his first impressions after seeing the first seven episodes last week as FOX claimed that the plot veered away from Broadchurch after episode three. Roush confirmed my worst fears that all seven episodes were exactly the same as Broadchurch down to the beats in the character's speech and the few tiny changes to the plot were all for the worse. The only positive thing was that Virginia Krull was good but apparently David Tennant fails to bring Hardy/Carver to life and his slips in the accent distract too much from performance which Roush thought was poor and unconvincing. FOX really deserve this to fail try and what a waste of such good talent. Boo FOX, boo. I suggest getting the box set of Broadchurch 2 when it comes out and give this a miss!

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EllieH

EllieH

Thanks for the review Sarah! I was suspicious from the commercials I'd seen that it was going to be the same, and if the pilot is basically a remake of the Broadchurch pilot, I think I'll be staying away until its clear they've completely overhauled the rest of the story/ made it their own.

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Mercyseat

Mercyseat

The whole thing is a complete word for word and scene for scene remake. This has been confirmed by critics who have seen the first seven episodes. FOX lied about it deviating after episode 3 so they are probably also lying that the killer will be different. I am letting people know this is the case as the publicity is very misleading. Anyway, you can see from the trailers and case files FOX are putting out on their YouTube channel that it is an exact remake. You can literally see the exact and I mean exact same direction of the cast member in the Gracepoint scene compared to the Broadchurch scene. There has been no attempt to stamp any kind of originality on this project. Expect this to be get an absolute lashing from critics. The failure of the show will finally kill of Tennant's efforts to launch a US career but doubt it will harm any of the bigger names but I do feel sorry for the first timers or younger actors who thought this project might act as an elevator for their careers. Wonder how soon before they realised that they had been duped. Sorry to sound so bitter but the cynicism of this entire project is astounding. I had liked David Tennant before, but his casting and the diffident way he appears to be playing the part (and the lack of preparation of his American accent) just smacks of easy bucks to me.

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dbrits

dbrits

I've watched Broadchurch multiple times and I still enjoy each viewing, so even if the entirety of Gracepoint is a frame-by-frame remake - which it's not - I'll still watch it.

 

Broadchurch struck me as a character study rather than a murder mystery.  I didn't find the "whodunit" aspect as engaging as how the characters interacted and reacted to the circumstances.  I expect Gracepoint to be much the same.  However, with different actors and plot variations - however slight they might be - the final product is going to be different.  The cast has me especially excited.  I'm curious to see the changes David Tennant bring to his character and I can't wait to see what Anna Gunn and Nick Nolte do with their roles.  While the overall difference probably won't be drastic it's still going to be different and, IMHO, worth watching even if you've seen and enjoyed Broadchurch. 

 

That being said, Broadchurch hardly received any exposure outside of those who actually pay attention to these sorts of things.  It's not on Netflix or Amazon Prime.  It aired on BBC America in the US and they edited important scenes out of the show to make room for commercials.  (Idiots.)  Even though the broadcast networks have been floundering in the quality of their shows, the exposure they can give Gracepoint can easily eclipse BBC America's efforts with Broadchurch.  I can understand why FOX decided to remake Broadchurch.  It's an unfortunate truth that although Broadchurch was amazing and worth watching, hardly anyone on this side of the pond saw it.  And as an American it pains me to admit that yes, the accents are a barrier for some viewers.  While it's too early to know if Gracepoint will be as good as Broadchurch, if you've never seen the original then I think there's a fair chance that you might like Gracepoint because you won't know what you've missed. 

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Eozostrodon

Eozostrodon

(edited)

The whole thing is a complete word for word and scene for scene remake. This has been confirmed by critics who have seen the first seven episodes. FOX lied about it deviating after episode 3 so they are probably also lying that the killer will be different. I am letting people know this is the case as the publicity is very misleading. Anyway, you can see from the trailers and case files FOX are putting out on their YouTube channel that it is an exact remake. You can literally see the exact and I mean exact same direction of the cast member in the Gracepoint scene compared to the Broadchurch scene. There has been no attempt to stamp any kind of originality on this project. Expect this to be get an absolute lashing from critics. The failure of the show will finally kill of Tennant's efforts to launch a US career but doubt it will harm any of the bigger names but I do feel sorry for the first timers or younger actors who thought this project might act as an elevator for their careers. Wonder how soon before they realised that they had been duped. Sorry to sound so bitter but the cynicism of this entire project is astounding. I had liked David Tennant before, but his casting and the diffident way he appears to be playing the part (and the lack of preparation of his American accent) just smacks of easy bucks to me.

I'm sorry but I don't agree that it accurate. I don't think you can make such large assumptions on a handful of trailers/clips and the one TV Guide review Matt Roush wrote after seeing the first seven episodes. No one except those who worked on the programme and the Fox and Kudos execs have seen the final three episodes. I know from my own connection that the ending is indeed different, there is a new small subplot about Carver's family not in the original, and the relationships between Carver and Gemma and the two journalists play out a little differently to Broadchurch. Even Roush said there were differences in the first seven episodes, just small ones and ones he disliked.

 

David won the role fairly over the American actors who auditioned for it. He worked his arse off on his American accent, I saw him. I'm not American so I can't judge his accent but he can't have worked harder than he did, both on the accent and in general. Most of the critics have actually praised his accent (and praised Gracepoint overall). Matt Roush is the only critic who's seen more than the first episode and given it a bad review, and his review was mainly "Broadchurch was so perfect, why remake it." Which is a fair comment but the target audience is people who, unlike the critics, won't be familiar with Broadchurch.

 

I'm not expecting too much, and I completely understand why fans of Broadchurch are baffled by or just hate the idea of a US remake. I probably would feel the same way. But it's such a high quality production I doubt it will be a disaster. Even if the ratings are really bad with all David's other offers and new projects it won't affect his US career much. Not that he's really pursued a US career that actively.

Edited by Eozostrodon
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pfk505

pfk505

I considered watching this until I saw the awful shot-for-shot remade scenes in the trailer. I think the show might have worked if they had stamped some original thought on the story, setting, and theme. It was filmed in my home town, so I had added incentive, but no way will I be (re)watching it.

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Mercyseat

Mercyseat

Pfk505 I agree and this is the frustration. With such a good cast, why couldn't they have made at least a tiny effort to make this different or individualise it? They must have been filming for a while and it can't have been a cheap production. Sounds as though they basically used the same shooting script and just tweaked it slightly. No one who saw the original is going to want to devote ten weeks to see the exact same thing for the benefit of a couple of new scenes. Anyway, sorry for the rant but the greed and stupidity of the producers is so frustrating in ruining what might have been an interesting take. Not going to waste my time on this but won't be too surprised if this is shelved before it gets to episode four. And David Tennant will be absolutely demolished by the British press for this failure.

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dbrits

dbrits

(edited)

No one who saw the original is going to want to devote ten weeks to see the exact same thing for the benefit of a couple of new scenes.

 

I've seen the original and I plan on watching Gracepoint.  I'm confident that I'm not alone in this either - and that we'll be treated to more than just a few new scenes.  It bears repeating that most TV viewers in the US haven't seen Broadchurch so they'll have no original to which they can compare it.

 

I considered watching this until I saw the awful shot-for-shot remade scenes in the trailer. I think the show might have worked if they had stamped some original thought on the story, setting, and theme. It was filmed in my home town, so I had added incentive, but no way will I be (re)watching it.

 

I'm genuinely curious about what constitutes enough "original thought" to entice someone who's seen Broadchurch to watch Gracepoint.  Those who appear to be complaining loudest about the remake have obviously seen Broadchurch.  If they know about Gracepoint then I'm going to make the generous assumption that they're aware that per FOX, the first two or three episodes will be extremely similar to the source material because they need to set forth the major premises for the rest of the series.  After that the plot will begin to deviate and take its own path to the conclusion.  Plus, you have different actors that will bring a different dynamic to the characters and their interactions.  It's set in a different country. (By the way, the seascape area around Victoria is gorgeous and I'm quite excited to see it on TV.)  Even if the differences aren't drastic enough for someone who has seen the original, they're still differences which means the entirety of Gracepoint will not be a shot-for-shot remake of the original.

Edited by dbrits
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Eozostrodon

Eozostrodon

(edited)

Pfk505 I agree and this is the frustration. With such a good cast, why couldn't they have made at least a tiny effort to make this different or individualise it? They must have been filming for a while and it can't have been a cheap production. Sounds as though they basically used the same shooting script and just tweaked it slightly. No one who saw the original is going to want to devote ten weeks to see the exact same thing for the benefit of a couple of new scenes. Anyway, sorry for the rant but the greed and stupidity of the producers is so frustrating in ruining what might have been an interesting take. Not going to waste my time on this but won't be too surprised if this is shelved before it gets to episode four. And David Tennant will be absolutely demolished by the British press for this failure.

Fox are contractually obligated to show all the episodes, they can't shelve it.

Edited by Eozostrodon
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Desperately Random

Desperately Random

 No one who saw the original is going to want to devote ten weeks to see the exact same thing for the benefit of a couple of new scenes.

I'm going to have to prove you wrong because I saw Broadchurch (and loved it) and I am very much looking forward to seeing Gracepoint. I knew it was going to be a remake and would closely follow the original, which is fine with me. The different actors and setting will make it a different show in minor ways. I don't need to see changes being made just to make changes. Broadchurch was very a well done story and I would actually prefer that they not differentiate too much from the original. This was such a character driven story that with a whole new cast there will be a new dynamic between the characters and that in itself will make this different enough from Broadchurch without adding plots or unnecessary characters.

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Nessie

Nessie

I'm going to have to prove you wrong because I saw Broadchurch (and loved it) and I am very much looking forward to seeing Gracepoint. I knew it was going to be a remake and would closely follow the original, which is fine with me. The different actors and setting will make it a different show in minor ways. I don't need to see changes being made just to make changes. Broadchurch was very a well done story and I would actually prefer that they not differentiate too much from the original. This was such a character driven story that with a whole new cast there will be a new dynamic between the characters and that in itself will make this different enough from Broadchurch without adding plots or unnecessary characters.

I agree with you, Desperately Random, and dbrits above.  I also saw and enjoyed Broadchurch and have been looking forward to Gracepoint.  In a way, I even wish they weren't changing any of it, because as you say, a different cast and location will bring changes. The ending of Broadchurch had such an emotional impact, and I can't think of any other murderer who would have quite the same effect.  Actually, I can think of one more, but I doubt FOX will go there.  Still, I'm interested to see what they'll do.  I look at it as like going to see a play, or even a remake of a movie.  I would be very disappointed if I went to see a revival of, say, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof only to find out that they changed the ending because some people had already seen the original.

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Eozostrodon

Eozostrodon

Interesting review from someone who hasn't seen Broadchurch.

http://www.untemperedtv.com/?p=1789

 

 

As for Gracepoint, the pilot episode is utterly gripping. Lately, we’ve had a surplus of a season-long murder mystery arcs on shows like The Killing, True Detective and others but Gracepoint certainly arrives on the scene in a way that feels fresh and wonderfully distinct. David Tennant’s doing some compelling work, but Anna Gunn gives the performance to watch. As Detective Miller, she’s able to expertly navigate the intersection of emotions as she tries to be professional while emotionally invested in the case and upset that she was passed over for a recent promotion. What’s most striking is how much you don’t feel like you’re just watching Skylar White on a different show; she’s doing a terrific job making this character stand out as its own unique character. The pilot is excellent from beginning to end, slowly letting the mystery unfold, capturing the tone of the town pre and post murder with great effectiveness and thriving in the family dynamics that ultimately set this show apart.

 

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dbrits

dbrits

(edited)

My biggest concern is Gracepoint being trounced in the ratings.  Its first few episodes are against Thursday Night Football on CBS.  If there's one thing that Americans like to watch more than murder-mystery shows, it's football.

Edited by dbrits
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Keekski

Keekski

(edited)

I've seen the previews and I'm pretty interested, but it totally reminded me of The Killing (which I never finished watching). I don't know anything about Broadchurch. 

Edited by Keekski
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Moo

Moo

I'm with those who think this is rather pointless. Before the internet and the access to TV from around the globe, it made some sense to remake. Still usually ended up crap, but at least it made sense. Now though, why not just watch the original. I mean okay, I'm not that naive - they do it for mullah. But the audience - why don't they just watch the original?

I don't want to watch DT struggle through an American accent. I have no interest seeing if Anna Gunn can be as feisty and fabulous as (should be) Dame Olivia Coleman. I have no interest in watching yet another cash-in make its way to Americans' tellies, when they could have just watched the first one.

Also, I don't know if I'm the only one, but I guessed the murderer in the first episode of Broadchurch simply because he was the only one who didn't look suspicious. And I held that belief until lo and behold it came true. TV has made me this cynical.

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Constantinople

Constantinople

I'm with those who think this is rather pointless. Before the internet and the access to TV from around the globe, it made some sense to remake. Still usually ended up crap, but at least it made sense. Now though, why not just watch the original.

 

Why should we be forced to watch a show filmed in a foreign country with a bunch of actors who don't even speak our language?

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Shermie

Shermie

You mean English? I assume you're being facetious.

The pearl-clutching over Tennant's American accent is amusing - what is an American accent anyway? Go to Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, New Jersey, Brooklyn, Minnesota, Michigan - you'll hear seven different accents. Or are we talking generic newscaster (non) accent?

I don't see why Tennant couldn't play the role and speak in his native accent, is that so difficult for viewers to grasp?

I saw Broadchurch and didn't really see the point of a remake, FOX could just buy the rights and air the original. But I know how twitchy some Americans get about "foreign" TV, and many successful sitcoms were remakes of British ones, so I understand the thinking. I will probably watch, but it's airing against Scandal, isn't it? That could be a tough fight for ratings.

As for remaking it just the same, well why not? The original was good just the way it was. It ticks me off when they make a movie of a book I've read and then change all kinds of stuff.

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Desperately Random

Desperately Random

Broadchurch was already a remake of another show from.....I forget but somewhere on the Continent, so Constantinople is referring to the original, which is in a different language.

Broadchurch is not a remake. It is an original series written by Chris Chibnall. If you're thinking it is a remake of Forbrydelsen  then you're wrong. Forbrydelsen was remade as The Killing. Having seen all three series, I can see why someone who hasn't seen them might think that Broadchurch was based on Forbrydelsen but having seen them, it's clear that isn't true.

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Eozostrodon

Eozostrodon

Broadchurch definitely wasn't a remake of anything. I know what you're referring to, but those articles were wrong and the media making assumptions. Chris actually developed and started work on Broadchurch a good ten years before it ended up on air, a few years before the show some journalists have called it a remake of. Though it's very likely that the success of those Scandi dramas paved the way for Broadchurch being greenlit.

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Dust Bunny

Dust Bunny

 

As for remaking it just the same, well why not? The original was good just the way it was. It ticks me off when they make a movie of a book I've read and then change all kinds of stuff.

I kind of agree with you. But we're being told Gracepoint isn't Broadchurch. If the contexts are supposed to be different, I wish it wouldn't be a shot-by-shot remake. There are some iconic shots I remember from Broadchurch that are exactly what Gracepoint's promos show. I think that misses out on some potential organic originality that a truly new context could bring. 

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maraleia

maraleia

Hey guys, this whole thread is full of spoilers, and it ain't supposed to be.  I didn't see Broadchurch yet, am looking forward to seeing Gracepoint, and I don't want to hear the plot, whether it is or isn't the same.  Sheesh.

Since this thread has a link to a PTV article comparing both shows spoilers are perfectly acceptable here. I will add a spoiler tag to the thread for easy reference.

Thanks your friendly mod maraleia

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DittyDotDot

DittyDotDot

When the show aired I read many times that it was a remake, but not of Forbrydelsen, of another non-English show.  If those sources were incorrect, then my bad, but I do remember reading that it was a remake on many different occasions.

 

Broadchurch wasn't a remake. It's in the same vein as a few other shows, though, and probably what those articles were alluding to. It's one case for a whole season and it dips far more into the lives of the detectives and their interaction with the community than the victim unlike traditional who-done-its. Broadchurch was really more a study of a community and what happens to that community when tragedy strikes more than it was an actual procedural, IMO. Shows like Forbrydelsen, The Killing, Broadchurch, True Detective and such are all the rage right now, but none of them are exact copies of each other, they all have their own uniqueness, characters and cases. Gracepoint is an actual remake in the sense that they are using the same basic characters and the same case. Personally, I'm not sure of the point of it, but I plan to watch and see if I find one. Also, love me some David Tenant, so there's also that.

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