‘Happy Valley’ premiere review: Does Sarah Lancashire deliver on BBC’s new drama

No matter what you may say about the BBC, we will at least give them credit for continuing to take risks. “Happy Valley” is a police drama that tries to introduce at least a few interesting elements to the genre, including addicts, complicated cops, and some scenes that are pretty grisly for this network.

Also, there is an element of this show that global viewers will recognize in that Siobhan Finneran plays a role here following her turn as Mrs. O’Brien on “Downton Abbey,” even if the star of the show is Sarah Lancashire (“Mr. Selfridge”) as Catherine, a police Sargent who is forced to deal with the implications of having a man return to the world who was responsible for her daughter’s suicide.

So was there a quality show here under the screams, curse words, and multiple perspectives? What we would say for now is that this is a show based on “potential” that feels like a cross between “The Killing” (the U.S. version) and any other police drama that is out there. It’s not afraid to explore darkness, but also still struggles with some shifts in tone. Through the first five minutes or so, we actually thought that this was going to be a very different series when it comes to tone. That didn’t end up being the case at all by the time the show ended.

Lancashire did great stuff with the time given to her, but there are still issues that need to be worked out here … including more momentum. Catherine didn’t have enough to actually do until near the end of the episode, when you had a sort-of chase and the revelation of a kidnapping. Annie’s capture is the cliffhanger for this episode, and while this was a sad situation to watch unfold, it is at least enough of a cliffhanger (that and the acting) to make us want to watch again. Grade: B-.

What is your take on “Happy Valley,” and is this a series that you would be interested in watching again? Let us know your thoughts with a comment.

Photo: BBC One