Network: FOX
Episodes: 10 (hour)
Seasons: One
TV show dates: October 2, 2014 — December 11, 2014
Series status: Cancelled
Performers include: David Tennant, Anna Gunn, Michael Peña, Virginia Kull, Madalyn Horcher, Kendrick Sampson, Nick Nolte, Jacki Weaver, Kevin Rankin, Sarah-Jane Potts, Stephen Louis Grush, Kevin Zegers, Jessica Lucas, and Nikolas Filipovic.
TV show description:
Based on the Broadchurch TV show from the UK, this mystery series begins when a young boy is found dead on an idyllic beach. A major police investigation gets underway in the small northern California seaside town of Gracepoint where the tragedy occurred.
It’s soon deemed a homicide and the case turns neighbor against neighbor. A media frenzy sparks which throws the boy’s family into further turmoil and upends the lives of the town’s residents.
Detective Emmett Carver (David Tennant) recently arrived in Gracepoint to fill a high position in the town’s police force. That job had previously been promised to Detective Ellie Miller (Anna Gunn). In light of the tragedy, she must put aside any resentment and work the case with her prickly new boss.
Ellie must break the news of the crime to her doting husband Joe (Josh Hamilton) and her son Tom (Jack Irvine), who was the best friend of the murder victim, Danny (Nikolas Filipovic).
Danny is survived by his grieving parents, Mark (Michael Peña) and Beth Solano (Virginia Kull), and his rebellious older sister, Chloe (Madalyn Horcher). Unbeknownst to her parents, Chloe has an older boyfriend named Dean Iverson (Kendrick Sampson).
Other Gracepoint residents are also pulled into the investigation. Jack Reinhold (Nick Nolte) is a private man who runs the kayak rental service on the beach, as well as the local wildlife observation program (for which Danny volunteered).
Mysterious Susan Wright (Jacki Weaver) lives in the RV park near the coast with her dog. The town’s minister is Paul Coates (Kevin Rankin) and he becomes the de facto spokesperson as the media descends on the community.
Danny’s death also negatively impacts tourism. The decline in visitors is felt most harshly by hotel owner Gemma Fisher (Sarah-Jane Potts), a vivacious Brit with secrets of her own. Vince Novik (Stephen Louis Grush), Mark’s apprentice at his plumbing company, is also touched by Danny’s death.
The investigation is followed closely by Owen Burke (Kevin Zegers), the town’s local newspaper reporter and Ellie’s nephew. Owen’s ambition is fueled by San Francisco Globe reporter Renee Clemons (Jessica Lucas), who has a history with Carver and sets up camp in Gracepoint to cover the case.
Episode #10
Carver questions Tom about his laptop and Joe is present. Carver records the interview with his cell phone. He tells Tom that he knows about the blackmailing and threatening of Paul.
Later, Carver learns that Danny’s phone is active again and, to protect Ellie from what he suspects, he asks her to question Vince in jail once again. He follows the cell signal and finds Joe in his home garage with the phone.
Joe comes clean to Carver and tells him that he and Danny had become friends months ago after the boy had been chewed out by his father. At the boat house, Joe made sexual advances on Danny. The boy resisted and Joe apologized and said that all could go back to the way it had been. Danny was freaked out however and fled. He then fell and hit his head on a rock, killing him. Joe used the boat to put his body on the beach.
Ellie learns of Joe’s arrest and takes her sons to a motel and tells Tom what’s happened. He starts acting strangely and she realizes that Tom actually killed Danny. She contronts Joe in jail and he tells her the truth: Tom had witnessed his father’s advances and tried to protect Danny with an oar but accidentally hit and killed the boy with it.
Joe says that he never actually molested Danny but Ellie seeths that he would have. She tells her husband that the truth stays between them. Joe will be going to jail for the murder. Ellie goes to Beth’s house to offer some apology but her former friend would only say, “You should have known.”
The town holds a beach campfire ceremony and other communities light bonfires as well, in an act of support. It seems to help the grieving parents and friends. The healing has begun?
Carver and Ellie watch from a distance and talk. She leaves to return to the motel. Carver receives a call back from his estranged daughter. She invites him to her graduation and tells him that she will be there for him during his heart surgery.
After the call, he watches part of the interview with Tom again and notices a shared look between father and son when Tom says “no one else struck Danny.” Carver knows the truth and calls Ellie. We see her watching over her sons in the motel room and she makes the concious decision not to answer Carver’s call.
First aired: December 11, 2014.
What do you think? Do you like the Gracepoint TV show? Do you think it should have been cancelled or renewed for a second season?
I love, love, love Gracepoint! I would love to see more seasons after this one.
Gracepoint is a beautiful show, visually and emotionally. My heart is absolutely broken for Beth and the entire community, and I am exhausted at the end of each week from the roller coaster of actions and emotions. Tennant plays his role of the grumpy cop perfectly, with his hilarious snark and his underlying pain that’s so potent you just want to hug him. The banter between him and Ellie is hysterical and realistic, and is a joy to watch. I look forward to Thursday nights and have my fingers crossed for a season 2 and beyond.
I like broadchurch more I think but Im very excited for this Americanized version of the story. It seems to go in a different direction now and thats exciting.
Beautifully done 10 parter, closed end so we know everything by the final episode. Hopefully they will do a season 2 like they have with Broadchurch. Tennant says if they do Carver ends up in such a different place that Gracepoint will then be a different show!
Love Grace Point, give it time please want to see who the killer is!
Keep this series going!! What a great bunch of characters! We are wide awake and don’t want to miss a instant of this series! Where is episode #3?
Chris you can watch on FOXTV app and all 3 episodes is on there. This Thursday, 23 Oct episode 4 comes on! It looks intense the preview!
I watched Broadchurch. Just can’t get around David Tennant with an American accent. Haven’t bothered with Gracepoint so far. Is it really worth watching if you have seen the original?
Please don’t cancel this show!!!! I didn’t know about it until someone told me that i’d love it. So far its awesome.. it really draws you in alot quicker than other murder serials for lack of a better description, like immediately. I’m trying to catch up now. I’ve only seen the first one so far, I have the third one taped but i really want to see episode 2 first. I really like the channels that show the prior episode an hour before the new episode, so you can either catch up or refresh before going on to the next… Read more »
Saw Broadchurch. Excellent. Gracepoint, also excellent. Renew please
I like the show so far, I hope it doesn’t get cancelled. There are very few shows that are interesting and this shows seems very have that special something, Micheal Pena and Anna Gunn alone are worth watching the show, the rest of the cast fits well
The original Broadchurch was excellent. It was produced to be a one shot deal. Solve the crime/show over. Leave it at that. American TV thrives on ‘beating to death’ programs by continuing them long after their ‘sell date’.
Except there’s a Broadchurch 2 so you’re wrong
The show looks very promising and I look forward to next week. I already find the characters interesting and the plot is creative.
I really liked the show, which means it will be cancelled by the network! I watch very few new shows anymore because of early cancellations.
Leslie Dye makes a good point. I really think this show has a lot to offer. It was artistic in the filming and the characters are so realistic , I felt as if I was one of the small town inhabitants feeling so much sadness in the loss of the child. I probably can’t resist watching it but I am very gun shy about the decision making intelligence of the Network executives when renewal time approaches.. I still am holding out hope that “Revolution” will be picked up by someone after the immensely ignorant decision of NBC to drop it… Read more »
I agree with you on Revolution.
I started watching the premier, but due to a trend with the networks cancelling these shows after one season or after first ten episodes, I don’t see any point in becoming involved in a good series just to have it end with no warning. These networks need to get a clue about fan/viewer loyalty.
Well … this season (maybe series?) is only 10 episodes anyway so you don’t have to worry.