# Happy Valley on Netflix (no spoilers, please) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011 "2016-07-15T22:56:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/1 "2016-07-15T22:56:42Z")
It’s a shame this show was overlooked by the Emmy people. Solid performances throughout and a good story line, although slightly reminiscent of _Fargo_ (the movie) in that regard. Well directed, and tight editing. We’re only up to about episode 5/12 at this point. The bad guy is played by James Norton, who played the lead character in _Grantchester_; it’s a polar opposite role for him and he nails it. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/2 "2016-07-15T23:10:18Z")
It’s excellent. Sarah Lancashire is just so good in it. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/3 "2016-07-16T01:09:54Z")
_Happy Valley_ is my favorite show this year. Just amazing… the fights between Catherine and her grandson are heartbreaking and good acting all around (nice to see O’Brien from Downton Abbey as a much nicer person as Clare). ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/4 "2016-07-16T16:37:48Z")
Yep. The second season is right up there as well. Top tier. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/5 "2016-07-16T18:34:02Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > Yep. The second season is right up there as well. > > Top tier. Great! We finished season one last night (which had a great finale) and are looking forward to it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/6 "2016-07-18T14:29:45Z")
Finished season two, and it was as good as the first. Sorry to see that there likely won’t be a third, as Sarah Lancashire feels the story is done and doesn’t want to go forward. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/7 "2016-07-18T20:46:45Z")
Too bad she feels that way. I think there’s tons of possibilities for a 3rd season. The relationship between the grandson and his dad is going to be explosive. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/8 "2016-07-19T11:02:25Z")
It’s a different thing - a police procedural, but the writer Sally Wainwright also did an excellent job with a show called Scott and Bailey. I’d take what Sarah Lancashire says with a pinch of salt; actors wait entire careers for a sniff of something this good. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/9 "2016-07-19T20:57:11Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > It’s a different thing - a police procedural, but the writer Sally Wainwright also did an excellent job with a show called Scott and Bailey. > > I’d take what Sarah Lancashire says with a pinch of salt; actors wait entire careers for a sniff of something this good. She’s very well known in the UK, with many series under her belt, and has won awards there, so I don’t think she’s hurting for job offers. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/10 "2016-10-17T05:37:12Z")
Bumping this thread because my wife and I just finished season 2. SO good. Catherine is the best-acted TV character since Walter White. It does seem like they left a few openings for a third season: -Ryan is still writing letters to Tommy (in secret) -The Knezeviches [Looks like season 3 will happen, hurray!](http://release-date.info/tv-series/happy-valley-season-3-release-date-84303048921/) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/11 "2016-10-17T14:25:39Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Bumping this thread because my wife and I just finished season 2. SO good. Catherine is the best-acted TV character since Walter White. > > It does seem like they left a few openings for a third season: > -Ryan is still writing letters to Tommy (in secret) > -The Knezeviches > [Looks like season 3 will happen, hurray!](http://release-date.info/tv-series/happy-valley-season-3-release-date-84303048921/) Excellent! ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/12 "2016-10-18T02:09:38Z")
So excited to hear about Season 3. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/13 "2016-10-18T11:56:24Z")
Huzzah! ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/14 "2016-10-21T16:21:24Z")
It isn’t often that TV can affect me like this, but the scene where Catherine is rescuing Ann from the basement actually had my heart pounding and I couldn’t sit still while watching. It was soooooo tense and fraught. It took me a long time to relax after that. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/15 "2016-10-21T17:04:02Z")
I’m really loving this show. I’m up to the first episode of the second season. The first season was stunning and the second also looks promising. I have to admit this show languished in my Netflix recommendations for a long time because I found the name “Happy Valley” a bit off. I could see that it was a dark drama kind of in the vein of Broadchurch. But “Happy Valley”? That’s really not subtle at all. It seemed a bit clumsy and I ended up associating that with the show’s writing in general. I’m happy (ha!) to be proved wrong. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-valley-on-netflix-no-spoilers-please/760011/16 "2016-10-21T18:24:26Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > I’m really loving this show. I’m up to the first episode of the second season. The first season was stunning and the second also looks promising. > > I have to admit this show languished in my Netflix recommendations for a long time because I found the name “Happy Valley” a bit off. I could see that it was a dark drama kind of in the vein of Broadchurch. But “Happy Valley”? That’s really not subtle at all. It seemed a bit clumsy and I ended up associating that with the show’s writing in general. I’m happy (ha!) to be proved wrong. It’s interesting to me how superficially similar it is to Broadchurch: -Crime drama set in a relatively small and isolated region of England, with the region itself basically being a character -One main character is a female police officer -That officer is raising a boy who plays a significant part in the story -One main character is a police officer who is psychologically scarred due to horrible past events, with a failed marriage -Superlative writing and acting And yet they’re so different in tone and focus. (Although Broadchurch had a big drop in quality in season 2, which I don’t think HV did.)