Happy Valley - Season 1
The series follows Catherine Cawood, a strong-willed police sergeant dealing with personal tragedy as she investigates cases in a small West Yorkshire town. When a staged kidnapping spirals out of control turning into a brutal series of crimes, Catherine finds herself involved in something significantly bigger than her rank, but unknowingly close to home.
23 May 1967, Saltaire, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK
24 October 1981, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK
17 May 1976, Manchester, England, UK
7 July 1991, Derby, England, UK
7 August 1963, Chester, Cheshire, England, UK
30 November 1965, Ladywood, Birmingham, England, UK
2 November 1972, Cannock, Staffordshire, England, UK
September 24, 2014
Wainwright clearly relishes writing female characters more than any other, and her biggest achievement so far is Catherine Cawood.
August 21, 2014
It seems like we're constantly taught by the Brits how we could be making better television shows and this has all those lessons rolled up into one neat little package.
September 24, 2014
It was with the bad guys that Wainwright really made things interesting, and again this was achieved though the characters' carefully built-up histories.
May 16, 2017
Happy Valley is a quiet, devastating, and ultimately deeply satisfying watch.
September 24, 2014
In this job, I watch an awful lot of first episodes -- shows I review, deem to be awful and then avoid for the rest of their run. But I can't wait for the second part of Sally Wainwright's Happy Valley.
November 03, 2014
Happy Valley is so effective at what it sets out to do, and so neat in fitting all its pieces together (up to the way the story's climax evokes a much milder incident from early in the series).
September 15, 2014
Happy Valley is an impressive reminder of the myriad ways good writing, better acting, and, above all, a unique sense of place can make even the shaggiest story feel surprising and vital.
September 24, 2014
Sarah Lancashire is perfect in the lead role and should give masterclasses in the art of understated acting.
August 20, 2014
Happy Valley... suggests just how much story can still be found in the life of a middle-aged, female law enforcement official, a less played-out counterpart to the grizzled, seen-it-all-detective.
August 21, 2014
There's enough depth and complication in the performances alone to buoy the six-episode run, and given the intensity of the criminal specifics, the slow burn feels more like a feature than a bug.
