Happy Valley series is a compelling crime drama from this British. Although, for most of the key characters, it is a not-so-happy place. Or should we say that it is an Unhappy Valley?
FOCUS/BONUS INFO. "Trouble Town" is a song by British singer-songwriter Jake Bugg and the said song is the opening theme for the Happy Valley series. It sets the mood and theme for the series.
Its story is set in Yorkshire, Britain, where both the protagonist – a brilliant Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood and the antagonist – a streetsmart Criminal Tommy Lee Royce reside.
Synopsis of the Happy Valley Series
In Halifax, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom (Britain), Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), divorced, with two children (one of which is deceased), serves as a police sergeant. She is still trying to recover from the suicide of her daughter which occurred eight years earlier. She raises her grandson Ryan, born of the rape of her daughter by a criminal Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton).
It is an emotional crime drama, that depicts the personal and professional lives of Catherine Cawood. Catherine Cawood’s personal life may be a tragic mess, but that does not stop her from being the best police sergeant her small West Yorkshire town could ask for.
Ratings of the Happy Valley Series
| FM’s rating | 4.45/5 |
FOCUS/BONUS INFO. Local law enforcement in the Calder Valley (West Yorkshire, in northern England) refers to the region as "Happy Valley" due to the prevalent drug issues it faces.
Poster of the Happy Valley Series
“I’m just becoming the person who I’ve always wanted to be. Don’t take s**t off anybody anymore, I say it like it is, and I know who I am. Finally.”
Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire)
Spoiler Free Brief Review of the Happy Valley (S3/2023) Series
The season three offers some kind of closure
After the airing of the second season of this crime thriller in 2016, the third season was released recently. We had to wait for a few years before we got to learn the fate of Catherine Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce in this drama. But after watching its third season, we are fairly satisfied with the progression of its characters and the finale of their stories. Thankfully, it tied up the knot of its tales and gave closure to its key characters.
FOCUS/BONUS INFO. Sarah Lancashire, who had previously played a leading role in Sally Wainwright's Last Tango in Halifax (2012), was the sole inspiration behind the creation of "Happy Valley". Impressed by Lancashire's exceptional performance, Wainwright tailored the show specifically for her.
For those, who have not seen its first two seasons, check these video links
Please do not try to jump right into the latest 2023 – season three of this crime show. Now in case you have not seen seasons one and two, it is time to watch them. However, in case you want some kind of shortcut or refresher, then check this video about the recap of season one as well as the season two video on YouTube.
Also, it is worth noting that there is a gap of almost seven years, between season two and season three of the show. So in this period the kid boy character Ryan has grown into a teenage boy – a young man really, you can check the video of the same. Besides, the stories of Catherine and Tommy, this crime drama also focuses on Ryan’s emotional tale.
We loved its realistic script, which has lots of emotional depth
The writing of this British crime drama is of very high quality. The themes of personal – love, dedication, grief, trauma, anger, hatred, failure, shortcomings, etc. have been beautifully explored in the script. There is the angle of the bad blood (hateful personal enmity) between Catherine and Tommy. The lines between personal enmity and professional (unprofessional) conduct have been blurred, somewhat. The raw human emotions and associated behaviour have been depicted effectively and maturely.
FOCUS/BONUS INFO.
James Norton's character Tommy draws inspiration from Max Cady in Cape Fear (1991) movie.
With eighteen episodes spread across three seasons and nine years, this British show tells the story of Catherine and Tommy. Their underlying personal hatred for each other and their subsequent violent confrontations, both verbal and non-verbal kinds. These dramatic scenes were tense, riveting and intriguing to watch.
The acting performances are top notch too
No doubt, its powerful script is backed by strong acting performances in the show. There is one particular video scene that we liked in this show, Catherine’s brilliant comeback to Ryan’s teacher’s lack of evidence, as he complains about her grandson’s behaviour. Besides, there is an explosive clash between Catherine and Tommy in this final season, as both the characters dig deep into the years of hatred and pain in this dramatic scene in the show.
Both the award-winning actors – the protagonist Sarah Lancashire and the antagonist James Norton have been excellent in this fascinating crime series. And both of them are very well supported by the excellent ensemble cast members. So, in addition to its leading actors, we loved the performances of its support actors too.
Why do we think, it is a compelling crime drama?
Here are the top reasons to watch this intense crime (family) drama.
- Sally Wainwright did an excellent job as the creator and writer of this tension-filled drama, as it has a lot of highly dramatic scenes in the series of eighteen episodes.
- It has been a treat to watch Sarah Lancashire portraying the challenging role of the protagonist Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood.
- Besides her, almost all the actors in this series have played admirable roles, with special mention of Siobhan Finneran and James Norton.
- It is BAFTA awarded and critically acclaimed crime drama TV. All three seasons received high praise from the viewers as well as the critics.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of our reasons.
The conclusion
The bold and badass grandmother Catherine is not let anything bad happen to her family members, anymore, especially to her grandson Ryan. This is an emotional family story with crimes as an apt background of a crime thriller. So, it is a crime drama at its core, however, there is an undercurrent of family drama. It is one of the top crime series from Britain that we have seen in recent years. If you love a fascinating British crime drama, then it is a perfect series to watch.
Happy Viewing!
Awards won by the Happy Valley Series
| Names of the Awards | Names of the Awards Winners |
|---|---|
| Crime Thriller Awards, UK (2014) | Best TV Drama, Serial or Season James Norton – Best Supporting Actor – |
| British Screenwriters’ Awards (2014) | Sally Wainwright (writer) – Best British TV Drama Writing |
| BAFTA TV Awards (2015) | Best Drama Series |
| BAFTA Television Craft Award (2015) | Sally Wainwright – Writer: Drama |
| Broadcasting Press Guild Awards (2015) | Best Writer – Sally Wainwright |
| Biarritz International Festival of Audiovisual Programming (2015) | Sally Wainwright, Euros Lyn, Tim Fywell – Golden FIPA – TV Series and Serials – |
| Monte-Carlo TV Festival (2015) | Best European Drama TV Series Sarah Lancashire – Outstanding Actress in a Drama TV Series |
| Irish Film and Television Awards (2016) | Neasa Hardiman – Best Director – Drama |
| Irish Film and Television Awards (2017) | Charlie Murphy – Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Drama |
| BAFTA TV Awards (2017) | Best Drama Series – Sally Wainwright, Juliet Charlesworth, Nicola Shindler, Neasa Hardiman Sarah Lancashire – Best Leading Actress Sally Wainwright – Best Writer: Drama |
| BAFTA Television Craft Award (2017) | Writer: Drama – Sally Wainwright |
Trailers of the three seasons of the Happy Valley Series
The kid Ryan Cawood (child actor Rhys Connah) was caught in the crosshair between Catherine and Tommy. As their deep-seated enmity only got worse.
After almost two years, it was released in February 2016.
After a long wait of nearly seven years, its third and final season was released in January 2023.
A young child Ryan Cawood (now a teenage actor Rhys Connah) in season one has grown into an athletic teenager in season three. His teenage story is the centrepiece. After watching it, we could say that season three has tied up loose ends thoughtfully and managed to give a gratifying finale to the tense crime drama.
Key Details about the Happy Valley Series
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Thriller |
| Original language | English (UK) |
| Creator | Sally Wainwright |
| Seasons | Three (3) Seasons – 2014, 2016, & 2023. |
| Episodes | Six (6) Episodes in Season (1) One {2014} Six (6) Episodes in Season (2) Two {2016} Six (6) Episodes in Season (3) Three {2023} Eighteen (18) Episodes in total |
| Duration | 17 hours 39 minutes |
| Cast | Sarah Lancashire (Catherine Cawood), Siobhan Finneran (Clare Cartwright), James Norton (Tommy Lee Royce), Rhys Connah (Ryan Cawood), Charlie Murphy (Ann Gallagher), Shane Zaza (Shafiq Shah), Ishia Bennison (Joyce Metcalfe), Rick Warden (Mike Taylor), George Costigan (Nevison Gallagher), Karl Davies (Daniel Cawood), etc. |
| Network | BBC |
Spoilers Alert – episode summary of the Happy Valley Series
A peek into the Six (6) Episodes of the First (1st) Season
First (S1, E1) | April 29, 2014
Sergeant Catherine Cawood’s world stops when the man who drove her daughter to suicide is released from prison.
Second (S1, E2) | May 6, 2014
Catherine’s search for Tommy gains momentum when she receives a tip-off regarding his whereabouts. Helen absorbs the shock of hearing that Ann has been abducted.
Third (S1, E3) | May 13, 2014
Tommy brutally takes control of a situation when PC Kirsten McAskill pulls him and Lewis over. His actions devastate Catherine and the entire Yorkshire police force.
Fourth (S1, E4) | May 20, 2014
Catherine and Tommy finally come face-to-face when he discovers he’s a father. A more sinister discovery leaves Catherine fighting for her life.
Fifth (S1, E5) | May 27, 2014
Catherine sinks into a deep depression as she learns that Tommy is still at large. The net finally closes in on Kevin.
Sixth (S1, E6) | June 3, 2014
Things get tense at Catherine’s birthday party when a drunk Daniel reveals a different version of past events with Becky. Catherine’s fears grow when she learns that Tommy has been spending time with Ryan.
A peek into the Six (6) Episodes of the Second (2nd) Season
First (S2, E1) | February 9, 2016
Tommy finds a way of keeping a watchful eye over Ryan from behind bars.
Second (S2, E2) | February 16, 2016
Catherine comes face to face with Tommy and John takes drastic action against Vicky’s threats.
Third (S2, E3) | February 21, 2016
Tommy urges Frances to go further with her attempts at making Catherine’s life a misery.
Fourth (S2, E4) | March 1, 2016
A gift for Ryan on his tenth birthday reminds Catherine that danger may be closer than she thinks.
Fifth (S2, E5) | March 8, 2016
Daniel suspects somebody at school might be responsible for Ryan’s newfound interest in Tommy.
Sixth (S2, E6) | March 15, 2016
Catherine confronts a delusional Frances while John’s torment leads him to desperate measures.
A peek into the Six (6) Episodes of the Third (3rd) Season
First (S3, E1) | January 1, 2023
When Catherine discovers the remains of a murder victim, it bizarrely leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce.
Second (S3, E2) | January 8, 2023
Catherine learns of a painful betrayal close to home, and Faisal comes under increasing pressure from all sides.
Third (S3, E3) | January 15, 2023
Catherine confronts Clare and presents Ryan with an ultimatum, and Faisal and Joanna hatch a plan.
Fourth (S3, E4) | January 22, 2023
As Tommy’s big day approaches, Catherine becomes suspicious and Ryan finds a new way to defy her.
Fifth (S3, E5) | January 29, 2023
Catherine races to protect her family; a murder investigation begins.
Sixth (S3, E6) | February 5, 2023
On Catherine’s final shift, scores are settled for good and Ryan faces a moral dilemma.
If you like this drama show from the UK, then read our FM article about the Peaky Blinders show, too.
Featured & Other Images: Happy Valley | Facebook & IMDb.