Last year we all shared one major thing in common: we got hooked on True Detective and the powerhouse performances from Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. So much so, that we even learned to spell McConaughey’s name properly. This year, I hope we can all come together over a new addiction, namely the British crime drama Broadchurch. The scenery, opening credits and characters may not be quite as intense as what True Detective fans are accustomed to, but each episode leaves you with a cliff-hanger so frustrating, the inhabitants of your living room will undoubtedly all join together in a chorus of “Aaah, nooo!” Aside from its obviously intriguing storyline, the backbone of this show is the indisputable contrast between grumpily harsh DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant), and the gentle and goofy DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Coleman). While Hardy might have the upper hand in Season One, Ellie takes over in Season Two, with the kind of adrenalized, coffee-infused determination only true detectives are capable of.
This new shift on Broadchurch got us thinking about recent shows that have put female detectives back into the driving seat—series like The Killing and Wire in the Blood still heavily rely on the male counterpart, but without pushing the female detectives into the background. And then there are a select few detective series that have women running the entire show. So here are our picks for the three best British women detectives on TV right now!
3. Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood, Happy Valley
We’re first introduced to the kind-hearted, but strong-willed Yorkshire police sergeant Cawood (played by Sarah Lancashire) when a love-sick loon decides to set himself on fire on the playgrounds of a local estate. While grandmas and neighbors panic, and drunken youth egg the desperate pyromaniac on, Cawood adopts a pretty lax approach. She decides to prepare for the worst case scenario by going to a supermarket first, to equip herself with chords to hold her sunglasses: “He can send himself to paradise—that’s his choice—but he’s not taking my eyebrows with him.” She comes across as a bit of a hard ass but, as she reaches the heartbroken man, she tries to level with him by sharing her story, revealing that there’s much more to her than a don´t-mess-with-me attitude: “I’m Catherine, by the way. I’m forty-seven. I’m divorced. I live with my sister, who’s a recovering heroin addict. I’ve two grown children—one dead, one who don’t speak to me—and a grandson. So.”
Cawood handles the emotional man flawlessly and moves on to her next pressing case: Ann Gallagher (Charlie Murphy), the daughter of successful business man Nevison Gallagher (George Costigan), has been kidnapped. When long-term employee and life-long friend Kevin Weatherill (Steve Pumberton) asks Nevison for a raise in order to put his daughter through college, he is angered by Nevison’s unwillingness to grant it. Feeling betrayed and unappreciated, he comes up with a plan to kidnap Nevison’s daughter with the help of Ashley Cowgill (Joe Armstrong). Kevin soon regrets his decision, but Ashley refuses to back out. Cawood leads the investigation but finds herself distracted when she sees Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), the man she believes drove her daughter to suicide—who also happens to be the father of her grandchild. She becomes consumed with her need to put him behind bars, though we’re quite sure she’d much prefer to kill him. It’d be an understatement to say that she’s having a rough time of it at home, at work and even in her own mind, but this character’s brilliance and sheer perseverance makes the series an absolute must watch.