Crime Drama

Broadchurch and Criminal Justice Policy Public opinion of crime and the criminal justice system is often developed through film and

television. Whether through reality shows depicting police activity and crime, crime drama series

that lead a viewer through the life of a crime as an omnipresent eyewitness, or during movies that

create and solve complicated crimes in two short hours, much of what is learned about crime is

done so through media. As a result, movies and television play an important role in shaping

society’s view of criminal justice.

The Popularity of Crime Drama Watching crime shows is a popular form of entertainment, and some believe that not only

does it allow people to stay informed about society

They challenge viewers to pay attention to complicated stories, including red herrings, and to remember them from episode to episode. In other words, they provide great stimulation for the brain, which in turn helps keep it healthy, as the human brain needs to be kept active. In fact, when you deprive it of stimulation it reacts very badly… The more you tax your brain, the sharper it becomes. And when you watch complex TV drama, you really tax it (Ellison, 2015). Although once thought of as a means for people to “escape” their problems and enter a world

where someone else’s reality as the victim of crime was worse than their own, one survey found

that people tend to watch these types of shows out of pure enjoyment. More than half of 88

participants in a study indicated that they often watched crime dramas as a means to relaxing and

filling time, and that they had certain shows they regularly tuned in to see. They also reported

that their crime show viewing became a habit or ritual, and that they looked forward to tuning in

each week to see what happened next (Brown,

A flawed, yet determined, police detective is brought in to help solve the

crime and restore his reputation and feelings of doubt for failing to solve the previous child

murder case he was assigned. Throughout the first of two eight-episode series, Detective

Inspector Alec Hardy and local Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (also best friend of the dead

boy’s mother, Beth Latimer) confront local gossip, suspicion, lying witnesses, physical evidence,

and overenthusiastic and sensational young journalists in their efforts to solve the crime. In the

second eight-episode series, the man arrested, who happens to be Miller’s husband, is tried and

Hardy and Miller combine forces to reopen and solve the murder investigation Hardy was unable

to solve before Danny Latimer’s death (Doughty, 2015).

Accuracy, Myths, and Realities From a general perspective, the premise behind the plot of Broadchurch is certainly realistic.

Children are abducted and murdered, even in small, picturesque towns where everyone seems to

know everyone else’s business. The reaction to the murder is also realistic: Friends comfort