Broadchurch (series 2)

Broadchurch (series 2)
Cover art of Region 2 DVD release
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	8
Release
Original network	ITV
Original release	5 January (2015-01-05) – 23 February 2015 (2015-02-23)
Series chronology
← Previous Series 1
List of Broadchurch episodes

The second series of the British crime drama Broadchurch began airing on the ITV broadcast network in the United Kingdom on 5 January 2015. The eight-episode series focused on the continuing fallout of the murder of 11-year-old Danny Latimer in the fictional, close-knit coastal town of Broadchurch in Dorset, England. The series focused on the effect of Joe Miller's trial on his wife, former DS Ellie Miller (now a uniformed police officer in Devon); the Latimer family's struggle to achieve a normal life during Joe's trial; and new revelations that former DI Alec Hardy is protecting a witness in the failed Sandbrook child murder case.

Although Broadchurch was conceived as a trilogy, the second series was only announced on 22 April 2013 as series one ended. Writing occurred over most of the following year, with series creator and lead writer Chris Chibnall using a plot-development process he used for the first series. The return of series stars Olivia Colman and David Tennant and some of their returning co-stars was reported by the media in late 2013, although both returning and new cast members were not formally announced by ITV until May 2014. Filming on Broadchurch series two began in late May 2014, under the supervision of four directors. Extensive efforts were undertaken to keep the plot secret from the cast, crew, and public. Extensive location shooting occurred along the United Kingdom's Jurassic Coast and in South West England. Icelandic musician and composer Ólafur Arnalds returned as the series' musical and sound composer. Series two debuted to very high ratings and critical praise, but subsequent episodes saw a sharp drop in viewership and a more mixed response from critics and audiences alike. Later episodes of the series, however, saw a more positive critical consensus.

On 1 December 2014, a number of media outlets reported that ITV had commissioned a third series of Broadchurch. The Sun first reported the news, claiming Chibnall was rushing to finish a script so that filming could begin in Dorset in July 2015. ITV later that day denied that a third series had been greenlit. Chibnall himself said on 18 December 2014 that a third season might not be possible. "Who knows who will be standing at the end (of series two)?", he told Broadcast magazine.