Telemystery: BBC America to Air ITV's Murder Mystery Broadchurch

BBC America has acquired the US broadcast rights to the ITV murder mystery drama Broadchurch.

David Tennant, Olivia Colman, and Vicky McClure star in this 8-part series that explores what happens to a small community when it suddenly becomes the focus of a murder investigation.

"Broadchurch focuses on a small British community which finds itself at the eye of a storm," says Chris Chibnall, who created and wrote the series. "In the wake of one boy's death, the residents of Broadchurch come under scrutiny and suspicion. It's a story of scale and intimacy, as the lives of the characters are laid bare."

David Tennant takes the role of Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, an out-of-town, newly promoted police detective who takes the job local Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) believes should have been hers.

Ellie has to find reserves of patience and toughness to negotiate a professional relationship with the difficult and unyielding Hardy. Yet as the drama progresses, Hardy's own secrets are laid bare.

Broadchurch will premiere on ITV later this Spring, and will be part of BBC America's Dramaville later this year.