History YMMV / Broadchurch

* EvilIsSexy:
** In Season 2, many viewers found [[spoiler:Lee and Claire]] to be scorchingly hot, both together and separately.
** [[spoiler:Leo Humphries]] appears to have several fangirls.

** "I know men who'd rape you!" The line is completely over the top, and doesn't lead to anything later. [[spoiler: It is brought back during the trial though.]]

* Jack Marshall’s conviction for his relationship with a former student is treated as a misunderstanding that paints him in a sympathetic light, but regardless of the legality it would still have been wildly unethical for a 40-year-old to have an affair with a teenager, let alone their student, due to the inherent power imbalance involved.

* CompleteMonster: In a show where almost every villain is given some kind of humanizing quality to balance out their actions, [[SerialRapist Leo Humphries]] stands out as an exception. Two years prior to the events of the third season, he knocked out, tied up, and raped a young woman called Laura Benson while filming the rape. Feeing empowered by the rape, he developed an addiction and did the same to two other women over the years. Upon meeting a troubled young man called Michael Lucas, Leo began [[ToxicFriendInfluence corrupting him with pornography]], and he eventually forced him to {{rape|ByProxy}} Trish Winterman at a party. During the ensuing investigation, he tried to frame Trish's boss Ed Burnett for the rapes. [[SmugSnake Arrogant]], remorseless, and taking absolute pride in his actions, Leo is easily the most despicable character the entire show has to offer.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments:
** In Series 2, Hardy confronting Lee after [[spoiler:getting his pacemaker. There is a noticeable change in his gait and demeanor which unnerves Lee. It hammers home how much his heart condition had been dragging him down.]]
** Hardy figuring out [[spoiler:Claire's true motive for turning herself in with the pendant.]]

* CompleteMonster: In a show where almost every villain is given some kind of humanizing quality to balance out their actions, [[SerialRapist Leo Humphries]] stands out as an exception. Two years prior to the events of the third season, he knocked out, tied up, and raped a young woman called Laura Benson while filming the rape. Feeing empowered by the rape, he developed an addiction and did the same to two other women over the years. Upon meeting a troubled young man called Michael Lucas, Leo began [[ToxicFriendInfluence corrupting him with pornography]], and he eventually forced him to [[RapeByProxy rape]] Trish Winterman at a party. During the ensuing investigation, he tried to frame Trish's boss Ed Burnett for the rapes. [[SmugSnake Arrogant]], remorseless, and taking absolute pride in his actions, Leo is easily the most despicable character the entire show has to offer.

* IdiotBall: Mere weeks after her brother was murdered, with his killer still on the loose, Chloe doesn't realize that her parents will freak out when she goes missing in the middle of the school day?
* IdiotPlot: The entire courtroom plotline of Series 2 relies entirely on judge, jury and prosecution all suffering from severe, writer-inflicted brain damage. Even if HollywoodLaw were not in effect, vital evidence (such as Hardy's illness, which would have prevented him from physically assaulting the defendant) goes unmentioned, timelines are ignored (Q: are we sure that the defendant's injuries did not occur before rather than after the confession? A: ''yes'', because both events are on police camera), and the net result is a trial that [[RuleOfDrama takes up the whole series]].

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The complete lack of Susan and any of the lawyers in Series 3, despite some big hints in Series 2 that there was more planned for them, is viewed by many fans as a tacit admission from the show's crew that they seriously screwed up whatever they were going for with the characters and it was best to just drop them completely.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Some fans have said that Ellie's theory that Lisa accidentally killed Pippa and ran away would have been a better solution to the Sandbrook case than the real one, especially since what actually happens makes Lisa being a case of NeverFoundTheBody completely pointless.

* SophomoreSlump: Series 2 is considered to be far inferior to the first, with the less compelling mystery and multiple legal faults tending to be the largest points of contention; the first series won a hat-trick at the [=BAFTAs=], including Best Drama Series, but Series 2 was overlooked completely. Series 3 is widely seen to be an improvement on Series 2 - with the plot being more even and less contrived, as well as the central mystery not being a rehash of the original.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: With Jocelyn Knight, the writers created a compelling, realistically textured character, cast a highly respected actress to play her, and then made her the center of a storyline that required her to pick up the IdiotBall so many times that her legal skills became purely an InformedAbility. As a result, her storyline was very poorly received, and she spent the entirety of Season 3 [[PutOnABus on a bus]].

* {{Narm}}:
** Lee Ashworth's love of standing on distant hills to threateningly stare at people. It works pretty well the first time, but then he just keeps doing it until it's impossible to take seriously. Especially when he appears to sprint like his life depended on it to get in position a few seconds after ringing Claire's doorbell to drop her favorite dish off.
** The show doesn't explain that in the British court system the attorneys don't wear their wigs while talking to children to make them less intimidating, so to anyone unfamiliar with it, Tom's turn on the witness stand comes off like the crew just forgot to bring the wigs that day and they went ahead anyway.
** Mark [[spoiler:being saved from his suicide]] in Series 3. Many fans said that it could have worked if the whole thing had been contained in a single episode, but the way the show let them stew over it for a week before saying "Nope, just kidding!" feels like a gimmick that should be far beneath it.

* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments:
** In the middle of an argument, Ellie abruptly invites DI Hardy to dinner, her house, pick a night. You ask the boss to work, she doesn't like it but it's what people do. Hardy looks like he's been hit in the head with a brick. His [[NoSocialSkills panic]] when told you don't talk about work is wonderful:
--->'''Hardy''': What will we talk about?\\
'''Ellie''': I don't know! Just say yes.\\
'''Hardy''': ...Yeah.\\
'''Ellie''': Thank you! Bloody hell!\\
''[Hardy walks away]''\\
'''Ellie''': ...Knob.
** The yes is less of a 'yeah' and more of a vague sound of consent.
** ...And then later he shows up with a bottle of wine. And flowers. And chocolates.
--->'''Hardy''': Wasn't sure what I should choose, so I just got them all.
** Hardy tries to comfort Ellie, who is hiding in the ladies' toilet. How does he get inside? By putting a cleaning in progress sign outside and chasing off anyone else looking to come in. Becomes a brick joke when Ellie stumbles over the sign as she storms off and Hardy cringes.
** A fun fair opens right behind Hardy's house, which he didn't know would happen because the rental company forgot to mention it. His irritation does nothing to discourage Ellie's gleeful teasing.
* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments:
** All of Hardy's interaction with his daughter counts, especially the way his face lights up when talking to her over the phone.
** Before [[spoiler:going to arrest the killer]], Hardy compliments Ellie for doing a good job. Considering that he already suspected the identity of the killer, it is likely he was trying to be nice before the revelation.
** When telling that [[spoiler:Joe is the killer]], Hardy does his best to soften the blow for Ellie. Then he wastes no time in arranging matters so the rest of her family could be safe, and makes sure that her co-workers at the station know she is innocent and will need every support they can give.
** Hardy pushing Fred's trolley while walking with Ellie in Series 2. Also, Ellie apparently calls him 'Uncle Alec' while talking to Fred.
** Tess acknowledging that Alec is a good man for [[spoiler:taking the heat for her]].
** After the Sandbrook case is solved, Ellie tells Hardy that he was wrong about everyone being alone in the end. This mirrors the conversation they had at the beginning of Series 2. Hardy was the one to tell Ellie she isn't alone and Ellie retorted that she was.