8/10
Liked it, but TRULY LOVED the superior original it is based on - Happy Valley
19 January 2022
As I watched this I kept saying to myself "man, this is a total ripoff of Happy Valley". Grandma cop, raising her grandkid, relative living with her to help out, kid (child's parent) committed suicide -- like COME ON! Then I learned that it actually IS "partially based" on that BBC series. So, as I guess the "american version" of Happy Valley, this is fine. I mean, we've certainly "based" countless shows on prior British ones, going all the way back to the 70's and All in the Family.

"Happy Valley" has stuck with me ever since I streamed it on Netflix (now it's on DiscoveryPlus). The storyline is far more riveting and edge-of-your-seat than Mare. DEFINITELY watch this show!

Plus it's got Siobhan Finneran as one of the main characters (The ex-addict sis who lives with her - a role that won her the british emmy), who previously played the evil maid O'Brien on Downtown. I seek out and watch most anything she's in. Sarah Lancashire is outstanding in the lead, as always (even moreso than Kate Winslet). And if you find you like HV... then go stream "Last Tango in Halifax" over on Netflix to see Sarah in another Sally Wainwright series that's wildly different and funny - plus it also stars Nicola Walker as the icing on that cake.

So.... go watch Happy Valley (which is rumored to be filming the final season in 2022)... then go stream Last Tango in Halifax after that :-)

Having been raised in NJ and lived in eastern PA a bit as a kid... I really enjoyed the setting of Mare. I hope they decide to have another season.
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