10 Amazing TV Shows You'll Probably Never Watch Again
4. Happy Valley
British TV is some of the best in the world, and one of the very finest British TV shows of the century is Happy Valley. Sally Wainwright's Yorkshire Noir crime drama is a shattering, emotionally devastating masterpiece, and most of its 18 episodes are five-star offerings. That is a rare feat indeed. The third and final season wasn't quite as refined thanks to a few pacing issues, but it was still remarkable television by any standard.
It's the kind of televisual perfection that rarely comes along, and it's something everyone should see. Having said that, Happy Valley will probably be a one-and-done for the vast majority of viewers. This is not a criticism at all, but more it's a mark of the raw power of Wainwright's writing that audiences will be so invested in the characters and so moved by the many tragedies that befall them. It does, however, make this almost unbearably intense viewing at times, and main antagonist Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) is probably one of the nastiest villains in the history of British television.
As such, most will be happy to leave it at one viewing, and besides, repeat viewings aren't really needed. No-one who watches Happy Valley is ever going to forget it.