10 TV Performances Way Better Than Anyone Expected

8. Olivia Colman - Broadchurch

The Witcher Geralt Henry Cavill
ITV

The 2010s have been an excellent decade for Olivia Colman, and I'm sure no-one expected the star of Peep Show to eventually be standing at the podium at the Oscars. Most recently her performance in The Crown has gained her plaudits from critics and viewers alike. She had to be patient to get where she is.

As impressive as she was as Queen Elizabeth; it was her role in Broadchurch which really shocked and cemented her breakthrough into dramatic television. She played Ellie Miller, a detective in Chris Chibnall's particularly heart-breaking crime show. And Colman wears that heart-break on her sleeve for three consistently devastating seasons.

Now a proven talented and diverse dramatic actor, it was the end of the first season of Broadchurch that left us wondering whether this would be the start of something special for Olivia Colman.

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A music grad & screenwriting masters student hoping to put his strong grasp of the online thesaurus to good use. Will write about anything you can find on a screen or a compact disc. Except the Bee Gees. He doesn't know much about them.