James Norton Unpacks the Devastating Ending of ‘Happy Valley,’ Whether Tommy Lee Royce Is Truly a Psychopath and Those Pesky Bond Rumors
Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from the series finale of “Happy Valley” now streaming on AMC+ and Acorn. When “Happy Valley” wrapped up its second season in 2016, fans of the British police thriller were devastated that the intense series seemed to be over for good. Created by Sally Wainwright and starring Sarah Lancashire (HBO’s “Julia”) as a police officer in a hard-scrabble area of West Yorkshire, the series won the BAFTA for best drama in both seasons, and attracted a devoted audience around the world. Working in a region plagued with drugs, crime and poverty, Lancashire’s character Sergeant Catherine Cawood is a tough but empathetic cop who divides her time between solving brutal crimes and taking care of her sister, a former addict, and her grandson, whom she raised after her daughter died by suicide. Seasons 1 and 2 track her mission to bring down Tommy Lee Royce — the hardened criminal who raped her daughter and fathered her grandson, Ryan. James Norton’s nuanced performance as the violent Tommy, who still holds out hope for a relationship with his son, is the polar opposite of the crime-solving vicar he played in his next series, “Grantchester.”