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The Fox series 鈥淕racepoint,鈥� which debuts Oct. 2, is based on the critically acclaimed British TV series 鈥淏roadchurch鈥� and features David Tennant of 鈥淒octor Who鈥� and 鈥淏reaking Bad鈥� actress Anna Gunn as two police detectives investigating a murder.

鈥淏roadchurch,鈥� which premiered in the UK in 2013, centered on Alec Hardy (Tennant) and Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), two members of the police force in a seaside town who are looking into the murder of an eleven-year-old boy. In 鈥淕racepoint,鈥� Tennant鈥檚 character has been renamed Emmett Carver, but Gunn鈥檚 character will remain Ellie Miller. The resolution to the murder mystery in 鈥淕racepoint鈥� will reportedly be different from the solution in 鈥淏roadchurch.鈥� 鈥淏roadchurch鈥� aired for 10 episodes (and is returning for a second season) and 鈥淕racepoint鈥� is currently slated for 12, according to USA Today.

鈥淕racepoint鈥� also stars 鈥淢agic in the Moonlight鈥� actress Jacki Weaver, Michael Pena of 鈥淎merican Hustle,鈥� and actor Nick Nolte, among others.聽

Tennant told why he signed on for the American version of the show.聽

鈥淵ou know it's a good script,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou know it's an interesting character, so it's sort of a no-brainer to be involved in retelling a story that works and has been a bit of a phenomenon back home.鈥�

The actor has now worked with two different actresses playing the character of Ellie, and said they offered two very distinct interpretations of the role.聽

鈥淥livia is someone I loved working with and she has such a strong take on the character," he said. "I think what Anna did was extraordinary. It was a lot of the same source material and yet she has such a different take on it. Carver and Ellie are much more combative. [鈥楪racepoint鈥�'s] Ellie is much more sure of herself. Hardy and Ellie is a slightly more patronizing, withering thing.鈥澛�

The American version of the show has so far gotten mixed reviews, with many reviewers noting it鈥檚 tough not to compare the new version of the show to the British original, and to find it wanting. Neil Genzlinger of the warmed to it more than others, calling the show 鈥渟moldering鈥� pretty good television.鈥�

Unlike "Broadchurch, 鈥淪omething about 'Gracepoint' underscores the story鈥檚 clich茅s," he wrote. "[But] let鈥檚 talk about people who know nothing of 鈥楤roadchurch.' Will Fox, which has been having聽a rough fall season, catch their interest with 鈥楪racepoint鈥�? It should, because聽Mr. Tennant (here playing an American) and Anna Gunn of 鈥楤reaking Bad鈥� pair quite well鈥� Solid performances鈥� let you overlook a lot of the tropes.鈥�

Hank Stuever of the also said that those who didn鈥檛 see the first series will probably be impressed.

鈥淭he good news is, for those many millions of broadcast TV watchers who never saw 鈥楤roadchurch鈥欌�� 鈥楪racepoint鈥� still has plenty of potential to be a real treat,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a better quality of murder mystery all around鈥� [but] 鈥楪racepoint鈥� is lacking an ineffable something that 鈥淏roadchurch鈥� definitely had.鈥�

However, other reviewers had less love for the new show.

鈥淲hat felt like a fresh take when 'Broadchurch' premiered on BBC America has become somewhat played out lately, with several shows鈥� using a small-town murder as the catalyst to a broader drama,鈥� Brian Lowry of wrote. 鈥淣one of that is 鈥楪racepoint鈥欌�檚 fault, but it does speak to one of the dangers of such adaptations: Not only do you lose part of the impact among those who watched the original, but you trail far enough behind it to allow the inevitable clones to creep into the equation鈥� the series鈥� is competently executed鈥� [but] 鈥楪racepoint鈥� can鈥檛 help but feel as if something significant has been lost in translation.鈥�

And Mary McNamara of the found that the new version 鈥渟eems intentionally dumbed down.鈥澛�

鈥淸Tennant] is nowhere near as good in 鈥楪racepoint鈥� as he is in 鈥楤roadchurch,鈥欌�� she wrote. 鈥淭he coastal-town milieu of 'Gracepoint,' so vivid in and integral to 'Broadchurch,' seems just as fake as Tennant's accent鈥� Fidelity may be a virtue in marriage but not necessarily in adaptation鈥� With the exception of [murder victim] Danny's mother, Beth, played heartbreakingly by Virginia Kull, the rest of the roles hover closer to caricature than character.鈥�