Mary McNamara: One of TV's most acclaimed shows took seven years off. It was planned all along

Even considering the interruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the often random timing of British television, seven years seems a long time to wait between seasons of a series.

But for U.S. fans of "Happy Valley," which returns May 22 on AMC+, BBC America and Acorn TV, it is, as they would say in the north of England, nowt.

The third and final season of Sally Wainwright's gloriously human and narratively thrilling West Yorkshire drama, which stars the incomparable Sarah Lancashire, was met with wild enthusiasm in the U.K. when it premiered there in January. Having watched Season 3 in its entirety (twice), I can tell you, without fear of spoilers, that it is more than worth the wait.

And that is due in large part to the big gap between the second and third seasons, which was quite intentional