AMC+, Acorn TV and BBC America have announced the broadcast date for the third and final season of the critically acclaimed drama, Happy Valley, the - at times, harrowing - BAFTA Award-winning drama series which will premiere on May 22 on all three platforms, seven years after the conclusion of the previous season.

The hard-hitting police drama from writer Sally Wainwright follows Sarah Lancashire's Sergeant Catherine Cawood, her career and her eventful life both at work and at home. Sergeant Cawood is back fighting crime in Calderdale, one of the boroughs of Yorkshire in England, which is not the haven you would expect from an idyllic part of the English countryside. The third season picks up a number of years after the chaotic events of the final episode of season 2.

The final season has already aired in the United Kingdom, garnering universal acclaim from critics who lavished praise on the writing and the performances of the cast, particularly Lancashire and Siobhan Finneran. It premiered on January 1, and concluded on February 5. The series averaged over 9 million viewers in the UK per episode.

happy-valley-james-norton
Image via AMC+

RELATED: 'Happy Valley' Season 3 Sets Spring Release Date

The Final Installment of Happy Valley

At the time of release in the UK, Wainwright said: “I’m delighted to find myself back in the world of Catherine Cawood and her family and colleagues for the final installment of the Happy Valley trilogy. It’s been wonderful to see the lasting impact this series has had on audiences all over the world. I’m thrilled that Sarah, James and Siobhan are back on board for what I hope will be the best season yet.”

The final season of Happy Valley sees Finneran and Lancashire return to their iconic roles, alongside James Norton and Rhys Connah. Season 3 is a Lookout Point production for the BBC, co-produced with AMC Networks. Directors on Season 3 include Wainwright, Patrick Harkins, and Fergus O'Brien. Jessica Taylor served as producer, with executive producersWainright and Lancashire, alongside Faith Penhale and Will Johnston for Lookout Point, Ben Irving and Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC.

Both the first two seasons are currently available to stream on AMC+ and Acorn TV now, while a Season 1 marathon will air May 8 through May 10 on BBC America, followed by a Season 2 marathon on May 15 through May 17. Season 3 premieres on May 22, and new episodes will air weekly thereafter. Check out the trailer for the final season of Happy Valley and the official synopsis down below:

The official synopsis states:

In the epic and unmissable final season, Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire, Julia, Last Tango in Halifax) discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim, sparking a chain of events that unwittingly leads her straight back to murderer and rapist Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton, McMafia, Little Women). Catherine’s grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah, The Runaways) is now sixteen and has ideas of his own about what kind of relationship he wants to have with Tommy, the man Catherine still refuses to acknowledge as his father. Still battling the seemingly never-ending problem of drugs in the valley and those who supply them, Catherine is on the cusp of retirement. Will she solve this final case?