The 15 best Scandi noir TV dramas of all time – ranked
Long winter nights amid bleakly spellbinding scenery. Minimalist decor with enviable woodwork and chic lamps. Moody characters. Meaningful pauses. Cerebral murder-mystery plots. Since it burst onto the TV scene two decades ago, these have become the trademarks of Nordic noir – hauntingly atmospheric dramas hailing from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.
The Scandinavian screen rush has exerted a strong stylistic influence on UK drama. Homegrown series such as Broadchurch, Hinterland and Shetland share many of the hallmarks. So do recent US thrillers A Murder At The End Of The World and True Detective: Night Country. However, we’ve limited our selection to Scandi-made series, rather than those inspired by them. We also discounted the likes of Sky’s Fortitude – Norway-set, and filmed in Iceland, but British-produced.
As we approach autumn, it’s the ideal time of year to hunker down with an icy drama. Here’s our countdown of the top 15, and where you can stream them tonight…
15. Reindeer Mafia (2023)
This darkly comic Finnish drama also recalls Succession but with a dash of The Sopranos on snowmobiles. Upon the death of powerful matriarch Brita Nelihanka, long-time ruler of the Lapland wasteland, her relatives descend to collect their inheritance. Naturally, it’s not that simple. When the spoils go to surprising recipients, the dysfunctional clan finds itself embroiled in an internal power struggle. Secrets and lies emerge. Skulduggery and blood-letting inevitably follow. It led to the emergence of a sub-genre of snow-bound crime, dubbed “Reindeer noir”. Other locally made dramas include Arctic Circle and 66th North Precinct.
Watch it on: channel4.com
14. A Nearly Normal Family (2023)
Adapted from MT Edvardsson’s novel, which sold over half a million copies in Sweden, this creepily absorbing six-parter portrays a seemingly picture-perfect family, headed by a popular priest and his high-powered lawyer wife. Their lives are upended when their teenage daughter is accused of murder and taken into custody. The couple question how well they truly know each other, abuse their positions of authority and realise how far they will go to protect their family. But do they believe their daughter when she insists she’s innocent?
Watch it on: Netflix
13. The Valhalla Murders (2019)
Loosely based on a real-life scandal, this chilly Icelandic police procedural stars Nína D?gg Filippusdóttir as Katrin “Kata” Gunnarsdottir, a hard-bitten detective with Reykjavik police force. Having been passed over for a well-deserved promotion, she’s forced to team up with Oslo-based investigator Arnar (Bj?rn Thors) to solve a string of ritual murders, connected to a school for troubled boys. As Kata seethes and the duo struggle to hit it off, it emerges that Arnar is racked with secrets and shame. An unsettling case, set amid stunning glacial scenery.
Watch it on: Netflix
12. The Chestnut Man (2021)
Written by the creator of The Killing and set in Copenhagen, this haunting series plunges viewers straight into a harrowing murder investigation. A brutally murdered corpse has been found in a children’s playground with one of its hands missing. Hanging above the body is the killer’s creepy calling card: a doll made of matchsticks and chestnuts. When ambitious detective Naia Thulin (Danica Curcic) and her new partner, Europol investigator Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe F?lsgaard), examine the figurine, they discover a shocking connection to a politician’s missing daughter. Grisly and gripping.
Watch it on: Netflix
11. Those Who Kill (2019-present)
The Scandinavians seem particularly strong when it comes to female-led crime thrillers. This hit Danish drama follows criminal profiler Louise Bergstein (Natalie Madue?o), who gets called in to help the national crime squad solve murders by getting inside the culprit’s mind. The debut series, subtitled Darkness, saw her hunting a suspected serial killer of blonde teenage girls in the Copenhagen suburbs. Follow-up Blinded found her investigating the unsolved murders of young men on the island of Funen. In the latest series, Lost, Bergstein is pulled into the investigation when a middle-aged couple are brutally slain outside their home.
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
10. DNA (2019-present)
The mighty Charlotte Rampling co-stars in this moreish and multilayered Danish detective drama. Five years after his life (and mental health) was turned upside down by his baby daughter’s tragic disappearance, respected cop Rolf Larsen (Anders W Berthelsen) discovers a flaw in the police’s national DNA database. Might he finally be able to find her? Investigating a parallel case with links to an international child trafficking ring, he teams up with seasoned French investigator Claire (Rampling). A chilling look into the dark underbelly of Copenhagen, lent extra potency by the personal dimension.
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
9. Occupied (2015-2020)
Most Scandi noir series – or at least those that make it to the UK – tend to be crime dramas. Yet a few, like Borgen and this one, move into the political realm. Conceived by bestselling novelist Jo Nesb?, Occupied is set in an imaginary near-future where America is no longer dependent on foreign oil and Europe is crippled by an energy crisis. As a result, Russia decides to “softly” invade Norway, take over its oil and gas production, and install a shadow government. Across three series, it built into an well-crafted and eerily prescient geopolitical thriller. Read our Occupied review
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
8. Trapped/Entrapped (2016-2021)
Hulking, hirsute, rumbling-voiced ólafur Darri ólafsson has become an international cult hero, popping up in Hollywood films, HBO’s True Detective, and BBC dramas The Tourist and Boat Story. He first made his name in this hit Icelandic drama as the newly divorced police chief with a penchant for sniffing corpses. When a dismembered body floats to shore in a fjord, our crumpled 6ft 5in hero realises a killer has arrived in the isolated fishing village. To make matters worse, an avalanche has cut off the townsfolk. Two sequel series followed, with ólafsson sharing top billing with the vast landscapes and brutal Arctic weather.
Watch it on: Netflix
7. Wisting (2019-present)
This police procedural, based on ex-cop J?rn Lier Horst’s novels, is the most expensive TV drama Norway has ever produced, with its first series costing €11.4 million. As widowed, weathered detective William Wisting (Sven Nordin) investigates serial killers, cold cases and conspiracies, he’s both helped and hindered by his crime writer daughter Line (Thea Green Lundberg). Clever casting of overseas stars enhances its international appeal. Early series found Wisting forced to cooperate with an FBI agent (The Matrix’s Carrie-Anne Moss). The latest brought in British actor Rupert Evans as a missing boy’s father. More pacy and action-packed than many on this list but just as brooding.
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
6. Bordertown (2016-2019)
With his beat along the Finnish-Russian border, the serial killers hunted down by Detective Inspector Kari Sorjonen (Ville Virtanen) are among the most twisted in the Nordic noir genre. No wonder Stephen King is a fan. This atmospheric whodunit, set amid the snowy mountains and spooky forests north of Helsinki, teams Sorjonen – a Sherlock-like socially inept but brilliant investigator, known for his photographic memory – with fiery deputy Lena (Anu Sinisalo). When it first aired in its native Finland, more than a fifth of the population tuned in. Gwyneth Paltrow is also a devotee but don’t let that put you off.
Watch it on: Netflix
5. Deadwind (2018-2022)
This high-spec Finnish series follows newly widowed homicide detective and single mother Sofia Karppi (Pihla Viitala), who moves back home to Helsinki from Germany. Tackling her first murder case a mere two months after losing her husband, she throws herself into work as a way to cope with her grief. Karppi’s relationship with her reluctant new partner, rookie detective Sakari Nurmi (Lauri Tilkanen), who has demons of his own, is particularly well-drawn. With a muted wintry colour palette and cases which go in unexpected directions, Deadwind’s three series are eminently binge-worthy.
Watch it on: Netflix
4. Wallander (2005-2013)
The one that paved the way for the whole Scandi crime boom. Acclaimed theatre actor Krister Henriksson needed his arm twisted by the author himself to play Henning Mankell’s hangdog detective. Thank goodness he gave in. Flawed protagonist Kurt Wallander confronts both personal and professional demons while solving grim crimes in Ystad, near the southern tip of Sweden. Intricately constructed mysteries, icy visuals and poignant soul-searching set the template for a genre. A British remake, starring Kenneth Branagh, was surprisingly good. Just avoid the recent prequel, Young Wallander, which is disappointing to say the least.
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer or Amazon Prime Video
3. Beck (1997-present)
The longest-running series in Sweden is this police procedural thriller, based on Maj Sj?wall and Per Wahl??’s novels. Commissioner Martin Beck (Peter Haber) is a divorced Stockholm detective who suffered a great tragedy early in his career. The world-weary, quietly efficient sleuth is paired with dashing but combustible Gunvald Larsson (Sex Education’s Mikael Persbrandt) as they solve gritty crimes while exchanging wry looks. The mood is lightened by Beck’s endearingly quirky relationship with his neck brace-clad neighbour Valdemar Grannen. Over a drink at the end of the day, Beck regales Grannen with shaggy dog stories. Sk?l! Read our Beck review
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
2. The Bridge (2011-2018)
The ultimate odd couple made for an instant Nordic noir classic. When a corpse was found at the precise midpoint of the fog-shrouded ?resund Bridge, which connects Malm? and Copenhagen, it was unclear whose police jurisdiction applied. Socially awkward Swedish homicide detective Saga Norén (Sofia Helin) was duly paired with her more affable Danish counterpart Martin Rohde (Kim Bodnia) to solve a case which went to some very dark places indeed. Helin was the scene-stealer as the brilliant but emotionally blank Saga, assumed to be on the autism spectrum. The dream team lasted two series before Rohde was replaced by Henrik Sabroe (Thure Lindhardt) for another two. A series so well-loved, it was remade around the world – including in the UK as Anglo-French crossover The Tunnel. Read our The Bridge review
Watch it on: Apple TV+
1. The Killing (2007-2012)
The Danish procedural, originally titled Forbrydelsen, kick-started the Nordic noir craze and made Euro-drama a Saturday night fixture on BBC Four. Tracking a single murder inquiry across 20 slow-burning, subtitled hours didn’t sound like an obvious smash hit. But Inspector Sarah Lund (Sofie Gr?b?l) proved a fascinating enigma. The veteran detective was getting ready to retire when she was drawn into the case of murdered teenager Nanna Birk Larsen.
Each episode covers 24 hours of the investigation and delves into Copenhagen’s political corruption. Stylishly gloomy, glacially paced, packed with red herrings and cliffhangers, it made for addictive, novelistic drama. If Stieg Larsson’s Millennium novels and their film adaptations switched the world on to Scandi crime, it was The Killing which set the TV template. Tak! Read our The Killing review
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV+
