All recent roads in crime drama lead to Forbrydelsen, the Danish series known to American audiences by its AMC then Netflix remake The Killing. For many, The Killing introduced a new vibe or set of possibilities for telling stories about crime that British TV critics had labeled Scandinavian or Nordic noir after shows like Wallander and The Bridge made their way across the channel.
This vibe has become the dominant storytelling mode in British-produced crime dramas, which is a good thing. Both UK and US audiences are attracted to these muted colors, nocturnal textures, and simple landscapes. We seem to be becoming more sophisticated in our appreciation for the basic elements of cinematography like depth of field and composition. And these shows offer us moral and emotional complexity. We are interested in TV that accurately reflects our era, which has grown more confusing where we expected it to be more transparent.
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Here is a short description of some recent titles of interest in the genre. It is not exhaustive, but I have found all of these series worth at least a brief look (or will be when completed). Please suggest titles I have overlooked in the comments. (Why no Sherlock? Not quite Nordic enough to fit in this constellation of shows…)
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1. Broadchurch
Much has already been said about Broadchurch, which became accessible to American audiences relatively quickly through BBC America and Netflix. This tragic story of the death of a young boy in a quiet coastal town draws detectives and journalists into its darker secrets until the killer emerges. I criticized the show earlier for trotting out its little British town setting too often, but in hindsight I disagree. Broadchurch sets a new bar for that trope instead of simply sprinkling it about the script. The final image of the series resounds with the kind of hope we seldom see in the genre. Tennant and Colman are riveting.
Though the first storyline has been resolved, a second season is in production (Tennant and Coleman thankfully still in the mix, but also now: Charlotte Rampling). An American remake named Gracepoint airs in October, 2014 and I am keeping an open mind about this whole affair. (I really wish someone would instead remake Tennant’s Blackpool – which was a crazy musical crime drama that doesn’t work at all on paper and almost worked in reality, but could work well in theory.)
Available on DVD through Netflix and Amazon Instant.
2. Happy Valley
This six-episode story of kidnapping, and drug trafficking becomes tense in a hurry and never lets up. Sarah Lancashire’s turn as police Sergeant of this small West Yorkshire town rescues the show from potentially stumbling into the excesses of the genre; her grief as a mother who has lost a daughter to suicide anchors the story in a growing well of emotion. The unexpected graphic violence of episodes 3 and 4 did cause a bit of a stir (think: Breaking Bad but a smidge worse). But the sustained sense of rage and grief made this compulsive watching for BBC 1 viewers. The action and intensity of this first season makes it stand out among the growing crowd of similar miniseries.
The first season of Happy Valley is now on Netflix Instant and a second is filming for airing in 2015.
3. Shetland
This stunning adaptation of an Ann Cleeves novel is as spare as its far northern Scottish location. It is beautiful, haunting, full of all the elegant lines and shadows we imagine present in Shetland’s hills. This initial two episode series is about two murders at an archeological dig, which draws DI Perez into a history lesson about the island and its families. It is a thin and fragile plot that fits its Shetland granite frame well. Episode two occurs on Up Helly Aa, a traditional fire festival marking the middle of winter. Shetland‘s cinematography has plenty of space for the spectacle.
Season 1 is available now on DVD (PAL only at this time). Seasons 2 and 3 are planned, taking on different Cleeves novels in two episode increments.
4. Southcliffe
Buckle your seatbelts for Southcliffe, as it is really tough to watch. The show is about a very tragic series of shootings in the county of Kent. There is no real mystery about it, as the show skips back and forth through time between the shootings and the earlier lives of the characters affected. The tension of the show recalls Van Sant’s Elephant, which trades overly violent imagery for an open narrative of the events. Its restraint should be a reminder to other series that less is often far more. But if one has to rank recent British TV shows by a “hard to watch” metric, this one is way up there.
Southcliffe is available on Netflix Instant.
5. Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a little older than most series on this list. And stranger. The 2009-2012 ITV series began by fitting classic cases like the Ripper murders and the east London Kray murders into an odd blend of Scandinavian noir, a loose interest in plot coherence, and eerie camerawork. Seasons three and four get far more episodic, which is not a good thing. Not everyone dug it. Others did. But if you settle into it as pulp, it starts to come together.
Available on Amazon Instant.
6. The Fall
This very popular Northern Ireland drama initially aired on RTE One before repeating on BBC 2. Gillian Anderson plays a detective tasked by the London Met with solving a complicated set of serial murders. I did not find this series as captivating as others on the list. It is very heavy on mood/grisly murder stuff and short on procedural intrigue or character development. Your mileage may vary.
The Fall is available on Netlix Instant and Amazon Instant. A second season is in production.
7. Hinterland
I am currently making my way through Hinterland, which is still only available on DVD. But the BBC 4 drama is magnificent so far. It resists being tossed into the “Scandi-noir” heap by charting its own grim course through the graphite and emerald angles of its unpronounceable Welsh locales. It is full of little Victorian flourishes and broody interludes. Its pace strikes a balance between the doldrums of The Killing and the procedural verve of Broadchurch. This is one to keep firmly on your radar.
Hinterland is available on DVD and coming soon to Netflix.
8. River
BBC 1 announced this new series about a detective trying to hold on to his own sanity while solving crimes. Scandi-Monk? Since then, Stellan Skarsgård has signed on to play the title role. I have not heard much about the series other than it airs in 2015 and that it is all moody and Nordic. So, of course, I will be watching it as soon as possible.
9. Top of The Lake
Along with Shetlands, Top of the Lake sets a bar for formal experiments with TV crime drama. Directed by Jane Campion, the BBC 2/Sundance/UK TV production is set in New Zealand. It is everything one would expect from a crime drama directed by Campion – she fills the stillness of this southern NZ landscape with an increasing backwater lunacy that rivals the meth-kingdom of Winter’s Bone. It is full of rabbit trails and digressions. Some of these detract from Elizabeth Moss’ taut (and entrancing) movement through the storyline. The script is also full of Campion’s ongoing interest in the failure of men to comprehend the secret life of women. But the series is a high water mark for the trend of auteurs tackling the episodic space made available by the TV format.
Top of the Lake is available on Netflix instant.