When speaking to a number of stars over the years it has become abundantly clear that fans in the UK (and around the world) really are missing out on some wonderful shows from the Nordic region. There are likely hundreds out there which may or may not surface on TV or streaming platforms.
We decided to share a few shows that we are still waiting very patiently for and really hope will be released at some point for us over here in the UK in the near future!
Beartown
HBO Nordic’s Beartown had a lot of hype around it – it was massive hit in Scandinavia and then went across the Atlantic allowing for users of HBO MAX to see it too (lucky you guys)! The series, which was adapted from Fredrik Backman’s bestselling novel, focuses on the fictional town of Beartown where hockey is life – until a tragic incident happens that sends shockwaves around the town.
We got to speak to one of the actresses Miriam Ingrid last year, who plays a leading character in the series, about the show – which made us want to watch it even more! Her performance has been much applauded for what was undoubtedly a very difficult role.
So why haven’t we seen it yet? Honestly, we don’t know – the directors and others have said it was on it’s way to the UK but it seems that the issue lies between the rights of HBO Max and Sky Television – which may not be ironed out until 2023.
That is a long wait – perhaps we can order the series on DVD or Blu-ray by then?!
Beforeigners
Another series that has been possibly tangled up in the who HBO Max versus Sky TV paperwork is Beforeigners – a Norwegian series that sets up an absolutely fantastic premise: how would the world cope if people from the historical past returned back to civilization in our modern-day?
The show stars one of our favourite Nordic actresses Krista Kosonen, who when we interviewed last year confirmed there would be a second season of the show. She pairs up with Norway’s Nicolai Cleve Broch, who plays a police detective from the modern world forced alongside Krista’s character who has arrived from the past – so not only do they need to set aside their differences but also help each other understand their cultures.
It is a brilliant concept and with the first season being such a success, a second season is now due pretty soon. The second season even boasts a few familiar British actors including the excellent Paul Kaye (Game of Thrones).
One hopes that perhaps Sky Atlantic/Now TV might get hold of this one but there has been no mention of it yet and season one certainly has appeared on their box sets. Fingers crossed this will make its way to UK shores!
Top Dog
Sweden’s Top Dog has been a huge hit in Scandinavia- based on a trilogy of books by the ever reliable Jens Lapidus the series was released last year to much acclaim. The cast is very impressive with a lot for familiar faces including Stockholm Requiem‘s Alexej Manvelov, Thicker Than Water’s Jessica Grabowsky and Joel Spira, Viking‘s Josefin Asplund, and finally, Gustav Lindh – most recently seen in the brilliant Riders of Justice!
That is really just naming a few – it truly is a list of whose who on the cast list (and even in the trailer)!
The series synopsis sounds very intriguing, perhaps a little hard to explain, where two worlds collide between the confident and high-achieving Emily (played by Josefin Asplund) and the recently released convict Ted (Alexej Manvelov) – the pair get entangled in a struggle that will see them caught up in a dangerous conspiracy.
With a cast like this, based on the books of Jens, I think it is very fair to say that we are truly missing out here!
The Minister
Whilst we have some idea that we’ll see the brilliant, and much loved Olafur Darri Olafson in the third season of Trapped (now titled Entrapped) on Netflix either at the end of the year of beginning of next, we are not so sure when we might be given the opportunity to see his brilliant performance in Iceland’s latest, The Minister.
Even when I spoke with the actor back in March, he’s currently filming in Australia, he wasn’t even sure himself when we might expect to see the show. Though he did say encouragingly that “it is worth the wait”.
The Minister sees Olafur as character Benedikt, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Iceland who starts to lose his mind which in turn has an effect on his family, the people around him, and the Icelandic nation.
It has received rave reviews in Iceland for its depiction of mental illness and around Olafur’s character is some fantastic support – including Daughters of Reykjavik singer Þuríður Blær Jóhannsdóttir who spoke to us about the series last year.
At the time of press, Nordic Watchlist found out that The Minister can now be viewed in the US on a streaming platform called Topic – when asked to comment on whether we can expect it in the UK we were told that there is nothing yet but ‘hopefully in the future’ – a glimmer of hope!
These shows are merely scratching the surface – there are others out there which have been mooted to get a UK release but we are still waiting to see as and when.
What Nordic shows have you heard about and are desperate to see but can’t get access to? Tell us in the comments or over on social media.
Feature by Alex Minnis