And now to the big one – our Top 10 Best Nordic TV shows of 2023.
2023 saw us have access to more Nordic series thanks to the arrival of Viaplay, opening up a number of new (and old) series to watch – the streamer is still accessible (for how long we don’t know) so be sure to take advantage of the amazing series it offers while you still can.
But it wasn’t only Viaplay who delivered the goods; Netflix and Walter Presents both delivered some fantastic series to enjoy this year. Here are our top picks which are still currently accessible.
10 – Those Who Kill Season 3 | BBC4 | Denmark
Those Who Kill was a fantastic and engaging series with a twist in the middle of it which we really enjoyed. The cast and chemistry between the two leads was particularly good and we even got to see Alex Høgh Andersen do something different from his role in Vikings too.
This was perhaps my favourite of the series and fingers crossed they might make some more in the future.
9 – Copenhagen Cowboy | Netflix | Denmark
The year kicked off with Copenhagen Cowboy and no one was really prepared for it, unless perhaps the real die-hard Nicholas Winding Refn fans. It might possibly be one of Netflix’s most unique and bizarre series’, its visually stunning, it’s weird, violent and will either totally absorb you from the offset or make you run to the hills. We thoroughly enjoyed it!
8 – The Nurse | Netflix | Denmark
Netflix delivered another great series (and there will be more in this list), The Nurse, which at first we felt we had seen before in a film which is also on the streamer, however, much to our terror, we learned that this too is based on a similar story to that of The Good Doctor.
Look out for some seriously great star turns from the series leads Josephine Parks (who had been having an absolutely solid 2023) and Fanny Louise Bernth – we got to speak to both of them and other members of the cast which was great fun.
7 – Top Dog Season One | Walter Presents | Sweden
Oh how long we waited for this series, it had been so long that when we spoke with one of the series lead stars, Josefin Asplund, and she thought we were interviewing her about Top Dog Season Two.
Walter Presents finally delivered the goods and after hearing so many good things about the series we were delighted to see that it had lived up to all expectations… now if only we could get Season Two sooner Walter Presents!
6 – A Nearly Normal Family | Netflix | Sweden
After a summer of not many Nordic TV shows, we finally got something to get really stuck into with A Nearly Normal Family and judging by both the viewing figure and the visits to our interview with the series central star, Alex Karlsson Tyrefors, this series had been a huge success all over the globe. If this is a taste of what’s more to come with Netflix we really are in for a very exciting 2024!
5 – Tore | Netflix | Sweden
Tore is the first of two young adult series that stole our hearts. This particular one was exceptionally good due to a stunning performance by both its lead, and series creator, William Spetz. We laughed, we cried, we shouted (because my god Tore can be infuriating), and we wanted to get a Golden Labrador and have Sanna Sundqvist as our best friend.
Don’t let this series sneak past your Netflix doom scrolling – its wonderful!
4 – Thunder in My Heart Seasons 1 & 2 | Viaplay | Sweden
Viaplay might be on its way out very soon so you really need to head over there as quickly as possible and binge watch as much as you (especially these next three series we are about to suggest) – starting with Thunder in My Heart.
Everything from the stories, cast, script, and music in this was absolutely wonderful – again our hearts were wrenched, we laughed very hard in places, and sometimes just had to stop and say to ourselves; ‘Holy shit this lot are talented’ and they really really are. Most notably Amy Deasismont who is involved in the creation of the show, directed some episodes, and is the main character in it!
3 – Riding in Darkness | Viaplay | Sweden
We made a mistake when we first started watching this, almost writing it off for some fluffy Hallmark movie (but as a TV show); then half-way through episode one everything gets turned on its head and that was it, we were in, half not wanting to watch more because we didn’t think we could hate a character as much as ‘Tommy’ but we did (and we still hate Tommy – acted so incredibly well it got actor Jonas Karlsson a Golden Globe nomination).
This is heavy viewing but fascinating and it hasn’t left us since.
2 – Limbo | Viaplay | Sweden
Our third Viaplay entry, and another incredibly strong one, which shows how much we are going to miss this player when it goes. So much content which we will miss out on (and old content we might have missed in the past) and here is one you really shouldn’t let slip away.
Limbo is hard to put down and you’ll find its six episodes spin as you engross yourself in the story of three friend’s who children are involved in a car accident and the ripple it effect it has on their lives.
1 – Carmen Curlers | Walter Presents | Denmark
Throughout this Top 10 we have been introducing series that stray away from the regular confines of Nordic Noir, as Nordic Watchlist we want to introduce the world to what other series exist beyond this genre and to cap this off is our number choice – Carmen Curlers.
This series brought us a true story that wasn’t shocking and controversial, okay there is some controversy here, where there were musical interludes and even moments of feeling good. The show boasts such a solid cast with some phenomenal acting from its leads in Morten Hee Andersen, Maria Rossing, and Nicolai Jørgensen.
So there we have it, our Top 10 Nordic TV Shows of 2023. Do you agree with our picks, how many have you seen and more importantly how many of these haven’t you seen which you will seek out to watch now.
