The Sommerdahl Murders may have you reaching for your sunglasses

If you think that all Nordic Police procedural TV series take place in the bleak gloom of Scandinavian winters, all monochrome with brooding soundtracks, The Sommerdahl Murders may have you reaching for your sunglasses.

As Season four hits UK screens via Walter Presents, the Danish coastal setting is bathed in sunlight, marinas and coastal panoramas replacing the more familiar gritty Noir. It is, though, a setting that fans of previous series will recognise, the coastal setting providing a backdrop not only for murder but for the equally complex web of personal relationships that have run as multi-series story arcs.

Detective Dan Sommerdahl (Peter Mygind) and his colleagues from the Elsinore Police face a casebook of murders, each case played out over two episodes. Each could, in theory, be watched as a standalone drama, though the surrounding subplot of the police officers’ complex personal lives would be something of a challenge.

The surroundings of Helsingør provide a suitably sunny backdrop to the first case, the murder of Beatrice Werner, the wealthy owner of a winery. Vines aren’t perhaps the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of Denmark, but the wine business hides its own secrets for Sommerdahl to unravel. Perhaps mirroring his own life, the family secrets are as heady a mix as the flavours pressed into the company’s wine bottles.

Subsequent cases featuring illegal raves, horse racing and religious sects show that the idyllic lifestyle on the Danish coast is just as gritty as darker Nordic Noir series. The lighting and tone may be different, but the heady mix of crime and officers trying to come to terms with their own tangled personal lives is a common thread.

The three separate cases are, as we’ve come to expect from this series, suitably varied. Ok, plot lines may occasionally veer into the realm of stretched plausibility, but the many twists along the way prove satisfying. Family tensions, financial troubles, drug taking and religious dogma, all providing plenty of scope for investigation.

Four series in, and Peter Mygind remains the show’s heart. Dan Sommerdahl is not the brooding Nordic noir detective in the mould of Wallender or Hole. Instead, he is warmer, more approachable, and often driven as much by emotion as professional instinct. Mygind gives the character a charm that makes him likeable even when his personal decisions become frustrating. His chemistry with André Babikian’s Flemming continues to be one of the show’s highlights, balancing humour and friendship against the backdrop of serious investigations.

That relationship drama remains both the series strength and a weakness. The long-running emotional entanglements among Sommerdahl, his ex-wife Marianne, Flemming, and Sommerdahl’s girlfriend Josefine receive significant attention throughout the season. However, there are moments when the romantic storylines threaten to overshadow the crimes themselves. Sommerdahl‘s indecisiveness can be repetitive, and some viewers may be more eager to return to the murder investigation than to another conversation about his love life.

Season four also benefits from a solid supporting cast. Mathias Käki Jørgensen’s Benjamin, Laura Drasbæk’s Marianne, and Maibritt Saerens’s Josefine all bring the personal element into the crime drama. Their presence helps the series feel like an ensemble drama rather than a one-man detective show.

Visually, the series remains a pleasure to watch. Helsingør’s coastal setting continues to give the show a distinctive identity. Bright daylight and waterfront views a counterpoint to the darker aesthetic often associated with Scandinavian crime dramas. The result is a lighter tone that helps distinguish The Sommerdahl Murders from many of its Nordic contemporaries.

Overall, season four is an enjoyable continuation of the Sommerdahl series. It may not offer the psychological depth or gritty realism of the best Nordic Noir productions, but it succeeds as a character-driven detective drama with appealing locations and a that audiences genuinely care about.

For longtime fans, this season delivers everything they have come to expect. For newcomers, it offers an introduction to one of Denmark’s most accessible and enjoyable crime series. With three more seasons already filmed and aired in Denmark, there’s plenty more intrigue to come from this detective.

The Sommerdahl Murders Season 4 is available now on Walter Presents via Channel 4 streaming.