Walter Presents’ new Danish series Chorus Girls (original title Dansegarderoben) is described as a drama/comedy, but if you’re looking for easy laughs, you won’t find them here.

While the title and poster allude to something light and cosy, the eight part series tackles some pretty difficult themes: sexism and misogyny, violence against women, jealousy, low self-esteem and more. So the comedic elements in the series largely serve to make its tough messages more poignant. That said, Chorus Girls isn’t without its warmth and feelgood factors, but they come predominantly through the triumphs and bonding of the characters.

Set in the mid-1970s at Copenhagen’s Circusrevyen revue theatre, the series follows eight female chorus dancers over a summer season as they pursue their dreams of glamour and fame while navigating an industry dominated by powerful men and entrenched sexism.

As the season progresses, the dancers confront an array of issues including unequal pay, sexual harassment, economic insecurity, and troubled relationships. While dealing with the derogatory and dismissive behaviour of many of the male characters, the dancers also have to contend with an often abrasive and critical emerging women’s liberation movement.

The lead character is Sussie, a newcomer to the troupe, who arrives hoping for independence and a potential way out of an abusive relationship. She’s played by the excellent Marie Bach Hansen, who viewers will know from her performances in the likes of Secrets We Keep, White Sands and The Legacy. But the series is far from being just about the experiences of Sussie, as it has an extremely good ensemble cast, with each character dealing with or representing a particular issue.

And those issues come thick and fast. Sexism and misogyny are very much at the top of the list of issues. UK audiences will be very familiar with TV series tackling the attitudes and failures in recent history. So Chorus Girls isn’t breaking new ground, but it does make a good contribution to a genre that arguably we would rather not have.

Throughout the series, the female characters are fondled, ogled and told strip on command. The very bitchy male costume designer treats the dancers as annoying objects that don’t meet the standards he requires for his creations. “Once again the women come in all shapes and sizes” he mutters as he sizes up the dancers. And the opening line of the first song of the revue, performed by the resident comedian and revue director, is “What do we need women for?” Yep, painful and cringey stuff.

The toughest issue that Chorus Girls deals with is violence against women. Much of this is experienced by the lead character Sussie, but others also fall victim over the course of the series. And the brutality of the violence really jars against the absurd and terrible/dated humour of the revue performances.

As you might expect, the male offenders eventually get their comeuppance, largely as a result of the female characters turning their backs on rivalry and looking to help each other. The theme of sisterhood is well explored as the characters realise that embracing some of the views and values of mainstream society are simply not helping them. The journey of sisterhood is also taken by some of the feminist protestors whose sneering attitudes are given short shrift by some of the dancers.

And of course a series set in the mid 70s wouldn’t be complete without the colours, clothes and interiors of the era. While some Nordic series have a tendency to romanticise about the design and culture of previous decades, Chorus Girls presents the 1970s with all the tackiness of the era as well as all the cool. This includes the music. The series opens with an ABBA classic, and we get a good dollop of disco, but viewers are also treated to the, frankly, awful music of the revue.

One of the biggest criticisms of Chorus Girls is of the one dimensional and stereotypical male characters. The revue director Preben Kaas, played by Anders W. Berthelsen, and Sussie’s husband Robert, played by leading Norwegian actor Jakob Oftebro, are allowed to develop their characters, but some of the others are simply little more than caricatures. Yes, that helps ram home the series’ key messages, but it doesn’t always make for well-rounded drama. Some of the surreal/imagined dance sequences are also a little questionable, but they don’t detract from the narrative or enjoyment of the series.

Not surprisingly, Chorus Girls leaves you thinking. Given its subject matter, use of humour and its cringey moments, it takes a few episodes to really get into the series and to appreciate what’s good about it. But it is good and definitely worth watching.

Chorus Girls launches on Channel 4, 20th July from midnight and the boxset is available on Walter Presents via c4 streaming from the 17th July