Nordic noir continues to draw global audiences with its moody visuals, dark themes, and complex protagonists that subvert traditional crime procedurals. The recent success of Nocturno, based on Swedish creators Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril's The Sandman novel, has reignited interest in the genre.
The Chestnut Man, a Danish thriller on Netflix based on Søren Sveistrup's novel, follows a string of serial murders accompanied by disturbing figurines made of chestnuts and matchsticks. The cases tie back to a missing politician's daughter. The show pairs Copenhagen detective Naia Thulin (Danica Curcic) with disgraced Europol investigator Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard). A sequel, The Chestnut Man: Hide And Seek, premiered this year.
The Killing/Forbrydelsen on Tubi remains foundational to the genre. The original Danish series, which premiered in 2007, maps a murder investigation over 20 consecutive days and episodes, revealing who killed teenager Nanna Birk Larsen in the first season. The show abandons the procedural case-of-the-week format for intense, slow-burn pacing that treats victims' grief with the same weight as the investigation itself.
Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole on Netflix, adapted from Nesbø's fifth book The Devil's Star, improves significantly on the 2017 Michael Fassbender film. Tobias Santelmann plays Detective Hole, a broody, self-destructive investigator. Joel Kinnaman appears as corrupt detective Tom Waaler, who Hole is determined to expose alongside their shared case.
Kenneth Branagh's portrayal of Kurt Wallander in the BBC series running from 2008 to 2016 on BritBox delivers one of his career-best performances. Branagh's Wallander grapples with burnout and existential despair while investigating bleak murders.
The Bridge/Broen, a Swedish-Danish co-production on Pluto TV, begins when a halved body appears on Øresund Bridge at the Denmark-Sweden border. Swedish detective Saga Norén (Sofia Helin) and Danish counterpart Martin Rohde (Kim Bodnia in seasons one and two, Henrik Sabroe in seasons three and four) must cross international lines to solve the crime.
Equinox, a 2020 Danish series on Netflix starring Danica Curcic, incorporates supernatural elements into the genre. The show follows a radio host investigating the disappearance of her sister and her graduating class from 1999.