Some great TV shows have been emerging out of the Nordic countries over the last few years. Here are four of the best, which have the additional benefit of featuring beautiful Nordic mountainous scenery.
Mountain Rescue
If you are a fan of winter sports, you may have heard of Åre in Sweden, which is home to a world-class mountain and alpine ski resort. As for the Åre municipality, only around 1,500 people live there. The remote wilderness makes the perfect setting for the Swedish TV drama Mountain Rescue. The show follows fictional emergency services personnel from the Åre community, including the fire, police, health care, and mountain rescue services. It stars Nadja Halid in the lead role as Zara Dawit, who arrives in Åre in the first episode as a new doctor. There are no crimes or mysteries in Mountain Rescue. It is very much a people drama, and as such, it is very absorbing indeed. Of course, there is also lots of action when the emergency services are called to help people in trouble. The true star of Mountain Rescue is the breathtaking backdrop, though. If you are lucky, you might even spot Swedish wildlife like wolves in the background. To get in the mood, check out the wolf gold slot game that features a mountainous background and is great fun to play.
Black Lake
For a darker and more fantastical TV show, check out the Danish and Swedish co-production of Black Lake. The Nordic supernatural thriller is a great horror mystery that ran for two seasons. It debuted in Denmark and Sweden in 2016. In the first episode, Johan takes some friends to a disused mountainous ski resort in the north of Sweden because he is considering buying it. After the resort was built, twenty years ago, it never actually opened to the public because a family was murdered in the cellar of the hotel shortly after its completion. Johan’s girlfriend soon starts to believe that the resort is being haunted by the spirit of a dead child. From there, things get stranger and really start to kick off.
Ragnarök
Filmed in the beautiful mountainous town of Odda, and renamed as the fictional Edda in the show, this great fantasy series from Norway begins with the teenage boy Magne moving back home to be with his brother and mother. It is not long before Magne discovers he is the reincarnation of the Norse god Thor. His mission? To fight those that are causing climate change and industrial pollution. Yes, the superhuman Magne becomes the ultimate ecowarrior. The Netflix show, produced by the Danish production company SAM Productions debuted in 2020. A second series was recently released. Not only is Ragnarök an extremely fun mythological adventure. It also features some beautiful Nordic scenery.
Trapped
This is Nordic noir at its finest. Trapped is kind of like Agatha Christie meets Fargo, in Iceland. The show is the most expensive television series ever made in Iceland, but it was worth every penny. After premiering at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival in 2015, Trapped was sold to broadcasters around the world. In the US, the Weinstein Company purchased the distribution rights. Trapped has been so popular that a third series is now underway. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. The first series of Trapped follows the chief of police Andri Olafsson in the remote and mountainous Icelandic town of Seyðisfjörður, as he tries to solve the mystery of who mutilated and murdered a townsperson. With brooding landscapes, bleak skies, and a real head-scratcher of a murder mystery, Trapped is a charismatic and stylish thriller that you need to watch. It also contains more red herrings than you will find in all of Iceland.