Really enjoyed both Fauda and The Bureau
If you enjoy murder-mystery thrillers full of danger and psychological tension, with daunting challenges and hints of political intrigue, then 2018’s The Truth Will Out (Det som göms i snö in Swedish), currently streaming on SBS, is for you. An eight-part TV series, this intricate Nordic noir features dialogue in Swedish with English subtitles, with English spoken briefly on occasion.
The Swedish title, Det som göms i snö, comes from a common Swedish saying: “What is hidden in snow will be exposed in the thaw”. So, what’s hidden that needs to be discovered? “Based on true events”, the story begins with a sequence of puzzling, seemingly disconnected shards of actions and scenes – but these all eventually come together and make sense.
Stockholm Police Detective Peter Wendel, back at work after a nervous breakdown and a family tragedy, is tasked with hastily assembling a new cold-case unit. Just at this same time, a previous conviction in a notorious, supposedly closed serial-murder case has been called into question. Wendel must focus his new cold-case team of three rejects and misfits on what he’s convinced is a serial killer still on the loose.
As the plot thickens, Wendel and his rag-tag team must not only confront mortal danger but deal with their own demons and drawbacks, as well as the impediments of political intrigue and threats that seem to move closer to home and family. This series has a lot going on.
Detective Peter Wendel is played by Robert Gustafsson. A huge star in his native Sweden for being a comedic genius, Gustafsson delivers a tour de force dramatic performance as Peter Wendel—a man obsessed with finding the truth while possessed by people and events in his past.
Ia Langhammer as Barbro Svensson was so impressive and it is so refreshing to see an older female character who is dynamic … and grows so much over a few episodes.
For her role, la Langhammer received a Best Actress Kristallen nomination in 2019.
Each episode runs for around 43 minutes, which is an American commercial hour. I’m up to Part 7. It’s engrossing. I understand that Series 2 is now streaming also.
EDIT: Unfortunately, SBS are not yet streaming Series 2, although it is available.
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Thanks for the heads-up. Have put it on the list. Thought I was across most Scandis of this type but this one escaped the net.
Yes, The Bureau is exceptional. One of the best of its kind.
Wasn’t aware of the other one (had to look it up). These other extremely good Israeli series are worth seeking out.
Manayek (currently on SBS on Demand)
False Flag
Prisoners of War (used as the basis for the first season of US series Homeland)
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Just started Divided We Stand (ZERV - Zeit der Abrechnung) on SBS. It covers a team of West German detectives seconded to Berlin upon German reunification to investigate East German financial crimes. The stick-in-the-mud West German boss has to deal with a vivacious DDR homicide cop. First episode was interesting.
And now finished it (6-parter). It was pretty good. The East Germans weren’t happy about being condescended to when they were just as good at their jobs. All the crookedness in selling DDR military ordnance to sanctioned countries emanated from the West in the first place.
Started another series , Balthazar, a French series on Acorn TV. He’s a smug yet brilliant forensic doctor who lost his beautiful wife to a serial killer, but she’s always on hand to advise him. He’s working with a new captain, played by Hélène de Fougerolles. Nothing out of the ordinary. He converses with the victims. I’d never heard of the actor, Tomer Sisley, but he was in this morning’s papers talking about the anti-Israel protests in Paris.
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There are 4 series on Netflix, all with the same creator, theme etc about police interrogation, but without the rubber hoses and phone books.
They are Criminal: United Kingdom, Criminal: France, Criminal: Spain and Criminal: Germany.
One group of detectives watch from the adjoining room as two others do the interrogation.
Some familiar faces, like Sara Girardeau who was Marina (Phenomonème in The Bureau). She was being accused of falsely claiming she was in the Bataclan nightclub when her boyfriend was killed in that Islamist attack in 2015 where 130 were killed.
Emma Suarez, Carmen Machi and Inma Cuesta familiar faces in the Spanish version. Emma played Julieta as an adult in the Almódovar film.
And one of the key East Germans in the Deutschland series.
Series 2 of The Truth Will Out (Det som göms i snö in Swedish) is currently streaming on SBS. Well worth watching.
In the English one there’s Bacchus from Inspector George Gently.
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Mrs S and I have been watching a Swedish thing called A Nearly Normal Family. A girl is accused of murdering her older boyfriend. It holds the attention but there are lots of gaps.
Finished both seasons the other day. It does take a while to come together and there is plenty going on. Good watch, though.
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I’ve just finished watching an 8-part French legal series on SBS. The English title is “Conviction,” which has nothing to do with the original French title, “66-5”, although it is easy to understand why it was changed.
The original title of the series refers to article 66 paragraph 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure ensuring that “in all matters, advice given by a lawyer to his client or even just intended for him and all correspondence exchanged between the client and his lawyer are covered by professional secrecy." Surely SBS could have devised an English title which reflected this meaning, instead of the bland dull title they went with !
The crap English title does not do justice to this series which is excellent, and should not be missed. It’s brand-new, too, having been first broadcast in France starting in mid-September this year - that’s just three months ago.
As for the plot summary :
Roxane, a young business lawyer in a prestigious Parisian firm, sees her life turned upside down when her husband, a partner in the firm, is accused of rape. He is charged with the crime and the other partners in the firm ostracise Roxane, afraid that contact with her will cost them their wealthiest and best-placed clients. She finds herself left with no other option than to give up business law and return, however unwillingly, to the Bobigny working-class housing estate of her childhood, where she must try to rebuild herself as a criminal lawyer at the local court. Bobigny, a north-eastern suburb of Paris, situated around the Canal St Martin, is the French version of Frankston, Dandenong or Broadmeadows, but a lot tougher. She soon finds herself in conflict with local gangsters, in particular the Boutaleb brothers, Karim and Toufik, who run a lucrative business importing and selling cocaine.
Alice Isaaz plays the lead role. Not only is she a highly-skilled actress, but she is extremely easy on the eyes as well. She’s 32 years old, and already has an impressive body of work in her CV. She’s well backed up by Raphaël Acloque as Bilal, the male lead, with whom Roxane has a history going back to their teenage years.
Please watch it - and let me know what you think.
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I’m 3 or 4 episodes in. Will continue.
Been on my favourites list for some time. Haven’t got to it yet.
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L’Ora - fantastic series on SBS about a newspaper in Palermo reporting on the mafia.
Babylon Berlin - I found the final a little bit underwhelming, but it’s a great series overall.
Someone here was claiming months ago that the fourth series had dropped, but was awaiting subtitling.
It’s a bit constricted by history…the Wall St crash mixing with the rise of the Nazis.
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Just finished it. Pretty good, and left it open for more episodes, although I doubt it would happen.
Her husband is a prize one.
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Finished it yesterday. Definite Spiral vibes which gives it a 
from me.
Doubt some of those scenes around Bobigny were tourist board approved. Definitely not the Paris most visitors would know and love. It’s < 10km from the central city so it’s not exactly the back-blocks.
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Spiral would have got fewer wraps from the tourist board.
Ditto Blood Coast.
No question about that
Agree about Blood Coast.