A good mystery is welcomed anywhere in the world. It doesn’t matter what language it’s in. If it captivates audiences, it will find more of them. Streaming platforms have opened up the possibility for people to find global shows that they never had access to before. This has expanded the opportunities for audiences to fall in love with new shows and subgenres.
One subgenre that has become more popular globally is Nordic Noir. These series have a specific feel to them, as there’s usually a dark secret or grisly crime that’s being solved in a place where the weather is colder. The stories wrap audiences up and keep them intrigued throughout their run. Noir can be a tricky genre to land, but Nordic series tend to have a good handle on it. Prime Video is a terrific option for those who want to find Nordic noir shows wherever they live.
Here are the 10 best Nordic Noir TV series to stream on Prime Video.
‘Jordskott’ (2015 – 2017)
Jordskott opens in 2014. Eva Thörnblad (Moa Gammel), a police detective in Stockholm, returns to her hometown seven years after her daughter went missing near a forest lake. Her body was never found, and it is assumed that she drowned. Around the time Eva moves back, another boy goes missing, and she looks into the similarities between her daughter’s case and that one.
The series features family dynamics, as Eva also comes back to her hometown after her father passes away, and she must deal with his large timber business, which is a lifeline for much of the town, and comes under scrutiny as the cases are being investigated. The show also features Göran Ragnerstam as the local detective Eva teams up with.
‘Sthlm Requiem’ (2018)
Liv Mjönes plays an unconventional criminologist trying to solve crimes in Stockholm in Sthlm Requiem. Fredrika Bergman is the titular character in Kristina Ohlsson’s book series, which the TV series is based on, and she joins a special investigation unit in the Swedish capital. Her colleagues are initially unwelcoming to her, mostly because of her quirks.
But she quickly makes them realize her methods are effective. Bergman has a penchant for solving difficult crimes, making her a valuable asset for the unit. It also stars Jonas Karlsson, Alexej Manvelov, and Magnus Roosmann. Despite being based on a series of books, the series only lasted one season.
‘Trom’ (2022)
Trom stars Ulrich Thomsen as Hannis Marinsson, a journalist who is contacted by Sonja, a daughter he didn’t know he had. She claims she’s in grave danger and, by the time he finds her, she’s dead. The police assume that she drowned, but Marinsson is not convinced. He has suspicions that she might have been killed for her activist stances, giving this series a political undertone.
The police detective looking into Sonja’s death, played by Maria Rich, also has ulterior motives for delaying the investigation. The show was developed by Torfinnur Jákupsson and was shot mainly in the Faroe Islands. It is a six-part series.
‘Forbrydelsen’ (2007 – 2012)
Forbrydelsen, the popular Danish crime series, began in 2007 and was created by Søren Sveistrup. It stars Sofie Gråbøl, and each season of the series follows her character, Sarah Lund, as she investigates a murder case. Each episode covers a day in the investigation. The series has been lauded for its taut storytelling and moody settings, as well as the beautiful photography around Denmark.
The series ran for three seasons and 40 episodes. It was also received adaptations to air in Egypt, Turkey, and the U.S. You may recognize the American version as The Killing, which ran for four seasons from 2011 to 2014 and stars Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman.
‘Those Who Kill’ (2019 – Present)
Those Who Kill is another Danish series that has lasted for multiple seasons. It’s a reboot of a series that ran in 2011, focusing on Natalie Madueño’s character, Louise Bergstein, a criminal profiler who attempts to link unsolved murders to help close them. The series has run for four seasons, with each subsequent season being given a unique surtitle; Blinded: Those Who Kill for the second season, Lost: Those Who Kill for the third, and Justice: Those Who Kill for the fourth.
Cases have included a missing girl’s disappearance and an unsolved murder of an 18-year-old boy. The cast is different each season, as the characters around Bergstein change for the most part. The show was broadcast in the UK with a successful run before coming to Prime Video.
‘The Bridge’ (2011 – 2018)
What happens when a crime takes place on a bridge that links two countries? Who has jurisdiction? That’s the premise of The Bridge, the 2011 series that was a joint production between Swedish and Danish production companies. The series initially focuses on a crime that takes place on the Øresund Bridge, which connects Sweden and Denmark. A dead body is found in the middle of the bridge, leading to a joint investigation between Swedish police detective Saga Norén (Sofia Helin) and Danish lead homicide investigator Martin Rohde (Kim Bodnia).
The series looks at the investigation as well as the collaboration between the two lead detectives. It dives into their personal lives and how the case causes a lot of issues for both of them. The show earned numerous awards during its run and it was adapted seven times for different countries. There are seasons covering the UK and France, the US and Mexico, Estonia and Russia, Malaysia and Singapore, Germany and Austria, Greece and Turkey, and India.
‘Der Usedom-Krimi’ (2014 – 2025)
Der Usedom-Krimi takes place on the small Baltic Sea island of Usedom. It follows a mother-daughter duo who investigate crimes on the island. It stars Katrin Sass as Karin Lossow, a former district attorney, who teams up with her daughter Julia Thiel (Lisa Maria Potthoff), a Detective Chief Superintendent.
The show is praised for the gripping storylines, the unique mother-daughter crime-fighting duo focus, and the small-town setting. Usedom takes center stage as its gorgeous landscapes are highlighted in every episode. There are 25 episodes spread across multiple seasons.
‘Trapped’ (2015 – 2021)
Set in Iceland, Trapped follows police as they try desperately to solve a case with an impending blizzard barreling towards them. A Danish ferry gets trapped in a remote Icelandic town and, once a mutilated body washes ashore, police must work as quickly as possible to solve the case, as all the ferry passengers become suspects. The series ran for three seasons and has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
It stars Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, who has made a splash in Hollywood with roles in Severance, NOS4A2, and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. As the series progresses, it continues to follow the criminal investigations that take place on the fjord. The series features music from famous composers Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Rutger Hoedemaekers.
‘The Hunters’ (2018 – 2021)
Rolf Lassgård reprises his role of Erik Backstrom from the films The Hunters and False Trail in a TV version of The Hunters. The show ran for two six-episode seasons and came from the writers of the two films. Backstrom is a retired police detective who unofficially investigates murders. In season 1, he investigates the death of a mining company boss, one whom he had previously worked for. Season 2 features Erik re-investigating a case that he had looked into 15 years prior, featuring a woman’s death after her boyfriend, who was convicted of the crime, is freed when new evidence comes to light.
Annika Nordin reprises her role from False Trail as Erik’s sister, and Johan Marenius Nordahl plays his nephew, a new policeman. The series is set in Alvsbyn, Sweden, and season 1 was released seven years after the release of False Trail.
‘The Team’ (2015 – 2018)
Starring Lars Mikkelsen, Jasmin Gerat, and Veerle Baetens, The Team is about a group of police chiefs working together to solve a series of cross-border murders. Mikkelsen plays the head of the Danish police team, Gerat leads the German team, and Baetens is the head of the Belgian team. The first season follows the murders of prostitutes in each of those countries, all killed in the same way and all having been visited by the same man within hours of one another.
The second season has a completely different cast, featuring Marie Bach Hansen, Lynn Van Royen, and Jürgen Vogel. It looks into the murders of seven people at a bed and breakfast. The series is a joint production between Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, and Switzerland.