Arne Dahl: Season One

Scandinavian mysteries and police procedurals have become an international phenomenon, both in novels and in TV series. The title here refers to the pen name of Jan Arnald, who wrote the books that inspired this set of five two-part stories, which all focus on the work of a special Stockholm police squad known as the A-Unit, created by hard-nosed Commander Jenny Hultin (Irene Lindh) in response to a series of high-profile killings. Naturally, the six-member team is an eclectic group (one on probation for using excessive force, another a linguistic genius, a third a former defense lawyer), with each bringing unique skills (as well as personal quirks) to cases that frequently have international connections (one centers on the murder of a family vacationing in the Alps, while another morphs into a tale involving an espionage ring). The plots are convoluted but sophisticated, with generous narrative arcs that not only allow for numerous twists but also expanded characters with interesting tics and peculiarities. The viewer has to be willing to accept the deliberate pace (not to mention the bleak and barren environment), but there are rewards for anyone who has enjoyed earlier examples of Nordic noir, such as Forbrydelsen or Broen (the originals of the series remade stateside as The Killing and The Bridge). Recommended. (F. Swietek)