Welcome to Sweden: The Complete First Season

Greg Poehler (brother of producer and costar Amy Poehler) draws from his own life experience for this bilingual sitcom about a celebrity accountant (as in accountant for celebrities) named Bruce, who leaves his job and life in New York City to follow his girlfriend, Emma (Josephine Bornebusch), back to her home in Sweden. Sister Amy plays herself, Bruce's most demanding and persistent former client. From an American perspective, this is your basic fish-out-of-water comedy, with Bruce as the not-exactly-ugly-but-certainly-self-centered American abroad, but the series gives equal time to the Swedish characters and—given substantial Scandinavian input on the creative side—avoids the usual Swedish stereotypes in its portrait of Emma's eccentric family. Lena Olin, the series' international marquee name, plays Emma's psychiatrist mom, while the Poehler connection helps to bring in American guest stars including Will Ferrell, Aubrey Plaza, Malin Akerman, Jack Black, Paul Simon, and others. It's the kind of comedy that meshes with the low-key character humor of The Office and Parks and Recreation, although it's not nearly as accomplished as either. And Greg Poehler is a neophyte who is not quite as natural as Bornebusch (a Swedish star with impeccable English and solid comedy chops), although he does a decent job as an American overseas, negotiating the cultural obstacles of an almost passive-aggressive politeness while failing to pick up even the rudiments of the language. Compiling all 10 episodes of the 2014 first season, this is a strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)