If you love Nordic Noir, then you probably love the genre’s common themes, its dark and gritty mood, the complex and conflicted characters, and, of course, the deliciously twisted murders. In fact, one could argue that it’s these traits that really define the beloved genre, not the location. By this logic, a story doesn’t technically have to take place in a Nordic country to be considered Nordic Noir. This is fantastic news for fans because it opens up the selection of Nordic Noir titles far beyond Scandinavian borders.
Here are eight series that prove that Nordic Noir doesn’t always have to be Nordic.
Pagan Peak
ORIGINAL TITLE: Der Pass
GERMANY | GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-MA
Based on Nordic Noir titan The Bridge (Bron/Broen), Pagan Peak (Der Pass) takes a familiar story and adds a terrifying new twist. When a gruesomely staged body is found on the border of Austria and Germany, detectives from both sides team up to catch the killer. This opening premise might mirror that of The Bridge but from there things deviate dramatically.
Set in the Alpine wilderness, Pagan Peak is heavily influenced by the folklore of that region. When it’s discovered that the killer dons a horrifying Krampus mask, he quickly becomes known as the Krampus Killer, a befitting moniker for a sadistic murderer who commits creepy ritual-like killings. If you loved The Bridge, then you’ll likely devour this fresh spin on the Nordic Noir classic.
Haven of Grace
ORIGINAL TITLE: De Grâce
FRANCE | FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-MA
A common theme in Nordic Noir stories is exposing the ugly underbelly of society, from political corruption to human trafficking, and examining how they color individual choices. Haven of Grace (De Grâce) deftly entangles societal issues with deeply personal family secrets.
The series centers on respected dock worker Pierre Leprieur, whose life is turned upside down when his sons are accused and arrested for drug smuggling. Believing he’s the target of a larger plot, he does everything in his power to protect his family, but secrets of the past will push them deeper into a dangerous and sordid world.
Dark and haunting, the French thriller has been compared to a “Greek tragedy” by The American French Film Festival.
Dark Woods
ORIGINAL TITLE: Das Geheimnis des Totenwaldes
GERMANY | GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-MA
Inspired by a real-life case that went unsolved for almost 30 years, Dark Woods (Das Geheimnis des Totenwaldes) follows a high-ranking police officer’s decades-long search for his sister and a smart young detective who ends up becoming instrumental in the investigation. In 1989, Barbara Neder, the sister of federal officer Thomas Bethge, vanishes without a trace amid a double murder case in Isefort Forest. Only young rookie detective Anne Bach sees a connection between the cases.
A taut and suspenseful thriller, Dark Woods was the most watched series on Germany’s ARD streaming platform in 2020. Pagan Peak fans will enjoy seeing stars Nicholas Ofczarek and Hanno Koffler in this series.
Nox
FRANCE | FRNECH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-MA
Meet Catherine, a modern-day French female Dirty Harry. When her equally formidable cop daughter, Julie, goes missing in the Paris Underground, Catherine comes out of retirement to track her down. Teaming up with her daughter’s partner, Raphael, Catherine descends into the catacombs beneath Paris to reveal a nightmarish labyrinth filled with human remains. But how are they connected to Julie? In a race against time, Catherine will have to use both her detective’s instinct and mother’s intuition to find her daughter before it’s too late, all while navigating a dark, hellish maze deep in the bowels of the city.
Persona
ORIGINAL TITLE: Sahsiyet
TURKEY | TURKISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-MA
Agâh is a retired 65-year-old judicial clerk, living a mundane life as a well-liked landlord in Istanbul. But when he’s diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he decides to take justice into his own hands and revisits an old case that’s haunted him all these years. When a string of men turn up dead, detective Nevra, who is on the verge of resigning after experiencing persistent misogyny on the force, starts connecting dots that all lead back to Agâh. Agâh’s new life as a vigilante forces both of them to dig deep into their pasts and carve their own path to justice.
A massive hit for both critics and audiences, Persona (Sahsiyet) topped IMDb’s list of all-time best Turkish TV shows.
Off Season
ORIGINAL TITLE: Hors Saison
FRANCE | FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-MA
When a series of bodies are found in a remote Swiss village in the Alps, Swiss captain Sterenn Peiry must team up with a French counterpart to catch a serial killer operating on both sides of the Swiss-Franco border. But don’t start making The Bridge or Pagan Peak comparisons just yet, because this is a unique story.
During an already tense investigation, Captain Peiry’s son becomes implicated in a fatal accident. In order to keep him out of jail, she’ll have to take desperate measures that not only put her career at risk, but her life, as she engages in a dangerous tango with the killer himself.
Beau Séjour
BELGIUM | FLEMISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-MA
There are murder mysteries and then there’s Beau Séjour, an entirely different kind of whodunit. That’s because the person at the center of the investigation is the victim herself.
The series opens with Kato waking up in a hotel room to find her own dead body in a bathtub splattered with blood, with no recollection of what happened. Stuck in a limbo between life and death and invisible to everyone except for a handful of people in town, Kato must figure out who killed her in a small community tangled up in secrets. Everyone, from her best friend to her own sister, seems to be hiding something connected to her death. Sometimes the path to the truth is concealed by the people closest to you.
The Alligator
ORIGINAL TITLE: L’Alligatore
ITALY | ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-MA
Based on the novels by Massimo Carlotto, The Alligator (L’Alligatore) is a modern Italian noir following former blues singer turned investigator Marco Buratti, whose nickname is the titular Alligator.
After being framed for witnessing a crime he shouldn’t have seen, Marco spends seven years in prison, where he picks up some resourceful skills. After his sentence, he decides to put his new skills to use as an unofficial private eye, working both sides of the law to bring criminals to justice in a flawed system. When he’s hired by an attorney to track down an inmate client who went missing, Marco teams up with his prison buddy, the tough Beniamino, and tech whiz Max, to investigate, leading the Alligator into some murky waters.
About the Author
Alicia Lu is a writer, actor, and marketing strategist based in New Orleans, LA. When she is not auditioning for films and series, she is voraciously devouring them as a fan or writing about them as an online contributor. As a marketing strategist, her favorite clients are in the entertainment space. It’s safe to say she eats, sleeps, and breathes film and TV. Her husband is doing his best to keep up.
