There’s something about a lake that makes for perfect crime drama atmosphere. The water is calm on the surface, the fog rolls in and swallows sound, and the communities that cluster around the shore have a way of keeping their secrets buried — sometimes literally.
Whether you’re in the mood for Nordic noir, German mystery, or Slavic psychological tension, here are six series that use lake settings to unforgettable effect.
MYSTERY | GERMANY | GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
With Germany, Switzerland and Austria sharing its shores, Lake Constance has stories to tell. German homicide inspector Micha Oberländer and his Austrian partner Hannah Zeiler try to discover its secrets and have a few of their own.
DRAMA – CRIME | SWEDEN | SWEDISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
In the remote Swedish wilderness, a 1973 double murder at an isolated commune resurfaces nearly two decades later, exposing long-buried secrets.
This series is available to stream within the U.S. only.
DRAMA – CRIME | SLOVENIA | SLOVENIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Slovenian detective Taras Birsa grapples with murder cases and middle age in this procedural based on a trilogy of novels by Tadej Golob.
DRAMA – CRIME | FINLAND | FINNISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Inspector Koskinen and his team investigate tough murder cases in the Finnish city of Tampere. Based on the novels by Seppo Jokinen.
DRAMA – CRIME | FINLAND | FINNISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Detective Kari Sorjonen investigates a series of murders in a remote town on the Finnish-Russian border.
DRAMA – CRIME | NORWAY | NORWEGIAN | TV-14
Set in the far north of Norway, a local policewoman struggles to solve the tangled mystery of a fly fisherman’s brutal murder.
