When you really think about it, what is Nordic Noir? Its pure definition is something along the lines of: a television genre that arose in the late 2000s in Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Denmark that is characterized by morally gray characters, intricate plotlines, cinematic visuals, and striking landscapes.
But sometimes Nordic Noir is just, well, a vibe!
Series from many other countries have their own take on the genre, blending noir tropes with local cultures and settings. At MHz Choice, we call these series “Nordic Noir-ish.” Whether it’s a Nordic series that puts its dark story amidst a sunny surrounding (think The Paradise) or a regional twist on the noir procedural (Turkey’s Alef or Slovenia’s The Lake Trilogy), these international crime dramas all capture the gripping tension and atmosphere that fans of Nordic Noir love.
Alef
DRAMA – CRIME | TURKEY | TURKISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
In Istanbul’s Golden Horn, a body’s discovery draws two detectives into the hunt for a dervish-turned-serial killer. Faith, obsession, and fractured identities collide in a haunting investigation steeped in atmosphere and moral unease.
The Paradise
DRAMA – CRIME | FINLAND | FINNISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
A Finnish detective arrives in Spain to solve a string of murders. Sunlit streets hide shadowy secrets, as cultural dislocation and private loneliness heighten the tension of an investigation that digs into the darkest corners of human nature.
White Sands
DRAMA-CRIME | DENMARK | DANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Two undercover detectives pose as a married couple in a distrustful town while investigating a surfer’s murder. The barren coastal landscape mirrors their fragile cover, as loyalty, secrecy, and deception drive a story where nothing is as it seems.
Pagan Peak
DRAMA-CRIME | GERMANY | GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-MA
At the German-Austrian border, a ritualized murder sparks a chilling series of crimes. Amid stark Alpine wilderness, two detectives confront a killer’s twisted psychology—while grappling with blurred lines between justice, morality, and obsession.
Off Season
DRAMA-CRIME | FRANCE | FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-MA
A Swiss captain teams with a French counterpart to track a serial killer, while secretly protecting her son from ruin. Personal demons and bleak mountain backdrops entwine, as duty collides with impossible choices.
Public Enemy
DRAMA – CRIME | BELGIUM | FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Paroled to a monastery, a convicted killer becomes the focus of a young detective’s watch. But when murders erupt anew, questions of guilt, faith, and redemption unsettle a quiet community hiding its own shadows.
The Break
DRAMA – CRIME | BELGIUM | FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-MA
Inspector Yoann Peeters returns to his hometown to investigate a shocking murder. Rural calm quickly unravels into suspicion and buried secrets, as personal turmoil collides with a community fractured by grief and mistrust
The Winemaker
DRAMA – CRIME | AUSTRIA | GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
In Austria’s wine country, a vintner’s Mafia past resurfaces, threatening his family and livelihood. Secrets, shifting loyalties, and rural isolation converge in a tense thriller where escape from violence proves as elusive as redemption.
The Lake Trilogy
DRAMA – CRIME | SLOVENIA | SLOVENIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Detective Taras Birsa juggles grim murder cases with the weight of middle age. Slow-burning investigations unfold against stark Slovenian landscapes, exposing human weakness and the corrosive cost of violence on both victims and investigators.
The Cases of Inspector Vrenko
DRAMA – CRIME | SLOVENIA | SLOVENIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Methodical and probing, Inspector Martin Vrenko tackles cases shaped by social tensions and personal frailty. Each investigation cuts deeper into hidden motives and quiet corruption, where justice is never as simple as it seems.
