Crime novelist Lasse Kantola (Mikko Leppilampi, Arctic Circle, Freezing Embrace) is struggling with writer’s block, pressured by his publisher to deliver a new book after three years of failure. Meanwhile, fresh out of prison, mob boss Osku Pirinen (Jussi Vatanen, Lakeside Murders, The Man Who Died) dreams of living off the five million euros he stashed away before his arrest and trading his gun in for a typewriter – only to discover a “thank you” note in place of the five million!

Lasse and Osku’s paths cross through their children, Aleksi and Maisa, who are dating. Osku hands Lasse a manuscript he wrote in prison, but Lasse selfishly ignores it. Pressured by his wife, Elsa, to bring in some cash, Lasse agrees to meet with a detective, hoping he can help him generate new ideas for a book. When the meeting goes sideways, Lasse decides to blow off date night with his wife Elsa for a night of drinking out on the town.

While Lasse is out drowning his sorrows, Elsa discovers Osku’s manuscript in Lasse’s office and, believing it to be her husband’s, reads it. When a drunk Lasse returns home, he finds himself set upon by an excited Elsa who, so taken with her husband’s new manuscript, seduces the drunken Lasse before he can come to his senses!

In the morning, Lasse reads Osku’s novel and, realizing it to be far superior to his own novels, decides to pass it off as his own work… and from there, things get really complicated. (This is just the first episode, by the way!)

The joy of this series is the writing and the performances of the two central characters. As actors, Mikko Leppilampi and Jussi Vatanen seem to be in two wildly different shows – such is the difference in their portrayals. As Lasse the writer, Leppilampi is gloriously over-the-top, constantly in motion and bristling with self-importance as he simultaneously wrestles with self-doubt and sheer nervous energy. In contrast, Jussi Vatanen’s Osku presents as calm and menacingly still, always understated and in control – until he’s not. Together, they play off each other and the other characters to perfection. It’s a joy to behold, and the eight episodes fly by until things wrap up in an explosive and perfectly poetic climax. I really cannot recommend this series enough, to me it is pure catnip! Fans of character-based comedies like Tatort: Münster and Homicide Hills will find a lot to love here too!