Arne Dahl: Bad Blood

Scandinavian Noir is definitely the surprise hit in the U.K. now, but not all of it is good(As in Wallander, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo eg.) But the Arne Dahl stories are of a very high standard, and very enjoyable.

It is refreshing watching these dramas, literally, because the characters and story lines do not conform to the American stereotypes that we've all become accustomed to, so we get genuine surprises as the action moves along,and the individuals do things we don't expect.

(Heroes with faithful loving wives and families quite casually commit adultery, and its not even a major plot device to move the story along) The stories are gripping and the interaction of the members of the police team central to the stories are very enjoyable, and for non Swedes unpredictable ! Likewise the locations are new and in a perverse way exotic, to non Scandinavian viewers.

With two, one and a half hour episodes, per story, the film makers can take the time to set the scene, fill in the background to the plots and make the viewers familiar with the characters, who's diversity, originality, and complexity are a joy to watch.

If you want to put your feet up, and have a good night in I totally recommend these programmes, though with the sometimes brutally violent scenes and the depth of plot, they are most definitely not for children.