With sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime, incredible TV shows from all over the world have been shared, explored and most importantly, loved by people from other countries. With The Killing forging the way for other Danish TV series, Europe and the rest of the world cannot get enough of good crime stories and the Danes do this genre well. There’s a pick of Danish shows on Netflix to entertain.
Crime based dramas tend to be the most popular exports from Denmark, however, the country has seen success beyond its borders through its dramas and comedy shows too. Many of the Danish shows are perfect mixes of crime, intrigue, threat, and cliffhanger, making an easily binge-able offering. Here are 20 Danish shows on Netflix that you cannot miss.
Contents
20 Best Danish Shows On Netflix
Danish Serial Killer Shows On Netflix
1- The Killing
The Killing is the Danish show that first brought the countries incredible TV offerings abroad.
The Killing is both a crime and detective drama as it is one filled with political intrigue.
The drama follows Inspector Sarah Lind as she investigates the death of a young girl named Nanna.
While the drama is the epitome of Nordic Noir, it is a story that builds gradually, increasing the suspense bolstered by a realistic script.
The Killing is the perfect place to start your journey into Danish TV.
2- The Chestnut Man
The recently released The Chestnut Man is filled with murder and intrigue.
Like many fictional murderers, and some all too real, the killer in the show leaves behind a disturbing calling card, a figure made from chestnuts.
Using the chestnut figure as their first clue, two detectives begin the hunt for the killer and discover a link to the missing child of a politician.
It soon emerges that there has been more than one murder across Copenhagen committed by The Chestnut Man.
Can the detectives catch him before it is too late?
3- Darkness: Those Who Kill
Denmark is famed for its gritty crime dramas and Darkness: Those Who Kill fits the bill.
Jan, a criminal investigator and Louise, a profiler, are investigating the case of a missing 17-year-old girl.
When the remains of another girl of the same age and appearance are found, and another similar girl is kidnapped, the case suddenly becomes so much deeper than the pair initially thought.
Louise uses her profiling skills to get into the head of the serial killer, however, the deeper they go, the darker things become.
4- The Bridge
A series that has inspired others, such as The Tunnel, The Bridge or Bron/Broen, is a thriller caught between two countries.
A body is discovered placed exactly on the border of Sweden and Denmark on a bridge.
This unusual placement means that both the Danish and Swedish authorities need to work together to solve the crime.
What makes this show special is the chemistry between the two lead characters.
Martin Rohde, the Danish detective, and Saga Noren, the autistic Swedish inspector, start off with a lack of chemistry, however as the show builds towards its conclusion, the two develop both as characters and with each other.
Also read:
Danish Crime Drama On Netflix
5- Norskov
When police detective Tom Noack returns to his hometown of Norskov to clean up their drug problem, he quickly becomes involved at a personal level.
Noack has spent 20 years away from the northern industrial port town, but on his return, he soon becomes torn between his family and his work as he tracks down the ringleaders in a smuggling operation.
The series ran for two years and spanned two seasons.
6- White Sands
Another of Denmark’s Nordic Noir releases is White Sands.
The series stars Marie Bach Hansen and Carsten Bjørnlund. White Sands is centred around a small and quiet seaside town.
When a young man is found murdered, two detectives are called to solve the case.
While working in the town, the detectives must keep their identities secret and pose as a couple.
The show twists and turns as the detectives try to remain undercover whilst solving the case.
Facing time pressure to gather clues and arrest suspects before the case goes cold, this is a show that will get your adrenalin pumping.
Danish Drama Shows On Netflix
7- Equinox
There are so many well-produced Danish dramas centring around a person wronged in search of the truth, and none is more powerful than the thriller Equinox.
Equinox follows Astrid, whose sister and her classmates vanished 21 years ago. Following the events, Astrid experiences nightmares and visions.
When a survivor from the events in 1999 contacts Astrid out of the blue, she begins to investigate what happened to her sister and the class.
This leads her to a dark and unsettling truth.
This Danish thriller will have you biting your nails while on the edge of your seat, and thankfully, a second series is in the works.
8- Borgen
Borgen is a political drama that centres around the first female Danish prime minister and her efforts to remain in power.
Created by Adam Price and spanning three series, Borgen is set in Christiansborg Palace, where all three branches of the government are based.
The show offers an inside glimpse into how politics in Denmark works through a fictional lens and is equally scandalous in identifying corruption within the government as it is idealistic and hopeful.
9- The Rain
The Rain launched in 2018 and has run for three seasons so far.
In this apocalyptic story, a rain-borne virus wiped out most of the Scandinavian population.
Six years later, two siblings and a group of fellow young survivors search for safety and for answers as to why such a catastrophe could occur.
Siblings Simone and Rasmus survived after their father, a scientist who works for Apollon, hid the family in an underground bunker.
Before he left the bunker, their father left Simone instructions to protect Rasmus, as he is the key to curing the virus brought on by the rain.
Will the duo find their father and the answers they search for?
10- Warrior
Warrior tells the story of a war veteran who is racked with guilt following his final mission with his platoon.
He teams up with his best friend’s widow to infiltrate a Copenhagen biker gang with a dangerous reputation.
Much of the storyline centres around varying communities. From the community of war veterans, police officers and the bikers.
Sprinkled in for good measure is a blossoming romance between CC, the war veteran and Louise the police officer.
11- The Day Will Come
Set in 1960s Copenhagen, two orphans find themselves in an orphanage.
The headmaster is cruel and every day brings about violence and humiliation.
The Day Will Come is based on the true horrors of the Godhavn orphanage.
Erik and Elmer spend their time in the orphanage, dreaming of release at age 18 between beatings to make them obedient.
Thankfully, Elmer, who has a talent for storytelling, brings the brothers and their peers closer together and raises morale.
The brothers hatch a daring plan to seek revenge on those who hurt them during their time at the orphanage with the help of their newfound friends.
This is certainly a hard watch, and one that is still coming to light in reality, however, it is an important reflection of the past, and why it is so important to never forget instances such as those at Godhavn.
12- Herres Veje
Lars Mikkelsen stars in this character-driven drama which explores the impact of faith in modern Denmark.
Translating to ‘The Lords Ways’ in English, the story centres around a family of priests who have been in the Danish church for more than 250 years.
The show follows the family in their differing roles in the church.
Lars Mikkelsen plays Johannes, a senior priest who is up for election as Bishop of Copenhagen.
13- Face to Face
With an all-star cast including Ulrich Thomsen and Lars Mikkelsen, Face to Face is a must watch Danish show on Netflix.
The story centres around Bjorn whose daughter has just died.
The cause of her death was marked as suicide, however, her father believes something else happened to her.
The viewer follows Bjorn as he struggles to find answers to his daughter’s death, and as those answers lead him towards danger, will he be able to cope with the darkness he uncovers?
14- Greyzone
Birgitte Hjort Sorensen, from Borgen, stars in Greyzone, a show that follows the events building up to a major terror attack in Scandinavia.
Birgitte plays a drone engineer who is terrifyingly taken hostage inside her own home.
The terrorists holding drone engineer Victoria are after the technology her company uses.
The show promises to be a nail-biting thriller as one woman tries to stop the terror cell before it becomes too late.
15- Arvingerne
Arvingerne, or ‘The Legacy’ in English, spanned three seasons between 2014 to 2017.
When a mother dies, her children are exposed to deep family secrets, fights over inheritance and, of course, plenty of twists and turns to keep viewers engaged.
Secrets and lies are thrown up as the elder sibling, Signe, who was put up for adoption, is given the manor in the mother’s will.
16- Liberty
Jakob Ejersbo wrote the book behind Liberty.
The series is an adaptation of his book, which follows his family’s journey through Tanzania.
A Scandinavian ex-pat takes his family to make a new life in South Africa.
The story is about the challenges faced by the family as they try to make a new home and integrate into the community whilst facing new opportunities and moral conflicts.
Liberty is a mini-series that only ran for one season in 2018, however it shares a powerful tale about starting again and embracing the new.
Danish Comedy Shows On Netflix
17- Rita
One of Denmark’s lighter series available on Netflix is Rita.
Christian Torpe created the comedy-drama series in 2012, and the show ran for five seasons before concluding in July 2020.
The show follows Mille Dinesen as Rita Madsen, a teacher and single mother who looks out for her students but struggles in her personal life.
Rita states early on in the show that she got into teaching to ‘protect students from their parents’.
Like all good comedy dramas, Rita has a best friend, Hjordis, played by Lise Baastrup.
Hjordis is a naive teacher who becomes friends with Rita and gives her own small spin-off series.
18- Love & Anarchy
Love & Anarchy, a romantic comedy-drama sees new love blossom between two unlikely people.
Sofie is a consultant and is married with two children.
When she is tasked with working in an old publishing house, she meets and begins a flirtatious relationship with Max, an IT technician.
The pair is initially simply flirty, however, they soon begin to challenge each other to do things against the status quo.
What begins as lighthearted fun soon turns serious with more significant and uncomfortable results.
19- Hjørdis
Hjordis follows Rita’s naive best friend, a spin-off from successful Danish comedy-drama Rita.
In this very short four-episode long series, Hjordis tries to put on a school production to highlight the issues of bullying, which was a key theme throughout Rita.
The students are socially awkward, however, this rewarding coming of age drama sees them blossom into confident young people.
20- Elves
For those looking for a darker, more horror-filled start to the Christmas period, look no further than Danish fantasy horror Elves.
A family are seeking a cosy Christmas vacation on the fictional island of Aarmandso, just off the Danish mainland.
On the drive to their cabin, the father hits what he thinks is a pothole, but when the children examine the front of the car, a black sludge tells them they may have hurt something.
Following an almost familiar storyline to those who have seen Gremlins, the show focus on the Elves who lurk in the shadows, untrusting locals and lots of jump-scares for good measure.
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