In the lull between The Night Agent and Reacher hitting the 2025 TV schedule, my husband and I were looking for a great TV series to binge, and we randomly happened upon one on Netflix. Though if I were filling out my dancing card a few weeks ago, I’m not sure I’d have concluded my favorite TV program to watch so far this year would be a Swedish crime drama that’s been dubbed into English. We’re still early in the year, but I can confirm I am totally obsessed with The Åre Murders.
The show stars Carla Sehn as a woman who has gone through some sort of trouble at her original precinct in Stockholm and is on leave in Åre. She’s supposed to be taking a break from work, but a chance encounter with a police officer (Kardo Razzazi) leads to her getting involved in a new murder case. As it turns out, the remote area is full of crime and intriguing personalities.
The show is currently still topping the list of Non-English shows on Netflix, and there are some good reasons it’s No. 1.
Why Is The Åre Murders So Engaging?
One of the big reasons I’ve been so enchanted with the new show is because the drama is set up a little similarly to Three Pines, another (now-defunct) crime series starring Alfred Molina, in which multiple murders are solved over the course of several episodes. I’ve found this format to be really refreshing, as it gives storytellers the opportunity to solve multiple stories without shoehorning them into a one-mystery-per-episode format.
The remote setting is also brutal-but-compelling in a way that feels similar but different to other crime shows like Fargo and Broadchurch. So, if you've liked the vibe those shows are putting out, you should enjoy this program, too.
Watching A Program Originally Filmed In A Non-English Language Can Be Daunting. The Åre Murders Isn't
I know people around the globe deal with issues that come with language voiceovers, and I do watch a fair amount of dubbed programming. However, most of us are probably aware of the most glaring thing that happens when a program is reworked from one language to another, and it has to do with the uncanny valley feeling one gets watching people’s mouths move at a different pace and cadence to the words one is hearing. Honestly, though, in this case, the backdrop to this show is so beautiful to look at, I've never been distracted by mouths moving at a different pace.
Another issue that can arise with switching from one language to another happens with odd dialogue. A good example of this is Amazon Prime’s Maxton Hall, which is deliciously dramatic but has some truly ridiculous dialogue in English, and I have no real gauge if the original German version is different or the same. Is this the way the show is purposefully written or is it just how they translated it? The Åre Murders never falls into this trap, and the dialogue, while sometimes moody, really goes well with the cold and snow-swept backdrop of the series.
In short, The Åre Murders is pretty awesome and it nods to some of the best parts of classic mystery shows while still feeling thoroughly modern. I think since the dialogue is really good in the dubbed version, most of the problems I typically have with voiceovers melted away. So kudos to the Dubbing Director on that front, and to Netflix for having the prescience to pick this one up and air it right toward the beginning of the year when there’s less competition from big shows like Stranger Things or Bridgerton or whatever. It’s the perfect time for streamers to simply happen upon a show like this, and I’m very glad I did.
If I had one real qualm, Season 1 sees Hanna and Daniel solving two murders across five short episodes. It’s almost too little. I liked the show enough I wished we’d gotten a third mystery and potentially eight or 10 episodes in total, which would align the series a bit more closely with the number of episodes we typically get from a show on the Netflix schedule.
Still, if what I’m complaining about is wanting more episodes and not fewer, I truly feel that’s a good problem to have.
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