Wallander

This drama follows Inspector Kurt Wallander – a middle-aged everyman – as he struggles against a rising tide of violence in the apparently sleepy backwaters in and around Ystad in Skane, southern Sweden. Based on the international best-selling books by Henning Mankell.

Wallander (2008-2016) is a British-Swedish co-produced police procedural series created by Henning Mankell for BBC One and PBS. Kenneth Branagh stars as Inspector Kurt Wallander, a middle-aged everyman detective in the provincial Swedish town of Ystad in Skane, southern Sweden. Alongside him, Richard McCabe plays the forensic technician Nyberg, Sarah Smart plays colleague Anne-Britt Hoglund, and Tom Hiddleston plays Magnus Martinsson. The engine of the show is Wallander's stubborn persistence as he chases murderers through cold leads, personal failings and a police station stretched thin, while violence intrudes on a landscape that looks sleepy from the outside. Each feature-length episode is built around a single investigation, and the four seasons unfold as a connected run of loosely serialized cases that carry his private troubles forward. Adapted from Henning Mankell's international bestselling novels, the series delivers a patient, melancholic and quietly bleak atmosphere, with long landscapes of snow and grey coastline. Fans of The Killing, The Bridge and Broadchurch will find resonance in its Nordic noir sensibility and its moody, character-driven investigations.

Audiences rate the series positively, valuing Kenneth Branagh's grounded lead performance and the bleak, measured Swedish police procedure adapted from Henning Mankell's novels.

• Wallander (2005)brooding police procedural tone, grounded detective protagonist, rural-to-urban crime investigation
• The Killingnordic noir tradition, bleak small-town crime, melancholic detective protagonist
• The Bridgenordic noir tradition, serialized murder investigation with personal toll on the detective
• Broadchurchquiet British police procedural, morally weary detective, layered murder mysteries

Created by

Henning Mankell

Release Date

2008-11-30

Episode runtime

89 min

Rating

7.8 / 10 (156)

What is Wallander about?

A middle-aged Swedish police inspector struggles against rising violence in the quiet backwaters around Ystad.

What is Wallander like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Wallander as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is Wallander violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Wallander as moderate.

What did critics think of Wallander?

Audiences rate the series positively, valuing Kenneth Branagh's grounded lead performance and the bleak, measured Swedish police procedure adapted from Henning Mankell's novels.

Which shows are like Wallander?

Shows with a similar feel include Wallander (2005), The Killing, The Bridge, and Broadchurch.

How long is Wallander?

Wallander: 4 seasons, 12 episodes.

Is Wallander still running?

No, Wallander has ended.

Where can I watch Wallander?

In United States, Wallander streams on Peacock Premium, Britbox Apple TV channel, BritBox, BritBox Amazon Channel, Peacock Premium Plus.