Nordic noir, also called Scandinavian noir, has been a preferred style because the Nineties, however it’s the streaming increase of the 2010s that basically helped make it a world favourite. Gritty investigative thrillers, these moody crime fiction tales are often advised from the attitude of regulation enforcement officers, set in bleak landscapes, and discover social criticism, in addition to deep emotional struggles within the face of the darkish and inexplicable. Netflix’s library is house to an enormous assortment of Nordic noir exhibits, together with among the style’s hottest hits. Learn on to find our handpicked number of the very best Nordic noir exhibits on Netflix proper now.
For extra suggestions, be sure you try our lists of the very best movies and shows on Netflix, in addition to the best crime shows and true crime shows on Netflix.
Disclaimer: These titles can be found on US Netflix.
Editor’s be aware: This text was up to date March 2025 to incorporate The Åre Murders.
‘The Åre Murders’ (2025 – Current)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% | IMDb: 6.7/10
The Åre Murders
- Launch Date
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February 6, 2025
- Community
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Netflix
- Administrators
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Alain Darborg
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Carla Sehn
Hanna Ahlander
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Kardo Razzazi
Daniel Lindskog
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Charlie Gustafsson
Anton Lundin
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Amalia Holm Bjelke
Uncredited
The most recent Nordic noir on Netflix, The Åre Murders follows Stockholm-based detective Hannah Ahlander (Carla Sehn), whose life is upended when she loses her job and her accomplice in a single fell swoop. Nevertheless, when a younger girl goes lacking, Hannah sees a possibility to search out each justice and self-redemption. That includes a stellar central efficiency from Sehn, The Åre Murders is Nordic noir at its trendy most interesting. Gritty investigative work towards a bleak winter backdrop, might you ask for any extra? – Jake Hodges
‘Deadwind’ (2018 – 2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% | IMDb: 7.3/10
Created and directed by Rike Jokela, Deadwind is a Finnish crime drama that stars Pihla Viitala as not too long ago widowed police detective Sofia Karppi. Within the first season, Karppi returns to work in Helsinki, investigating the homicide of a girl with ties to a development firm. Concurrently, she struggles with the emotional aftermath of her husband’s dying and takes care of her younger son and teenage stepdaughter. In addition to Viitala, the collection additionally stars Lauri Tilkanen, Jani Volanen, and Tommi Korpela in key roles.
Deadwind was extremely acclaimed when it premiered in Finland in 2018 on Yle TV2. Subsequently launched on Netflix, the collection has managed to discover a wider viewers, although it’s nonetheless comparatively underrated. The present aired three seasons in complete, the final one launched in 2022. Positively in comparison with exhibits like The Killing and The Bridge, Deadwind is a well-made and suitably gritty cop procedural with some nice performances. The writing is usually a bit uneven, and it does get greater than a bit unrealistic, however general, the present is an gratifying piece of crime fiction.
‘The Chestnut Man’ (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 7.7/10
The Chestnut Man
- Launch Date
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September 29, 2021
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Danica Curcic
Naia Thulin
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Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
Mark Hess
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-
Primarily based on Søren Sveistrup’s eponymous 2019 novel, The Chestnut Man is a Danish crime thriller miniseries created by Dorte Warnøe Hagh, David Sandreuter, and Mikkel Serup. The present follows a decades-spanning thriller that begins in 1987 when a complete household is discovered lifeless on a distant farm. Thirty years later, in present-day Copenhagen, a number of ladies are discovered murdered beneath related circumstances with a mysterious chestnut figurine discovered on the crime scenes, kicking off an investigation that uncovers long-hidden secrets and techniques. Danica Curcic and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard lead the solid as detectives Naia Thulin and Mark Hess, respectively, with David Dencik, Esben Dalsgaard Andersen, and Iben Dorner in supporting roles.
The Chestnut Man was a extremely anticipated present earlier than its premiere in 2021, particularly as a result of the supply materials’s creator, Søren Sveistrup, can also be the author behind the hit procedural The Killing. On its launch, the collection was very positively obtained by critics and audiences. A darkish and gritty collection with chilling plot twists and grisly cult horror parts, The Chestnut Man is an intriguing thriller story delivered to life with glorious cinematography and robust performances.
‘Equinox’ (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 6.1/10
Equinox
- Launch Date
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December 30, 2020
Created by Tea Lindeburg, Equinox is a supernatural thriller collection primarily based on the Danish podcast Equinox 1985. The collection stars Danica Curcic as Astrid, a younger girl whose sister disappeared over 20 years in the past. Haunted by horrible visions ever since, Astrid units out to find the reality about what occurred, discovering herself thrust into the center of a posh conspiracy spanning many years. In addition to Curcic, the present additionally stars Lars Brygmann, Karoline Hamm, Hanne Hedelund, Viola Martinsen, Fanny Bornedal, and extra.
A six-episode thriller, Equinox premiered on Netflix in December 2020, receiving extremely constructive evaluations from critics. The collection has obtained reward for its cinematography, creepy environment, and haunting performances, particularly by Curcic within the lead position. The present is very gratifying for followers of elevated horror, who might discover some similarities with the hit film Midsommar. Fastidiously unfolding its spooky plot to most impact, Equinox is a charming thriller impressed by Norse mythology and people horror that you could’t assist however binge multi functional go.
‘Katla’ (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 7.0/10
Created by Baltasar Kormákur and Sigurjón Kjartansson, Katla is an Icelandic supernatural thriller drama collection that kicks off with the eruption of the eponymous volcano. A yr later, the city is all however abandoned, ravaged by floods and ash clouds. However when individuals who supposedly died years in the past begin mysteriously turning up alive, it turns into clear that the pure catastrophe was only the start of a collection of unusual, inexplicable occasions. The present stars Guðrún Eyfjörð, Ingvar Sigurðsson, Björn Thors, Íris Tanja Flygenring, Þorsteinn Bachmann, and extra.
Initially introduced in 2017, Katla premiered on Netflix in June 2021, receiving near-universal acclaim from critics. The collection is a little bit of a slow-burn, however the story will get more and more extra engrossing as soon as it will get previous its first episode. Making full use of its bleak, naturalistic setting, the present is an eerie and atmospheric watch with nice performances. Katla balances its ominous thriller with nice emotional depth, exploring each the strangeness of its supernatural occasions and the very pure human feelings triggered by these incidents.
‘A Practically Regular Household’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% | IMDb: 6.9/10
A Practically Regular Household
- Launch Date
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2023 – 2022
- Administrators
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Per Hanefjord
- Writers
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Hans Jörnlind, Anna Platt, Mattias Edvardsson
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Christian Fandango Sundgren
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Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors
Primarily based on M.T. Edvardsson’s eponymous novel, A Practically Regular Household is a drama thriller restricted collection developed by Hans Jörnlind and Anna Platt and directed by Per Hanefjord. The present follows the story of the Sandell household, whose excellent life is upended when their 19-year-old daughter Stella is accused of homicide. The collection stars Björn Bengtsson, Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors, Lo Kauppi, Christian Fandango Sundgren, and Melisa Ferhatovic.
A Practically Regular Household premiered on Netflix in November 2023 to typically favorable evaluations from critics, although it was criticized for points with the plot. The present is a binge-watching favourite, as it is a six-episode miniseries with an attractive narrative and good performances — even when it has its fair proportion of points. Mockingly, the collection might in all probability have been even shorter regardless of its barely five-hour runtime. Finally, A Practically Regular Household isn’t fairly pretty much as good because it might have been, however it’s nonetheless an entertaining expertise, particularly in case you’re within the temper for a weekend thriller to binge-watch.
‘Killer’s Shadow — Younger Wallander’ (2022)
IMDb: 6.9/10
Killer’s Shadow is the second season of the crime drama collection Younger Wallander, which is impressed by Henning Mankell‘s fictional Inspector Kurt Wallander and developed by Ben Harris. The collection reimagines Wallander as a rookie cop in present-day Malmö, Sweden, and isn’t primarily based on the unique novels. Starring Adam Pålsson because the central detective, Killer’s Shadow – Younger Wallander follows Wallander’s investigation right into a hit-and-run case that seems to be a part of one thing a lot greater. The collection additionally stars Leanne Finest, Ellise Chappell, Yasen Atour, Charles Mnene, Lisa Hammond, Kim Adis, and extra.
The Younger Wallander collection wasn’t very well-received by Wallander followers, largely as a result of it adjustments the setting and supporting characters of the unique works. Nevertheless, the present continues to be a suspenseful crime drama with fascinating mysteries, particularly so with Killer’s Shadow. It may not be the Sherlock-esque reimagining it aspires to be, however Younger Wallander does deserve a bit extra credit score than it will get.
‘The Nurse’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% | IMDb: 6.9/10
The Nurse
- Launch Date
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2023 – 2022
- Showrunner
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Kasper Barfoed
- Administrators
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Kasper Barfoed
Primarily based on the eponymous ebook by Kristian Corfixen, The Nurse is a Danish true crime thriller collection that explores the real-life case of nurse Christina Aistrup Hansen. The collection follows Pernille Kurzmann, a rookie nurse at her first job who involves suspect that one of many different nurses might have had a hand in a collection of affected person deaths. Whereas the premise sounds pretty just like the 2022 film The Good Nurse, The Nurse is predicated on a very completely different case and explores the story in a really completely different approach. The present stars Fanny Louise Bernth as Pernille Kurzmann and Josephine Park as Christina Aistrup Hansen, with Peter Zandersen, Amalie Lindegård, and Dick Kaysø in vital roles.
The Nurse premiered on Netflix in April 2023 and shortly discovered its place on the streamer’s High 10 lists. A four-part restricted collection, it’s a well-paced, character-driven thriller. Because the present develops into extra of a whistleblower drama, it additionally turns into a pointy indictment of officers who inadvertently helped cowl up crimes by refusing to consider Pernille’s story.
‘Entrapped’ (2021)
IMDb: 8.0/10
Entrapped
- Style
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Thriller, Crime
- Debut Date
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October 17, 2021
Entrapped is the third season of Baltasar Kormákur’s Trapped, an Icelandic thriller drama co-written by Sigurjón Kjartansson and Clive Bradley. The collection stars Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as detective Andri Ólafsson and Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir as officer Hinrika Kristjánsdóttir, with Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, and extra in key roles. Season 3, launched internationally on Netflix as Entrapped, follows Andri and Hinrika on a homicide case involving a cult, a biker gang’s land dispute, and a girl’s disappearance years earlier than.
Involving a lot of acclaimed people each behind and in entrance of the digicam, Trapped is the costliest collection ever produced in Iceland. The present had its world premiere on the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and was broadcast on RÚV, receiving important and viewers acclaim. Entrapped, the third installment, is arguably the very best story within the collection, with a gripping thriller and fascinating character arcs, in addition to touches of folks horror.
