Maria Kallio

This Finnish murder mystery series is centred on Maria Kallio. A cop in her mid-thirties who is contemplating leaving the force to pursue a career as a lawyer until she is put in charge of the murder squad. The series sees her and her team investigate a different case in each forty five minute episode. Away from the cases there are romantic tensions; Maria gets a new boyfriend early on but it is clear that there are also feelings between her and her work partner.

I thought this was a solid enough series. Having separate cases in each episode does feel rather old fashioned in an era where mysteries tend to last a whole season or at least two hours... I rather enjoyed this; as much as I like the long form drama it is nice to have questions quickly answered occasionally. The crimes are nicely varied and the killers aren't too obvious. The romantic tensions do feel a bit of a distraction from the main story. While it is centred on Maria it is clear that other team members are important to the investigation and are each interesting in their own way. Overall I'd not say this is must see but it passes the time nicely if you enjoy murder mysteries that are quickly wrapped up.

These comments are based on watching the series in Finnish with English subtitles.

Because I have few options for Finnish television viewing available to me, I have continued to watch this series, but it has been a markedly unsatisfying experience. Although the acting and production values, in my view, are good, the mysteries at the heart of each episode often feel rushed and convoluted to me. Even more than that, it is rare that I am able to truly understand the character of Maria, or feel any significant sympathy for her. Elena Leeve does what she can with an underdeveloped role, her eyes clearly reflecting the warmth or sadness Maria is feeling at a particular moment, especially when interacting with a friend or with the victim of a crime. Nevertheless, Maria's consistent overprioritizing of her work, her almost complete neglect of her family, and her lack of empathy, self-awareness, and accountability when it comes to romantic relationships are infuriating to watch and impossible to resonate with. Her actions often simply do not make emotional sense, and no real explanation is given for why Maria is this way. Not being able to really care about the lead character because of her limited ability to care for others makes watching this series an exercise in frustration more than anything else.

I loved the two seasons of this television series - why? Because Maria is a confused and complex character, and given her age, is understandably undecided - about many things. But one thing she is crystal clear about is her job. Kallio gets the job done, simply because the scales of justice must balance. And yes, she does exhibit serious workaholic cop trope vibes.

If only her love life functioned so smoothly! Maria drifts into a casual relationship with Antti, a scientist suffering from a severe case of abandonment, hence, this triggers his co-dependent issues. Yet, one relationship doesn't seem enough for this young woman, so she becomes drawn to her partner, Pekka - who entertains the dream of settling down with Maria and having children.

There is so much to love about this show - the characters, culture, and crimes flow seamlessly flow together - encouraging this reviewer to binge-watch this Finnish delight, long into the dark night.🌟

Lately, every time a new series or film made in Nordic countries with a detective/policeman as the protagonist appears, it's labeled "Nordic Noir." And more and more often, this is a misnomer.

I just finished watching the first season of "Maria Kallio" (it just premiered in Argentina) and I found it really poor.

Someone already wrote that the cases are solved by magic or by a burst of inspiration that comes to the protagonist.

The truth is, it's a very basic series, with little character development and more focused on Kallio's love life than on the crimes to be solved.

I'm not familiar with the lead actress; in this series, I only recognized the forensic doctor, who played Sorjonen's ailing wife-an excellent series.

I saw on this page that they've already released a second season and that there will be a third. Maybe I'll watch it for background noise while I have dinner or wash the dishes.

Not the best for sure but I've seen worse. I wasn't bothered by the main character Maria like everyone else. I liked her just fine. Koivu was by far the best character. I liked the will they won't they aspect of their relationship. But I also really liked the character that played Maria's partner. Season 1 was better imo but they both kept me entertained. I binged all 20 episodes over a long weekend. The last episode of season 2 ends very abruptly. It made absolutely no sense. Even if they expected a 3rd season it was an odd ending. That entire episode seemed poorly written. The criminal case they were working on seemed disjointed and it too ended oddly. If they do end up with another season I would definitely watch it.