Fortitude

The best summary I saw here said, "Superb show not for faint hearts or the lazy." That about sums it up. I'm shocked at all the negative reviews here.

I just finished Season 1. The story can be very hard to predict at times. When it's predictable I still wasn't *sure* I was predicting correctly.

Other reviewers' complaints: Character names aren't realistic - I don't care. Characters seem to act stupid or erratic - I agree, but that's part of the mystery of the story. Characters don't zip up their coats properly for the supposed temperature - really? Norway doesn't have sheriffs - this show is clearly intended to attract a global audience, not just Norwegians, so who cares if some aspects get watered down a bit for the general viewing public? Story is boring - I'm sure they didn't watch the same show I did.

There are a LOT of characters in Fortitude. It's the new style of TV, and it works here. There's a lot going on, including a lot of back-story explained along the way. And, most important to me, the characters are easily distinguishable. They look different, dress different, have unique faces (some are actors I recognize which helps). The casting here is superb and really helps one follow the twisting storyline.

Dark, moody, cold and somehow claustrophobic, Fortitude is a very fun show. Sort of like Northern Exposure but with the creepiness of X-Files.

Season 1 was good .Season 2 was far fetched and Season 3 was ridiculous .I felt like I did when LOST ended - all that for nothing .Started off well and then seemed to lose direction .Nice shots of the snow though !

First and second season were fantastic and really enjoyed watching, I was so looking forward to the final season but was very disappointied. I agree with other comments writers did not put much effort into tying up the whole story or characters stories.

/refers to Season 1/

At present, Brits and Scandinavians (Danes and Swedes in particular) are apparently the most versatile and distinct creator of thrilling crime series; even when clichés available, there are always new angles or approaches, plus competent choice of talented performers, many without global fame. All this also applies to Fortitude, where e.g. always great Stanley Tucci, Michael Gambon, Sofie Gråbøl do not stick out too much, so there is a nice team playing and level differences are conditioned by the "goodness" of a character, not by talent (in my opinion, Gråbøl's character was not too versatile and visible).

As the plot, there were moments when I feared that events would take a too sci-fi turn, but, with the help of flashbacks, mysterious and criminal events found their satisfactory solution (well, a certain scene with flies was too much though). And the Nordic nature, wow... I have had some opportunities to experience it with my own eyes, but it is still magnificent to watch - usually not outside, but inside - as snow is beautiful, but -20 and below C are not...

All in all, another strong brick in the wall of thrilling series. And yes, combining the best from Brits and from Scandinavians can provide a meaty result as well, with inclusion of some other good actors from outside of these areas.

PS Season 2 is even catchier, due to Squaid and Stott.

I'd love to know the story behind the debacle of series three. The first series was reasonably well constructed, lovely vistas. The second series tried to move the original themes forward and failed. The third series looked like somebody got the viewing figures and said, " right, that's enough, this has descended into melodramatic gory crap. Let's cut our losses now!".