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.

I agree with everything Daftransynergy posted. My sentiments exactly. The lead character is weak, immature, unlikeable and not a believable detective. She spoils the show with her instability and inertia to lead. There are constant freeze shots with just her stoic facial expressions which are confusing to understand. She treats men like a pair of socks. I honestly don't believe she would have two men fighting for her attention with how her character is portrayed. It is unrealistic. There is nothing to be drawn to except a blank canvas of a character. The blond haired female cop, Susanna, has a stronger character development. Her character is much more dynamic and believable than Marie. Actually, the other characters surrounding Detective Kallios make the show. In truth, Marie does not add much to the show except running around having sex and constricting her emotions. They could easily write Marie's part out of the script and have a top notch show.

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.

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.

It really was nearly impossible to work out who had done the murders. This is not because of the subtlety of the plots but because the answers came out of the blue as a flash of inspiration to the eponymous heroine's brain. Really, there were no clues at all to lead one to the miscreants. OK, I'm not fantastic at whodunits but I'd hope to guess correctly more than the one time I managed to in the penultimate episode.

I have to say that the personal lives and stories in the series weren't particularly convincing. Mario acquires a new fella just like that while frissons of tension (and more) are going on between her and her hunky partner Pekka.

Worth watching all the episodes but there wasn't a real urge to do so. It was more than a sense of duty but only a bit more.