Rejseholdet

First off, I'm an American -- I haven't seen any comments on IMDb about this series yet from a U.S. viewer. Secondly, I work in the television business in development. So I wallow in much of the sludge that comes out of American broadcast programming. "Unit One" is an example of television that's a throwback to what I would attribute as '70s-style scripting, feature-wise. Namely, those films made by young autueurs who had free rein to make the dramas feel more realistic and to allow for organic character development. It tacks more along the lines of stellar British dramas like "Cracker" and "Prime Suspect" as well as Australia's brilliant "Underbelly." "Unit One" features stand-alone cases that are committed, then solved, each week. The mysteries aren't extraordinary or particularly byzantine. They usually center around one single twist, clocking in generally at the 40 minute mark, and resolution is neatly wrapped up in the 15 minutes thereafter. What makes this series a breath of fresh air is that it features main characters that you are hooked on and find relatable by episode 2. These are real, breathing, alive characters that have personal baggage, yet it's not a talky, batty type of baggage that American flotsam such as "Grey's Anatomy" or "Desperate Housewives" spoons out. These are realistic individuals whose backstories unfold leisurely over the course of the series, as if you work with them on a daily basis. After the mindless decade of "CSI's," "NCIS's," and "Criminal Minds," along with their subsequent spawns, it's refreshing to actually sit down to watch friends you want to spend time with, as is the case with "Unit One." The quippy banter, the unemotional wooden dialogue, and the over-the-top jeopardy that those American series I mentioned bludgeon us with each week are absurd compared to the nuance and the quiet resonance you get with this remarkable Danish series. I'm on episode 7 of the first season, but I've already bought all four seasons and am in for the long haul. If you need explosions and farcically-hopped up testosterone, along with music by The Who and fast-cutting, neon-lit, jittery palsy-cam action with cipher-like main characters as your main diet of television drama viewing, I suggest you stay away from this series. If you are an adult with a hunger for subtle, poignant, thoughtful and, yes, sometimes straight-forward procedural crime dramas, I urge you to check this show out.

Taking inspiration in actual events in Danish crime history, this series simply rocks. I've just bought the whole series on dvd, and I must admit that it is quite amazing to see the development of the characters during the run. Finally a Danish series that can give the American ones, like CSI, Colombo, Murder She Wrote a.s.o. a little fight for the money.

"Rejseholdet" is a big hit in Denmark, and there is a reason why. It is a cop series, where we follow the Danish police unit "the travel team", solving crimes, based on authentic cases from Denmark. The cast is full of talented Danish actors and actress', among others Mads Mikkelsen, known from the Danish movie Blinkende lygter a.k.a. Flickering Lights. In my opinion the show is god Danish quality, but don't just take my word for it, Tuesday November 26th 2002 "Rejseholdet" won the international Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.

After living in Sweden for a period during 1998/99 I had grown accustomed to fairly good quality local made TV, allbeit there wasnt that much of it unfortunately. I had since heard that Mordkommissionen (Rejseholdet orig Danish title) had become must see TV for some Stockholm friends during its Swedish TV4 play. Luckily the series was out on DVD when I was there again during New Year 2003, so I took a chance and bought the whole lot. What an excellent buy! I have so far allowed myself to see the first 12 episodes which are by far better than any American crime series found on countless TV stations. I want to make it last so I have another 18 to watch over the next few months. What a treat this show is! I just wish that a UK channel would bother to even consider buying it, so that friends here can see it with English subtitles.

Well done DR TV on the probably the best non-English series I have seen!

I've seen selected episodes of Unit One on German television and am extremely impressed. I'm a fan of several Swedish crime series (Commissar Beck and the Henning Mankell mysteries), but Unit One is just as good, if not better. What is surprising is how much it packs into little over an hour. Not only does it cover the case in all its complications, but it also covers various back stories, the private conflicts that affect the members of Unit One. The writing, the cast, the photography, the direction are all superb, and I can only hope that ZDF in Germany will show all the episodes, and when they do, that they will put the series in primetime, and not in a late-night slot as they have up to now.