30° i februari

I never write reviews but the reviews from some UK viewers (mainly) were very "off" in my opinion.

I usually don't watch Swedish TV, the acting tends to be very stiff and construed most of the time. So, I was hesitant to watch this show at first, but if I get a recommendation I usually give it a try. After having lived in South East Asia for half a year I was also looking forward to get some nostalgia. Now, to the actual review.

When I afterwards talked to the person who recommended it to me I told her: "Fantastic show! I didn't like one single character!"

And this is not entirely true, some characters really grew on me (Glenn especially), while some were strong for the entire series (e.g. Oh). But in general, the main characters were not very sympathetic, not even Majlis who let her insecurities rule her into continuous irresponsible decisions. This is not a problem for me, in fact, I find it to be a nice change from all the American TV-shows where you like even the most annoying characters (very often even more so). "30 degrees in February" showed genuine characters, people that we have all met and that we can maybe even identify ourselves with. People are idiots, but people are also wonderful; there are no absolutes, and this series captured that beyond anything I have ever seen.

TV-shows that focus so much on character development often loses its tempo and direction, but in this series the character development was the show and it kept its own momentum. Living in Cambodia and traveling in Thailand I saw all these characters in different places, all of them looking for something; from the young girl escaping responsibilities to the woman redefining her life without her husband. I recognized all the struggles of the characters, and I think that the script writers and producers portrayed how the characters dealt with them very realistically, although fictionally of course.

In answer to some earlier reviewers: Maybe you should watch both seasons of the show?

I am not fond of the idea that something should be made less realistic in order to catch the attention of the viewers. In fact, that is the opposite of what I would want, and there is already plenty of shows like that (and of course, theater).

All in all, the show was beautiful and gave a realistic depiction of Swedes in Thailand, especially those going to these areas cramped with other Swedes. If you are Swedish you can definitely relate in some way, and if you are not, then this could be a crash course to how different Swedes can be. Because we are not all the same, and maybe you didn't meet these Swedes yet (normally you wouldn't because they only hang out with other Swedes), but I can promise you that they exist.

I think they've done a good job with this show. They've tried to make it authentic to a high degree, while they at the same time try to make it a bit dramatic. I've lived many years in Thailand and I can see that the people who made it know Thailand well (as opposed to for example "Hangover - Part 2").

It's not a perfect show, but reality is not perfect either. Some of the characters are really annoying and you just want to slap them. Sometimes the co-incidents are TOO coincidental, but it's acceptable. The English skills of the Thai actors is better than what you can expect, but I guess that makes it easier for people to watch, though, leally not as charming (that was supposed to say "really")

The main reason I liked this show is the character "Glenn". His naivety and bottomless good- will cracks me up time after time. The actor really makes me believe in the character. I'm not sure if I'd watch show if it wasn't for him. But that's another thing about it... there's something in it for "everybody". For example, kids and teenagers might be more into the teenage romance part of the show.

One of the more annoying this is the mother of two girls. She's had a stroke and should be resting, but instead she keeps fighting for her bungalow resort and she never listens to the people around her who advise her to relax. I know exactly how this feels like, to never give up. But it's really annoying to watch someone who never learns or listens.

I also like the portrait of the Thai family life and culture.

I think the acting is decent in this show. They're not over-acting like so many other Scandinavian TV shows and movies.

Overall, one of the best fictional TV productions I've seen made by Scandinavians (Swedes). I'm Norwegian.

I really enjoyed this show and am baffled by the comments of some previous reviewers. Yes, the characters are flawed. That's the point. We all are.

The show features 3 different story lines of Swedish people who travel to Thailand for a new life: a lonely man looking for a wife; a career-driven mother of two who has neglected her family; and a meek older woman looking for escape from her emotionally abusive marriage.

The Thai setting is quite beautiful and the journey each character goes through ranges from uplifting to tragic; it's a pretty sad story all in all but I loved the scenery, and I loved the music. Recommended.

I was turned onto this show by a friend and at first I was barely able to watch it but the more I persevered, the more hooked I became. It is a little scary to contemplate the prospect of so many completely dysfunctional and extremely odd swedes arriving in deluges to chase sunshine, sea and sex and thereby feed an increasingly sick tourist industry in Thailand and that I guess, was part of the fascination for the show. I have to say that the acting was excellent in most cases especially the guy who plays Glen and the young woman who plays Joy. There is a slight 'B' movie-ish feel to the show and some things just don't work; for example the scene where the little girl digs up what is supposed to be a septic tank, drags it over to the neighbours beach and unleashes the contents- that was just plain terrible. Generally speaking though; I thought the show really good and especially bearing in mind how hard it is for a non-English speaking country to break into the market.I even liked the music which is quaint but catchy.

I live in Thailand and this is the best representation of typical day to day life in Thailand that I have seen in movies or TV. This is probably true because it is obviously filmed in Thailand, and shows glimpses outside the urban tourist areas. I have not encountered very many Thais with such good English skills as those depicted, but overall it is very accurate. I like that it shows the Thais in both good and bad lights. There are many women in Thailand like Narn that are out to fleece the foreigner for all they can, particularly in Phuket. But there are a lot more like Oh and Dit's family that are poor, hardworking and moral people. They even managed to capture some of the elitist arrogance of the police and government workers that is common in Thailand.

What impresses me the most and to a minor degree detracts from the show for me is the depiction of the main character Swedes. To me it paints the Swedes in a very poor light. They are rude and arrogant towards the Thais, but most significant is that all of the main Swedish characters seem to be either completely clueless or batshit crazy. I repeatedly find myself chastising the characters for their stupidity and shaking my head in disbelief that anyone could be such idiots. I certainly hope that they are not representative of the typical Swede.