A very absorbing look at a fancy Swedish family over several decades -- the show is well-written, nicely directed, and very well acted. However, it's dark. Very dark. This family either has the worst luck ever, or this is just life in Sweden, where every moment is fraught with negativity and unhappiness. Still, if you can stand watching something tragic happen every episode, and you don't get overly involved with the characters -- or you'll end up as thoroughly depressed as they are -- the rewards are plentiful. One odd note: this family seems to have found the secret to eternal life. Although the show starts in 1945 and goes on for another two and a half decades, the characters don't age. They all look exactly as they did when the show starts. Some of them get new haircuts, some get new clothes, but the secret to eternal life seems to be to run a restaurant in Sweden and suffer misfortune every week.
