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"The Spider" is a dark, complex noir series with post-war Copenhagen as its backdrop, a city still traumatized by its encounter with Nazism and rife with corruption and shortages of basics. The cinematography is stunning and an accurate portrayal of the era, with much of the drama bathed in warm, sepia hues. Everyone smokes gloriously and smoke trails everywhere.

The plot features a young, idealistic reporter for a Social Democrat newspaper who slowly uncovers a dense web of corruption linked to a central crime figure, hence the spider of the title that has everything connected to its orb. A standout is how the series incorporates the socio-political issues of the period.

Without giving away too much of the plot, I'd say "The Spider" is a cross between "Chinatown* and" Babylon Berlin. " Very highly recommended for lovers of Nordic Noir.

"Black Sands," filmed in the starkly beautiful, rugged Icelandic area with the famed beaches of the title, has all the trappings of traditional Nordic Noir: exotic location, deeply flawed detective, and a murky conspiratorial plot. But what makes this different is less emphasis on casework (though that emphasis is there), and more stress on character development. This makes "Black Sands" seem slow, as some reviews have pointed out, by comparison with similar series. But the viewer gets rewarded with a deeper understanding of motivations. The one drawback is that the lead character is so deeply unsympathetic it is hard to root for her.

"Walter" was more nuanced and original than I would have thought. The drama, action, comedy,and character development is a notch above usual cops and robbers themes. Isaaka Sawadogo's menacing but sensitive Walter is the highlight, a complex, multi-faceted man portrayed with dignity and power. Highly recommended.