News

Banijay Nordics has become the latest production business to restructure.

The Nordic arm of Banijay Entertainment is unifying its Sweden-based scripted and non-scripted production arms under two labels.

The scripted brand, Jarowskij/Yellow Bird, will bring together the scripted wing of Jarowskij and Wallander maker Yellow Bird. Elin Kvist, VP and Creative Director of Yellow Bird, is stepping up to become CEO of the merged label, with current Yellow Bird CEO Jakob Feeney taking on a consultancy role as COO/Head of Business Affairs. Malin Launch is taking on a Head of Production role, while interim CEO at Jarowskij, Johannes Jensen, will take a broader exec position at Banijay Nordics as Group Head of Scripted.

The unscripted unit will bring together Meter and Jarowskij’s entertainment and factual production assets under Madelene Hansson, who was previously CEO of Meter. Jarowskij’s Magnus Gustafson will be Chief Creative Officer.

Productions houses...

Netflix has released another huge batch of data about the time users spent with the service, and the top of its series list demonstrates how wide its global reach is.

The No. 1 series for the second half of 2023, as measured by Netflix’s view metric (total viewing hours divided by running time), was One Piece, a U.S.-Japanese co-production based on the enduringly popular manga and anime series. It amassed 71.6 million views following its Aug. 31 premiere. Four of the next five shows — German miniseries Dear Child, the third installment of Lupin from France, and British shows Who Is Erin Carter? and Sex Education season four — originated outside the United States, and the sixth, The Witcher, is based on novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and films in Europe.

One Piece’s 71.6 million views equates to 541.9 million hours of viewing worldwide in the four months from its premiere date to...

Stella Sandell has had possibly the worst several years of her life. When she was 15, her parents convinced her to not report a serious crime. Four years later, she’s been suspected of murdering her boyfriend. Her parents, too, are not doing well: Both workaholics, their marriage is falling apart, and they seem unable to connect with each other or their teen daughter. The drama series A Nearly Normal Family (En Helt Vanlig Familj) — based on the novel of the same name by M.T. Edvardsson — follows the Sandells as they become targets in a murder investigation. Read on to find out how the series ends and get answers to your burning questions.

Who’s in A Nearly Normal Family?

The series features Björn Bengtsson as Adam, Christian Fandango Sundgren as Christoffer (aka Chris), Christoffer Willén as Robin, Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors as Stella, Lo Kauppi as Ulrika, Håkan Bengtsson as...

Christian Wikander, the well-respected Swedish executive who joined Banijay nine months ago as global head of scripted, will be stepping down from his role on Feb. 2. Speaking to Variety shortly after news broke of his upcoming exit, Wikander said he was “sad to be leaving” the company, but sees as as a “reflection of these times in the business.”

“We see these types of changes happening in the business, because we’ve gone from a very high position across many territories and we’re going through a time of correction that affects buyers and everyone involved,” Wikander told Variety.

The executive, who joined Banijay from HBO Max Nordic where he was commissioning editor and VP of original programming, said he doesn’t expect his role at Banijay to be replaced. Commenting on factors behind his exit, he said the business was tougher due to “changes in commissions and production volumes,...

Fool Me Once is a successful Netflix thriller series based on Harlan Coben's novel, featuring a veteran named Maya Stern who is questioning her husband's death. Other series like The Watcher, A Nearly Normal Family, and Mouse offer similar high-tension plots and psychological angles. Stay Close, You, The Crowded Room, Devil in Ohio, Shelter, Sharp Objects, and Bloodline are all recommended for fans of Fool Me Once, as they explore themes of family, crime, trauma, and mystery.

Multiple TV shows exist like Netflix's Fool Me Once that offer similar themes, storylines, and genres. In this fast-paced thriller, a veteran named Maya Stern becomes distressed when she sees her murdered husband playing with her daughter in the security footage of her home. Adapted from the eponymous novel by Harlan Coben, Fool Me Once became an instant success, hitting the top ten list for the most popular shows on Netflix.

Part...

Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge competition series topped Nielsen’s latest U.S. ranking of streaming originals.

The reality-tv offshoot of the hit Korean thriller racked up 1.4 billion minutes viewed for Thanksgiving Week, across its first five episodes.

More from TVLineRatings: CBS' Dick Van Dyke Birthday Party Draws Thursday's Biggest CrowdTVLine Items: Love on the Spectrum Season 2 Trailer, Hallmark's Ride on The CW and MoreMy Life With the Walter Boys Earns Speedy Season 2 Renewal at Netflix

Last week’s champ, Netflix’s The Crown, in turn dipped to No. 2 with 835 million minutes viewed across 57 total episodes, followed by Netflix...

Squid Game: The Challenge may not be as big as the show that inspired it, but the competition series still got off to a very strong start.

Netflix’s unscripted offshoot of its most popular series of all time scored a strong opening in the Nielsen streaming rankings for Thanksgiving week. Adam Sandler’s animated movie Leo claimed the top spot overall, and Young Sheldon also joined the top 10 after making its Netflix debut.

Squid Game: The Challenge drew 1.42 billion minutes of viewing in the United States for the week of Nov. 20-26. It was the top streaming series for the week, beating out Bluey (1.17 billion minutes) on Disney+, and finished second overall behind the 1.53 billion minutes for Leo.

The Crown, which finished first overall the previous week, slipped to second among originals with 835 million minutes of viewing, an 11.5 percent decline from a week earlier. Disney+’s The Santa Clauses...

Warning: This article contains spoilers for A Nearly Normal Family!

The Netflix series of A Nearly Normal Family diverges from the book, with changes to the assault scene, structure, and characterizations. The series presents a more graphic and detailed portrayal of Stella's assault, while the book focuses on its aftermath. The series downplays the Swedish legal system and simplifies certain plot elements, but highlights Ulrika as a standout character.

Warning: This article mentions substance abuse and sexual assault.

An amalgam of Scandinavian noir and true crime drama, Netflix's A Nearly Normal Family has made numerous changes to the book of the same name published in 2019 by Swedish author M.T. Edvardsson. The plot focuses on the way an idyllic family, including Adam Sandell, a pastor involved with the Church of Sweden, his wife Ulrika, a lawyer, and their daughter, Stella, is turned upside down when the police arrive to arrest Stella for murder.

A new Swedish limited drama-thriller series has just hit Netflix, and it has already secured a spot in the Netflix Top 10 charts worldwide. Based on Mattias Edvardsson's bestselling novel "A Nearly Normal Family" ("En helt vanlig familj" in Swedish), the series focuses on the Sandell family, where couple Adam (Björn Bengtsson) and Ulrika (Lo Kauppi), along with their daughter Stella (Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors) initially appear to be a perfect little family. Rich and affluent, the Sandells spend their time in a lavish suburb outside of Lund, but things go awry when Stella is suddenly accused of murder. Molded as tense, moody crime fiction with surprising twists, "A Nearly Normal Family" succeeds in capturing the complexities in familial bonds that tend to exacerbate during a crisis.

Stella's boyfriend, Christoffer Olsen (Christian Fandango Sundgren), is brutally stabbed one night, and the day after, Stella is arrested, which compels Adam and Ulrika...

Turns out, it wasn’t much of a challenge at all.

“Squid Game: The Challenge” dominated Netflix’s overall leaderboard in its debut week, when it drew 20.1 million views. The unscripted competition series picked up where the I.P. left off in 2021, bumping Part 1 of “The Crown’s” sixth season to second place (8.8 million views) for the week of November 20, 2023.

“Squid Game: The Challenge,” filmed in the UK, is an English-language series; Og “Squid Game” was a Korean-language series dubbed into local languages. As such, the scripted show technically rests atop Netflix’s “Non-English” list, though it blows away all the English-language stuff anyway.

“The Challenge” was so big it brought “Squid Game” back to the Global Top 10 for non-english series — at no. 6 with 1.6 million views — its 21st appearance. The scripted show hadn’t made the list since the week ending June 19, 2022. The long Thanksgiving holiday weekend sure helped the streams pile up.

Warning: This article contains Spoilers for A Nearly Normal Family.

Warning: This article includes discussion of assault and molestation.

The ending of A Nearly Normal Family reveals that Stella killed Christoffer to save Amina from assault, and they came up with a plan to avoid punishment for the crime. Amina's testimony proves that Stella wasn't Christoffer's only enemy, giving the jury reasonable doubt in regard to Stella's guilt. Ulrika tells Amina not to go to the police to prevent them from being charged together. The show criticizes the justice system's ability to enact justice.

The Swedish crime drama A Nearly Normal Family features a twist ending, but the Netflix show’s plot cleverly sets up this major relation throughout its six episodes. A Nearly Normal Family is centered on a Swedish family made up of parents Ulrika and Adam and their teenage daughter, Stella. Ulrika is a high-powered attorney, while Adam is a well-liked pastor.

"A Nearly Normal Family" is a Swedish crime drama streaming on Netflix that follows the Sandell family as their daughter is accused of murder. Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors delivers an impressive performance as Stella Sandell, the daughter at the center of the investigation. The series also features talented actors like Lo Kauppi and Björn Bengtsson, who bring depth and complexity to their roles as Stella's parents, Ulrika and Adam.

The Swedish miniseries A Nearly Normal Family (En helt vanlig familj) is streaming on Netflix, and here’s who plays who in this crime thriller. Netflix’s catalog of international TV series is in constant expansion, allowing its subscribers to enjoy different styles of storytelling and a variety of engaging stories from different parts of the world. Among them is A Nearly Normal Family, a Swedish crime drama based on the book of the same name by M.T. Edvardsson and directed by Per Hanefjord.

Poker Face may have brought the howcatchem back into style this year, but over the Thanksgiving holiday, Per Hanefjord’s A Nearly Normal Family made a compelling case for the whydunit.

The Swedish thriller, a suspenseful adaptation of M.T. Edvardsson’s book of the same name, has been making its way up Netflix’s top 10 rankings since its premiere on November 24. And while some of that interest is no doubt the result of long weekend doldrums, even casual viewers will be quickly drawn in by the series’s non-linear storytelling and combination of domestic drama and murder mystery elements.

A Nearly Normal Family is Netflix's new Swedish thriller led by talented newcomer Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors.

The new mini-series is based on M.T. Edvardsson’s novel of the same name. It chronicles the story of how a 19-year-old teenager named Stella Sandell is accused of murdering her new partner.

A Nearly Normal Family highlights the ups and downs of the Sandell family during Stella's trial. The mini-series made its debut on Netflix on Thursday, November 24.

Read full article on The Direct.

Netflix’s 2023 thriller series, A Nearly Normal Family, introduced Stella, a girl who had a lot on her plate. She was a girl with ambitions and a desire to travel the world. Unfortunately for Stella, life wasn’t easy, and she had to endure a lot. When Stella was a schoolgirl, she was raped by Robin. She did everything she could to fend him off but failed. This shook Stella to the core. Moreover, what further hollowed her trust in her parents was the fact that they didn’t want to press charges against Robin. They believed that if they took the matter any further, it would do them no good. Stella’s image would be vilified, and she would have trouble making friends. Stella didn’t argue, but she held them responsible in her heart, probably even more than Robin. Maybe this was why she transitioned from a joyous...

Netflix’s 2023 miniseries, A Nearly Normal Family, introduces us to the Sandell family, a small and gracious family anyone would kill to be born into. The family includes lawyer Ulrika (Lo Kauppi), priest Adam (Björn Bengtsson), and their star daughter, Stella (Christoffer Willén). Their perfect life shatters when, one day, Stella is raped on a school trip by Robin. Stella tried to shove Robin (Christoffer Willén) away, but she froze up in fright, and Robin carried on. Adam wanted to take it to the cops and then the court, but Ulrika said they would lose, and it would tarnish Stella’s reputation. It would be a classic, my word against your case, suggested Ulrika. Thus, Adam had no choice but to accept his wife’s advice and not press charges.

A Nearly Normal Family takes a four-year leap, and we see Stella, who has now recovered from what happened to her on the school trip.

Netflix’s latest miniseries, A Nearly Normal Family, based on M.T. Edvardsson’s best-selling novel, starts with a bang but ends up stumbling. It revolves around Stella Sandell (Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors), a girl accused of killing her boyfriend, Chris, with all the evidence pointing towards her. Despite the prosecution pushing for maximum jail time, she’s released on a technicality. The series sets up high expectations for Stella’s parents, Adam (Björn Bengtsson) and Ulrika (Lo Kauppi), hinting that they’ve got some big shoes to fill. Sadly, both ended up as just a bickering couple with limited impact. Despite this, A Nearly Normal Family manages to be a decent watch, keeping you entertained. If you’re in the mood for something similar, here’s a list to try your luck with.

Broadchurch (2013)

Broadchurch made headlines when it premiered, breaking records and winning hearts. It had everything that was expected of a top-notch series,...

Based on Mattias Edvardsson’s novel, the 2023 Netflix limited series titled A Nearly Normal Family follows Adam and Ulrika Sandell, whose only daughter, Stella Sandell, was arrested for murder. Directed by Per Hanefjord and produced by Jarowskij, the Netflix drama A Nearly Normal Family also follows a similar plot, with some creative liberties taken by the makers. Netflix has recently dropped the official trailer for the limited series, which has already set high expectations in our minds. The trailer looked appealing, and it seems that the series has the potential to attract a lot of viewers, especially the fans of a dark and mysterious thriller.

Story and Plot

A Nearly Normal Family is a six-part limited series that is coming to our screens with a thrilling premise. In the official trailer, we are introduced to the world of the narrative and the key characters in it. The trailer opened with...

Netflix is known for adding a ton of original content every month on the streaming service.

Lots of viewers will want a suggestion of what to watch on Thanksgiving, and luckily, we’re here with the list of everything that has been added this week leading up to the major holiday.

Keep reading to find out more…

See the list below of everything added to Netflix this week to see if it is of any interest to you and your family!

November 20

“Shahs of Sunset” Seasons 1 and 2

Shahs of Sunset is a Bravo reality series!

November 21

“Leo”

Here’s a synopsis for Leo: Actor and comedian Adam Sandler delivers signature laughs in this coming-of-age animated musical comedy about the last year of elementary school – as seen through the eyes of a class pet. Jaded 74-year-old lizard Leo (Sandler) has been stuck in the same Florida classroom for decades with...

Netflix’s slate for November 2023 has much to offer as the transition from Halloween to Thanksgiving and eventually Christmas begins. Many favorite movies such as Jennifer Garner’s “13 Going on 30” and “The Big Lebowski” arrive Nov. 1, while Garner’s new movie “The Family Switch” rounds out the month when it arrives on the streamer Nov. 30. Other can’t-miss film arrivals on November first include “Whiplash,” “Sixteen Candles,” “The Social Network” and “Pitch Perfect.”

Several new seasons of Netflix shows arrive this month as well, the most highly anticipated of which might be “The Crown” Season 6 Part 1. The first half of the final season of the royal drama series arrives Nov. 16. The limited series adaptation of “All the Light We Cannot See” by Shawn Levy and Steven Knight launches November 2. Levy directed all four episodes of the epic drama series, adapted from the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by Anthony Doerr.