The Darkness

...which appeared out of the blue here in Denmark on SkyShowtime.

I was pleasently surprised by the plot and twists, episode after episode. I won't spoil anything, but I bet ya that you can't figure out whodunnit. Love the cold setting that Island is too. Very vibey, moody and beautiful.

I've always liked Lena Olin, who I really "discovered" when watching "Romeo is Bleeding", also starring Gary Oldman. She gives a heartfelt, stellar performance in this series, as a mom and tough detective. It's really top notch.

Also very good performance from Jack Bannon, which I haven't seen before in a major role. Note to self: Check out his other work.

And as the cherry on the topping is that the series is directed by Lasse Hallström, which also directed the excellent "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" from 1993 starring Johnny Depp and other great movies. And it shows. The directing is tight, beautiful and to the point.

Definitely recommend this series.

Here's hoping for season 2.

Caught this while I was in Australia - it aired there (no US release yet?) - and I genuinely wasn't prepared for how good it is. Thought it'd be your standard moody crime drama with pretty backdrops. Instead, it's quietly gripping, sharp, and way more emotionally layered than it lets on at first.

It takes its time. It doesn't spoon-feed. The tone is icy but grounded, and the tension builds in this really restrained, almost hypnotic way. The lead performance is excellent - minimal, but you feel everything. Visually it's beautiful too. Cold, clean, controlled.

If I had one gripe, maybe a few of the supporting characters could've been fleshed out a little more - but the central story is strong enough to carry the whole thing.

Out of curiosity, I went and read the book afterward. Huge mistake. It's all internal monologue and emotional exposition - just endless moping. Hulda in the book is... not great. Kind of aimless. On-screen, though, she's magnetic. Everything the book tries to say, the show shows instead. The adaptation is tighter, smarter, way more alive.

Don't let it slip past you.

Also, all the trolls hating on it for not being whatever they think it should be (more Nordic?) should probably go back to Iceland.

I'm Icelandic and worked crew on The Darkness. This was a big one for us, with many local people involved - all the way through to post. Even though it's in English, it still feels Icelandic to me. The silence, the light, the landscape - the feeling.

Most people don't know, but the first scripts had Huldakona - real hidden people - and I loved that. The director tried hard to include things that are deeply Icelandic, even if some parts were cut later (I don't know why). There was more of our culture in this story than what ended up on screen.

I just hope people stop attacking it. If there's no season two, we all lose. It was something good for Iceland. Don't kill it from pride.

This show just isn't worth your time. I tried to give it a chance, but after watching two episodes, I couldn't bring myself to continue. The pacing feels sluggish, and the story lacks any real hook to keep you invested. The characters are uninspired, and the dialogue often falls flat, making it hard to connect with anyone on screen. Additionally, the predictable political correctness woven into the narrative feels forced and unnecessary, detracting from any potential intrigue. Overall, the series feels unoriginal, lacking excitement or depth. It blends into the sea of standard content without leaving any lasting impression. Save yourself the time and skip this one.

We watched other Icelandic crime series before so we had high expectations, especially seeing Douglas Henshall's name amongst the actors, but we were soon disappointed. The conversations were absurd at points, serious plotholes, unexplored themes. The acting was terrible, especially Lena Olin. It was theatrical and ridiculous. The only actor who was almost good was Jack Bannon. We really wanted to believe that it could get better as we watch but no; it got worse and worse, to the point where we could not watch the last 20 minutes. Everything was cringe. It is sad that this story was butchered, it could have been good if it was done differently.