Unit One

After living in Sweden for a period during 1998/99 I had grown accustomed to fairly good quality local made TV, allbeit there wasnt that much of it unfortunately. I had since heard that Mordkommissionen (Rejseholdet orig Danish title) had become must see TV for some Stockholm friends during its Swedish TV4 play. Luckily the series was out on DVD when I was there again during New Year 2003, so I took a chance and bought the whole lot. What an excellent buy! I have so far allowed myself to see the first 12 episodes which are by far better than any American crime series found on countless TV stations. I want to make it last so I have another 18 to watch over the next few months. What a treat this show is! I just wish that a UK channel would bother to even consider buying it, so that friends here can see it with English subtitles.

Well done DR TV on the probably the best non-English series I have seen!

Rejseholdet is the second project from the national danish TV-station DR1 to bear that name, and it is by far the best of the two shows.

The plot is very basic. The danish police force has a team that can move out and assist the local police in cases where expert knowledge is required. Each episode is based on real-life crimes commited in Denmark and (so far) the neighboring countries of Sweden and Germany. The story follows the away team, and much of the plot is focused around the character's interaction between themselves, their private life, and the people they meet during the cause of the investigation.

What the series lack in action, is made up in the show of realism presented. The crimes are not solved at gunpoint, but rather in careful examination of the crimescene and the general public's help (remember Denmark is a small country, so often someone is bound to know something or have seen something).

The acting is quite good, and very realistic compared to most contemporary danish shows and films. Especially Mads Mikkelsen (as Fischer) and Lars Brygmann (La Cour) stands out. The two characters suplement each other very well and are the ones with most depth.

What also makes this movie very popular, is the fact that a lot of neglected locations in Denmark, is shown in the show. No town is too small for a crime, and most danes will have their city, or one close to them, featured in one of the episodes.

It is no wonder that almost a quarter of the danes watch this series every week. And it is also no wonder that the concept has been sold to other tv-networks - so look out for your own version of "Rejseholdet" soon.

Yep, I too love the series, shown here in Australia on SBS. When it's on I fire up google earth and get my aerial view of the crime scene in Denmark! Charlotte Fich, and Trine Pallesen are gorgeous although some people say that Charlotte looks a bit like New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clarke (well Helen Clarke would do well if she looked more like Charlotte)!

Some things puzzle me a little, First is the video "treatment", it seems to have some "texture" or treatment which puzzles me a little as it looks like it has passed through analogue production processes.

Second is one of the bridges in the opening title sequence. Is this bridge the one between West Zeeland (Vastsjaelland) and Fyns?

Well done to the team at "Rejseholdet", and glad IMDb has the literal translation of the original title.

This series only began (on SBS TV) here in Australia around a month ago, and I'm already hooked!! Whilst not the best or the most original cop show there is, it's well made, and the stories are believable, and the characters of the police are well drawn. Mostly, I like the balance between the crime-of-the-week and the personal lives of the detectives, where the latter never ever seems to overshadow the former, as it should be, but the personal insights into regular characters gives them substance and dimension.

I'd recommend it to anyone who likes their crime shows on TV to be straight-forward and without too much fanfare and sensation.

I think my family must be the only one in Australia that sits down and watches Unit One every Friday. But we do. We stumbled across it last year when nothing else was on, and have watched it every week since. Not only do I enjoy listening to the Danish speakers, but the story lines are great. Unit One is a mobile police unit, that travels over Denmark in a semi-trailer that is their office. The group are not only colleagues, they're like family. Each week a new crime must be solved, sending them from one end of the country to the other. But the stories also dive into their personal lives. Ingrid's son, Allan's wife, Gaby and Johnny's relationship... Each week is a new and exciting episode. That is what keeps me coming back, despite the bright yellow subtitles I have to put up with. All in all, Unit One is a brilliant show, with wonderful writing and acting. I give it 8/10