User reviews

The police work is laughable, which is a shame as the production is quite good. There are so many times when we had to laugh at how ridiculous the plot was, how unlikely the events, the total lack of police and security in what is a major crime of global proportion. The oh so bad opening song gives you a taste of what's to come.

'The Killing' established a certain template for Scandinavian crime drama: dark, moody, intense, understated, and with a tough, and not conventionally feminine, leading female protagonist. The recipe was followed pretty much exactly in 'The Bridge'; and many of the same elements are also present in 'Modus'. But for my money, 'The Killing' was great because of brilliant acting (and occasionally writing), rather than because it unlocked inherently magic elements, and for me, 'Modus' falls a bit flat. It's one thing to tell a complex multi-part story of a criminal investigation, one which impacts upon the private lives of its characters; but it's another to make this into a cohesive story, one which makes intrinsic sense and makes the viewer care beyond the latest twist. And to my mind, any plot based upon the idea of the serial killer with the premeditated plan is at a disadvantage even before it starts. 'Modus' isn't awfully done, and maybe I'm just a bit Scandi'd out, but it certainly lacks the freshness that the first season of 'The Killing' such a success.

With the explosive blooming of Scandi Noir, this decade has seen several dozens of thrilling series where something bad is developed and solved/removed using suspense and uneasiness... Some concepts and approached are distinct, the others not, and even in a relatively big country like Sweden, there are many recurring actors-actresses having bigger or smaller roles in various thrillers, including here, that it takes some time to get used to it. Well, most performers are good at least, but in Modus, it often seemed that the leading characters or performances were more static and trivial that many supporting ones, Melinda Kinnaman and Henrik Norlén did not impress me too much.

As for the plot and it's entertainment level, Modus had a few twists only, and the basic reasons for the wrongdoer's actions were revealed too soon, with some excessive moralisation, and the gay topic was over- exploited in this context. The police work was oddly weak, the killer of foreign origin could easily advance openly, paving the way for protracted scenes and unnecessary cast. But still, the general atmosphere was OK - probably for those having some knowledge of Scandinavian way of living and attitudes; I can hardly imagine that the series in question could be an interesting fellow to viewers outside Nothern Europe.

IMO, Season 2 was much better than Season 1. If I were to rate each season separately, Season 1 would rate a 5-6, and Season 2 would be an 8. So, if you are OK with the first season, hang in there for the second and you'll be rewarded.

Modus is a pretty well made TV series just like several other nice TV series made by swedes!

I think the reason for why i am pretty much into Modus is that it is pretty engaging. it really is pretty much like quite several other Swedish TV series such like Äkta Människor, Jordskott, Beck and even the comedy one Solsidan. The storytelling is so good and with that many characters making appearance, one never knows what connects all of them and what their true intention really is. Modus does not have a so unique or ground breaking subject in terms of the purpose of the wicked happenings committed so far in it. But the making of it combined with good directing, acting and cinematography gives this series a great atmosphere and quite a few mysteries to solve which, is also what has so far got me hooked for.

it surely is highly different from any America made TV series and it so far lives up to what i am always happy to see in a Swedish TV production. will continue follow the show till the end of the mysteries gets revealed!

Very enjoyable. 1st series was excellent. 2nd series has an interesting and bold plot. A little spoiled by the terrible acting of Greg Wise (a real 'ham' actor) and wholly unconvincing accent (a poor imitation of 'Dr House'). Good Nordic Noir

An Ok Swedish Tv-show. It's not the best I've seen, but it's definetly watchable and of not, memorable. Give it a try, it's not that bad as the reviews!

This doesn't meet the higher standards I'm used to in watching Scandinavian shows (The Bridge, The Killing, Borgen, etc.). Frankly, it comes across as a a more lazy American version. Too bad.

Captive! We start thinking more about other stuff then the murder itself. If you see only one episode, can make no sense, but if you watch more, you see the great picture and the whole history. Congratulations! You can see a girl with troubles trying to communicate as well a mother behind the psychologist - and you see, everybody has their own problems and people who lived them knows how to help as well. Shows something about society and the prejudice that still remains and how great would be with people start to think about it and open their hearts to whatsoever is not a difference that matters to make someone an et. We are all human beings and doesn't matter other believes, but what we do and the respect about the different thought.

The first season is super exciting, it got 7/10.

Just finished the second season and felt it was a bit slow compared to the first. Characters are great - would have loved for the story to proceed in a faster manner. Grade: 6/10.

So many good detective shows coming from Scandinavia -- this is not one of them. It's way too long for the minuscule plot, which has constant and weird holes throughout. The lead actress is absurdly bad -- she only seems to have three facial expressions, all of which are rather unpleasant. The southern American accents are ridiculously wrong. The lead character is supposed to be a brilliant profiler but she's lame beyond belief -- her comment when seeing a CEO with a portrait of his grandfather rather than his father in his office is that the man must love his grandfather more than his father -- um, right. Finally, the series ending is quite possibly the silliest and the most predictable in tv show history. The reason this monstrosity is worth two stars instead of one is that the two young girls who play the lead's daughters are excellent -- they totally upstage the adults. But that's not enough to waste so many hours of your life on sub-standard tv.

I enjoyed both seasons and think some of the reviews here have been a bit harsh. It's not as good as The Bridge or The Killing but certainly as good as Borgen.

Good cast, exciting plot with some flaws but overall well constructed. I've seen it twice so it can't be complete pants !

Season 1 (just finished) is very engaging. At this time, I've binged several years worth of shows in the same genre, made all over the world. It gets harder and harder to find the good stuff. Modus is not quite as good as Bron (The Bridge) or the US version of The Killing (WHEN will we get to see the original Forbrydelsen in the US?!?) but it is right up there. Good production values, good acting (trivia: Melinda Kinnaman is US The Killing Joel Kinnaman's sister), some great acting (Krister Henriksson IS Wallander in Henning Mankell's series), and a good storyline (re. IMDB, based on a Norwegian novel by Anne Holt). We know the identity of the killer from the start, so the journey is the why of his origin and the suspense as the killer closes in. The social issues are more suited to a few decades ago, but maybe that's my wishful thinking. I rolled my eyes a bit that stereotyped ignorant Americans with thick regional accents were brought in to carry the plot. (It's equally annoying when the reverse is true for American TV.) But overall, a very good, entertaining season, definitely close to an 8 (but I'll add a miniscule point to help boost the unfair 6). At this time (Spring 2019), Modus is available in the US on PBS (through Amazon, in my case). On to Season 2!

An Ok Swedish Tv-show. It's not the best I've seen, but its definetly watchable and if not, memorable. Give it a try, its not that bad as the reviews!

I'm a sucker for detective shows, specially the nordic kind but this one was really hard for me to watch. Season 1 was ok-ish , it started off ok but then got ruined by the fake american accent and bad acting of the fbi agent, of the church creeps who talk soooo slowly and have such bad acting it literally pissed me off to watch it and i couldnt wait for it to end already.

The second season was even worse! The script was horrible, the opening song makes you want to turn off the tv, and the storyline is sooooo bad. Lots of holes, the timeline doesnt add up, and at some point i found myself being pissed off most the time just wanting it to end already...

Was very impressed with this Swedish crime thriller. It has great atmosphere, backed up with an intelligent soundtrack and excellent camera shots. The acting is exceptional, from the children through to the main two leads who have great chemistry. All players lend a wonderful cohesion to the flow of the narrative. A really intelligent story line that cleverly carries the thread of action, interaction and sense of what's next through to the end. European crime thrillers like this seem to be light years ahead of what we see produced for North American screens.Certainly they have a more emotional depth ,this one has a more nuanced repertoire. In addition Europeans seem to be able to deal with certain subject matter,in this case being gay, with an understanding and acceptance that is seems to be beyond us here in North America. This season one really impressed,lots of great acting,camera angles, and making me really look forward to season two.

A somewhat controversial homophobic based storyline throughout.

It is a well crafted drama, something we have come to expect from the Nordic Noir, but there are a few holes and the plot that do not make sense.

The mandatory romance between the main characters just got in the way.

She did not actually do that much, but Stina was mesmeric.

Every time I think they're pulling out of the silliness, they dive back in. It's a shame.

Season 1 was passable stuff, with some decent action and nice Nordic scenery. The plot involves a female profiler (with 2 girls,1 female autistic) who's divorced, as she deals with a series of murders and the popular plot device, a serial killer of notable gay people. Highly-unlikely and could have been done in 6 (instead of 8) episodes.

Season 2 takes a nosedive in terms of reality & plot: the U. S. President visits and disappears (kidnapping) on Swedish soil. Our Profiler, Inger (now very pregnant via her not-so-swift cop boyfriend) stumbles onto an obscure clue & finally locates the Lady (president), played by the eminent Kim Cattrall. Apparently, a rogue element in the FBI has conspired to eliminate this ' POTUS'. With me so far? You probably know that the VP becomes POTUS by decree within a few hours of such an event, allowing for no gap in rulership. Anyway, a landing by Martians is more likely than any of this. I could write a better story for 4 episodes, instead of 8. However, I am watching both seasons in full, despite the unlikelihoods. So, its kind of fun, if not stalwart story-telling. 7/10.

A pretty good crime thriller ruined by the terrible, sometimes laughably bad acting by Marek Overac.