PRISONERS OF WAR (
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SPIRAL (
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HENNING MANKELL’S WALLANDER (
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BROEN/BRON (
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BRAQUO (
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UNDERBELLY (
)
Hollywood may be nicknamed the Dream Factory, but when it comes to television those dreams are often outsourced.
For years American producers shopped for ideas in the UK, remaking series as diverse as “Queer as Folk” and “Prime Suspect.” And usually the US versions sucked. Maybe that’s why desperate execs have activated Google Translate and cast a wider net. Cue “Homeland” (based on the Israeli series “Prisoners of War”), “The Killing” (adapted from Denmark) and “The Bridge” (another Scandinavian template). This fall, ABC will debut “Betrayal,” an adaptation of the Dutch series “Overspel.”
Still, in most cases the originals trump the new versions. The characters feel less hackneyed, while the novel locations and casts add to the thrill of exploring new territory.
Below is a selection for those wanting to dip their toes in international waters, with an emphasis on crime series and thrillers. Some shows require a region-free DVD player, but most are easily accessible via legal streaming or satellite TV.
PRISONERS OF WAR
Whereas “Homeland” slowly descended into hysterical cuckooland, its Israeli inspiration, “Prisoners of War,” has maintained a sober approach. Key differences: There are three lead POWs instead of one — Nicholas Brody — and no bipolar government agent is sleeping with them. While a mystery does surround the men, much of the drama derives from their difficulties adjusting to families and a society that has moved on without them.
This isn’t to say the series is devoid of action — Season 2 picks up the pace from its more contemplative predecessor, and the flashbacks can be harrowing. But “Prisoners of War” also has a melancholy wistfulness that digs deeper than the pulpy hijinks of “Homeland.”
* Available on Hulu
HENNING MANKELL’S WALLANDER
uThe BBC version may be shot on location, but there’s something jarring about Sir Kenneth Branagh playing a Swedish cop — it just smells off, like an old jar of pickled herring. Better to check out the unassuming but efficient Swedish series starring Krister Henriksson as Henning Mankell’s famously sour inspector. Netflix offers only the first season, but each of the 90-minute episodes is a study in slate-gray skies and gloomy fatalism. This may sound like a bummer, but it’s sheer heaven to Nordic noir’s many fans.
* Available on Netflix
BROEN/BRON
FX’s “The Bridge,” starring Diane Kruger andDemian Bichir, is an adaptation of this Scandinavian co-production. It’s been reset to the U.S.-Mexico border, whereas the original straddled Denmark and Sweden. Who knew these cold-clime neighbors were such frenemies?! They may look similarly sleek and progressive to us, but apparently the laidback Danes clash with the know-it-all, uptight Swedes. American viewers may be more captivated, however, by the fantastic leather pants worn by the prickly Swedish detective, Saga Norén (Sofia Helin).
* Available on region 2 DVD from Amazon
BORGEN
NBC is rumored to be eyeing a remake of this series. Good luck to them.
More addictive than a gooey cinnamon roll, “Borgen” has been called a Danish “West Wing,” but it’s less glib than Aaron Sorkin’s series. The show follows Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen) from inexperienced leader of her small centrist party to Denmark’s first female prime minister. We also get the press’ perspective via reporter Katrine Fønsmark (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen). Once you get over the fact that Denmark has only three political journos and one spin doctor, the small scale allows for a refreshingly tight focus on power plays.
* Available on DirectTV
SPIRAL
Any smart TV producer should be watching “Spiral,” which juxtaposes the activities of a Parisian police squad led by Captain Laure Berthaud (Caroline Proust) with the wing-flapping of the judicial branch. Particularly juicy are the battles between a prosecutor, played by the awesomely coiffed Grégory Fitoussi, and Audrey Fleurot’s conniving defense lawyer.
The show has grown by leaps and bounds over its four seasons. Bonus: Proust and Fleurot’s characters are among the most compellingly complicated in all of television.
* Available on Netflix
BRAQUO
Fans of “The Shield” and its rogue cops will eat up “Braquo” and its (French) rogue cops.
Created by Olivier Marchal — an ex-detective turned screenwriter/director — “Braquo” has been accused of glorifying vigilante justice. But there’s something poetically bleak about the self-destructive ways of Jean-Hughes Anglades’s squad leader, Eddy Caplan. Plus the series boasts the swoony Nicolas Duvauchelle, who’s like Ryan Gosling if he had more than one facial expression.
* Available on Hulu
UNDERBELLY
Netflix carries the first three seasons (out of six) of this sprawling, absorbing epic about Down Under gangland. Inspired by real events, each self-contained arc focuses on a particular time and city. Season 2, set in New South Wales in the mid-1970s through mid-’80s, is a particular delight of Aussie period details.
Once you’re hooked, switch over to Hulu for the New Zealand spin-off, “Underbelly NZ: Land of the Long Green Cloud.” You’ll get used to the accents and colorful expressions quickly enough.
* Available on Netflix and Hulu