SVT’s Burden of Justice won best series at the 2026 Kristallen TV gala that highlighted a number of titles supported by NFTVF

“Unnerving, forceful and fortified by excellent cinematography. At times uncomfortable and even difficult to watch, it puts the viewer at stranglehold. An innovative lawyer series that engages without apology and lies uncannily close to the truth and to the present.” Thus read the jury motivation to Burden of Justice (Hundarna), which won the best drama award at the annual Swedish TV awards gala, Kristallen, held at Stockholm’s legendary Cirkus venue Monday night.

The series, produced by Strive Stories, beat out SVT competitors My Brother (Jag for ner till bror) and Couples Therapy in Gagnef (Parterapi i Gagnef) as well as TV4’s Golden Boys and Netflix’ Land of Sin (Synden), all solid contenders.

As a most euphoric Burden of Justice team took the stage, producers Caroline Landerberg and Nicklas Wikström Nicastro suggested that this most prestigious award be cut into 150 different pieces to the bestowed upon all the creative talents involved, not least director-writer Lisa Linnertorp, co-writer Frans Milisic Wiklund and author Jens Lapidus, whose original idea set off the series in the first place. Earlier in the evening, actress Kit Walker Johansson managed to get an award of her own for the same series, for best supporting performance.

Couples Therapy in Gagnef, a wry comedy series playing out in colourful Dalecarlia, did win main actor Joel Spira the best male performance award, while Carla Sehn got the female equivalent for her interpretation of the hapless protagonist in Netflix’ drama comedy Diary of a Ditched Girl (Halva Malmö består av killar som dumpat mig). Sehn’s “total presence and absolute timing” left the jury utterly convinced.

Taking on an Astrid Lindgren classic may well be very thin ice in the state of Sweden, but the creators/remakers of Life on Seacrow Island (Vi på Salkråkan) walked safely away with the award for best children’s series. The jury saw a fresh take on a beloved classic (originally filmed in the 1960s), “faithful to the original, yet standing firm on its own legs”. Again, SVT is the broadcaster, with the talented Fredrik Edfeldt producing and Karin Arrhenius screenwriting. SF Studios produces through Brita Lundqvist and Jon Nohrstedt.

The best TV documentary award went to SVT and the durable Maud Nycander, who revisits the convent in Glumslöv in the south of Sweden, where she first started filming the 19-old Marta when she took her vows in 1997 for the ten-years-in-the-making and Prix Italia-awarded The Nun (Nunnan, 2007). With The Nun – 25 years in Convent (Nunnan - 25 år i kloster), Nycander has brought further testimony to this “captivating human journey”, as per the jury, “in a time and age when few others are willing to make any kind of sacrifice”. Nycander herself is the producer, through Maud Nycander Film.

The jury consisted of producer Johan Åsard, TV4, producer Magdalena Jangard, Head of Production Support at The Swedish Film Institute, programme sponsor Mathias Engstrand, SVT, journalist Parisa Amiri, producer Tesso Akander, Strix Tekevision, producer/press manager Tora Heckscher, TCO, producer Åsa Sjöberg, Art & Bob, and producer Peter Settman, Baluba AB (also jury chairman).

All in all, 20 awards were given out at the 2026 Kristallen gala, where Nordisk Film & TV Fond provided tangible excellence with mainly SVT on the drama side, being the top financier of the winning series Burden of Justice (SVT) and Life on Seacrow Island (SVT) the winning documentary The Nun – 25 years in Convent (SVT) and the nominated drama series My Brother (SVT), Couples Therapy in Gagnef (SVT) and Golden Boys (TV4)

All winners and nominees are found here (in Swedish): CLICK HERE.