Nordic fiction series hitting the holiday season.

Even in these times of brand new content flooding the screens around the year, the classic tradition of the holiday season premiere is still an event to count on. From the Nordic stronghold, a varied assortment of fiction series is getting ready to hit the air, offering crime, drama, satire, biography and some fairy tale magic, keeping viewers busy well into the new year.

SVT Sweden kicks off on December 25 with Whiskey on the Rocks, a free – very, by its own admission, with generous helpings of hilarious satire – account of a highly actual historical incident involving a Soviet submarine “invading” Swedish waters back in 1981. Björn Stein directs and Henrik Jansson-Schweizer writes, based on a script idea by Jonas Jonasson, with Rolf Lassgård as Sweden’s PM Thorbjörn Fälldin leading a colourful international cast. Produced by Skyverse Nordic with co-production by SVT and Disney+.

On TV4, also from Sweden and also premiering on December 25, one finds the crime mystery Cry Wolf (Vargasommar), after a novel by Hans Rosenfeldt, all taking place in the far Swedish north just by the Finnish border. Drugs, dead bodies, missing money, missing persons and a particularly cold-blooded assassin are all involved. Director Jesper Ganslandtcreates a Coenesque atmosphere with good help by actors Eva Melander, Henrik Dorsin, Eliot Sumner and many others. Production is by TV4 Drama and Nordic Drama Queens, co-produced by ZDF, Filmpool Nord and Fifth Season and supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond (NFTVF).

A second Swedish crime story airs on Sky Showtime on December 26, this time taking place in the southernmost part. End of Summer (Slutet på sommaren) deals with the unsolved disappearance of a little boy, whose sister decides to revisit the events twenty years later. Based on a novel by Anders de la Motte, directed by Jens Jonsson and Henrik Georgssonand starring Julia Ragnarsson. Produced by Harmonica Films, SF Studios and Film i Skåne.

From Iceland and premiering on RÚV January 1 is Vigdís, a biographical account on Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, whose Icelandic presidency between 1980 and 1996 would constitute the first female democratically elected head of state. The title role is played by Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir with main writing by Björg Magnúsdóttir and Ágústa Ólafsdóttir and directing by Björn Hlynur Haraldsson and Tinna Hrafnsdóttir. Production is by Vesturport.

The Icelandic RUV series is supported by NFTVF as is the Finnish one premiering on YLE on January 1: Queen Of Fucking Everything is written and directed by Tiina Lymi and stars Laura Malmivaara as a Helsinki socialite who wakes up one day with her husband gone and a debt amounting to several millions in his place. Ingenuity and necessity takes her into the criminal underworld, soon to be given the moniker of the story’s title. Production by Rabbit Films.

Also playing this season is the Norwegian Netflix series La Palma, which premiered December 12, and the NFTVF supported Danish Famlies Like Ours (Familier som vores), getting its Finnish premiere on MTV3 December 9 and opening in Norway January 1 on NRK, and the Swedish Ronja Rövardotter (Ronja the Robber's Daughter), previously premiering on Netflix, which will screen on SVT from December 24.