But with such strong competition, Denmark’s bleaker counterpart to The West Wing unfortunately sits at a (still respectable!) number four position. It seems wrong having such a successful and well-loved show so low on this list. Definitely worth watching, if only to see how it all began. It ran for an impressive four years, won several awards (including an Emmy) and even had a young Mads Mikkelsen playing a psychotic cop. Yet I suspect that, without Unit One, Danish television would never have developed in such a satisfactory way. The character of Ingrid Dahl, recently promoted to homicide chief, is similar to Prime Suspect’s Jane Tennison (and many of the other female protagonists on this list) in her battle against institutionalised sexism, although arguably she lacks the balls that make her other counterparts so memorable.
![the killing danish or american the killing danish or american](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/scaled/2011/09/11/article-2036234-0DBC6FB900000578-809_308x185.jpg)
While in many ways it could be seen as a prototype of superior shows to come, Unit One was nevertheless an engaging police procedural drama, which distinguished itself with its willingness to tackle difficult social issues such as sexism and corruption.
#The killing danish or american tv
However, towards the end of the 1990s Danish TV enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, and Unit One – along with other shows such as TAXA and eventually The Eagle – was a product of this. Each new show suffered from a ‘Matador complex’, where critics would unfavourably compare the new show to its much-loved precursor.
#The killing danish or american series
Unit One (Rejseholdet)įollowing the very successful series Matador, which followed the lives of characters in a Danish town before and after German occupation in World War II (airing between 19), the creative minds behind Danish television had a difficult time distinguishing themselves from its legacy. People who live in Britain will likely be familiar with the majority of this list, but thus far US cable companies have been reluctant to show most foreign television, likely assuming audiences can’t be bothered to read subtitles. Anyway, without further ado… 5. That’s not to say that their television has ever been particularly bad, per say, but recently these countries – particularly Denmark – have offered some of the most original, challenging and engaging shows around (typically dark, atmospheric police procedurals).
![the killing danish or american the killing danish or american](http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0003/458/MI0003458367.jpg)
Over the past five years, Scandinavia has entered a golden age (of sorts) in television.