The year 2017 closes with the premieres of twelve new and returning Euro TV programs. There’s a baker’s dozen of shows when you add the one that’s available for streaming again.
To see the complete list of Euro TV shows available in the US and UK, including ongoing updates of titles released throughout each month on streaming platforms and digital channels, see the Euro TV Shows by Language section.
All programs listed below are shown in their original language with English subtitles.
NATIONAL PREMIERES
Below the Surface (Gidseltagningen) (Denmark)
One of the most horrific scenarios of contemporary life — an act of terrorism in the heart of a big city — gets played out in this tense Danish crime thriller. Armed, masked men hijack a subway train in Copenhagen on an October morning, taking fifteen people hostage and threatening to kill them one by one if their ransom demands aren’t met. The Swedish government refuses and a terror task force, led by Philip Nørgaard (Johannes Lassen, Follow the Money) and Louise Falck (Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Rita), is sent in to rescue the hostages.
Reporter Naja Toft (Paprika Steen, The Inspector and the Sea) becomes a go-between with the hostages and the police, while the captors bait the press with information about the past of each hostage. As a media frenzy ensues during the tense eight-day standoff, the country finds itself divided on whether or not to negotiate with terrorists, and those trapped underground lose all hope for their survival.
The eight-part drama features Jakob Oftebro (Young & Promising), Tommy Kenter (The Protectors), Alba August (Jordskott), Alexandre Willaume (Rita), Peder Thomas Pedersen (The Eagle), Esben Dalgaard Andersen (1864), and Dar Salim (Dicte).
Below the Surface is premieres in the US on Friday, December 1st, exclusively on Hulu.
Dark (Germany)
Set in a German town in the present day, Dark is a family saga that revolves around the disappearance of two young children — a deeply-troubling event that exposes the double lives and fractured relationships amongst four families. Then the story takes on a supernatural twist that ties back to the same town in 1986.
The ten hour-long episodes feature Oliver Masucci (4 Blocks), Karoline Eichhorn (Tatort: Cologne), Jördis Triebel (Blochin: The Living and the Dead), Louis Hofmann (You Are Wanted), Maja Schöne (Tatort), and Stephan Kampwirth (Berlin Station).
Dark, the first German Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Friday, December 1st, exclusively on Netflix.
Midnight Sun (Midnattssol | Jour Polaire) (Sweden, France)
Set during the height of the Arctic summer in Lapland, the land of the indigenous Sami people, a French citizen is brutally murdered in the northern Swedish city of Kiruna. French authorities dispatch Captain Kahina Zadi (Leila Bekhti, A Prophet) to the crime scene to conduct the investigation alongside local prosecutor Anders Harnesk (Gustaf Hammarsten, Miss Friman’s War), who is a member of the Sami.
Kahina soon discovers that the murder is not an isolated incident. There are more killings in and around the small mining community of Kiruna, and while the victims are seemingly unconnected to each other, all are murdered in a well-planned and vicious manner.
The eight-part series features Richard Ulfsäter (Fjällbacka Murders), Jakob Hultcrantz Hansson (Rebecka Martinsson), Jessica Grabowsky (Thicker Than Water), and Peter Stormare (Black Widows).
Midnight Sun — the winner of the Audience Award for Best Series at the first-ever international series competition at Séries Mania in 2016 and the first-ever French-Swedish co-production — premieres in the US on Friday, December 1st, exclusively on Hulu.
Wasteland (Pustina) (Czech Republic)
This psychological crime drama-mystery miniseries stars Zuzana Stivínová (Genius) as Hana Sikorová, the mayor of a small, remote, decrepit Czech mining village in northern Bohemia. The denizens have been living here in harmony for generations, that is until a foreign mining company begins pitting neighbor against neighbor to buy and raze their houses for a coal mine that Hana is opposed to.
When Hana’s fourteen-year-old daughter goes missing, she begins doubting and suspecting everyone around her. And as the once-peaceful community starts falling apart, the residents begin showing their true colors.
The eight-part drama features Jaroslav Dusek (The Four Agreements), Eliska Krenková (Borgia), Jan Cina (The Good Neighborhood), Eva Holubová (Village Green), Petra Spalková (The Land Gone Wild), and Martin Kubacák (The First Republic).
Wasteland premieres in the US on Friday, December 1st, on HBO GO, HBO Now, and HBO on Demand. Subscribers can binge-watch the entire series on Saturday, December 2nd, starting at 1 PM ET/PT, on HBO Signature.
Transatlantic Ties (Boris Giuliano: Un poliziotto a Palermo) (Italy)
This miniseries chronicles the true story of Boris Giuliano (Adriano Giannini, In Treatment, Missing), a policeman in Palermo who revolutionized investigative procedures against the Mafia in the 1970s. Covering the period between 1963 and 1979, it opens with a car bombing and closes with Giuliano’s murder.
While working in Palermo on the Mobile Squad, several bosses in La Cosa Nostra get acquitted, leading Giuliano to form the “Squadra dei Giusti” (“Team of the Righteous”), a collaboration that would fundamentally change how criminal investigations are carried out.
The two-part drama features Antonio Gerardi (1992), Nicole Grimaudo (Inspector Coliandro), Ettore Bassi (Il commissario Rex), Vito Facciolla (1993), Nicola Rignanese (The Young Montalbano), Vincenzo Ferrera (Don Matteo), Sebastiano Lo Monaco (The Octopus), Francesco Montanari (Romanzo Criminale), and Manlio Dovì (Inspector Nardone).
Transatlantic Ties premieres in the US on Tuesday, December 12th, exclusively on MHz Choice and the MHz Choice Channel on Amazon.
13 Commandments (13 Geboden) (Belgium)
Reminiscent of the film Se7en and the Brit TV series Messiah, this Flemish-language crime drama-mystery series follows jaded cop Peter Devriendt (Dirk van Dijck, Salamander) and his young and ambitious new partner Vicky Degraeve (Marie Vinck, De Rodenburgs) in their hunt for a serial criminal-killer.
But rather than committing crimes based on the deadly sins or the Apostles, the self-proclaimed, modern-day Moses, takes his cues from the Commandments — ruthlessly punishing individuals across the East Flanders city of Aalst in order to restore long-gone moral standards in Belgian society. Making matters more difficult for the police are the public’s growing opinion of Moses and his increasing popularity.
The 13-part series features Karlijn Sileghem (Tom & Harry), Bert Haelvoet (New Texas), Tom Ternest (Slot Marsepeinstein), Koen Van Impe (Salamander), and Ella Leyers (Professor T.).
13 Commandments premieres in the US on Wednesday, December 13th, exclusively on Walter Presents and the Walter Presents Channel on Amazon.
The Accident (L’Accident) (France)
Set in the small (fictional) seaside town of Sainte-Lune in Brittany, this mystery series opens with the death of Rebecca Cauvy (Emma Colberti, Nestor Burma), wife of local businessman Gabriel Cauvy (Bruno Solo, Blood on the Docks). She had been drunk and nearly passed out in her car, which was facing the wrong way on an exit ramp. The fatal crash was inevitable.
The thing is, Rebecca wasn’t much of a drinker. As Gabriel tries to fathom what happened and protect his teen-aged daughter Luna (Rose Montron, Marie Curie: The Courage of Knowledge) while racked with grief, he also wants answers but gets none from the police, who classify the incident as a tragic accident. So he launches his own inquiry and is aided by Solène (Charlotte Talpaert, Baron Noir), a young gendarmerie officer. Before he finally learns the truth, more people die and secrets come to light.
The six-part crime drama features Marc Citti (Braquo), Gabrielle Atger (Les petits meurtres d’Agatha Christie), Charlotte Des Georges (No Second Chance), Romane Portail (Magellan), Frédéric Andrau (French Blood), and Erick Deshors (Blood of the Vine).
The Accident premieres in the US on Monday, December 18th, exclusively on Acorn TV and the Acorn TV Channel on Amazon.
Inspector Coliandro: Season 2 (L’ispettore Coliandro) (Italy)
Written by Carlo Lucarelli (Detective De Luca), based on the protagonist in his “Coliandro” novels, short stories, and comics, this comedic crime drama series returns for another season with Giampaolo Morelli (Song of Napoli) in the eponymous role.
In the new episodes, the handsome but not-so-swift Coliandro investigates a series of murders after he thinks he’s next on the hit list; tries to piece together the story of how Coliandro’s close friend Gargiulo (Giuseppe Soleri, Inspector Nardone) ended up at the inspector’s place, drunk with a bloody knife in his hand and a vague story about a young girl’s murder; partners up with the daughter of a former professor to find the killer of the woman’s husband; and finds himself entangled with members of the US Secret Service and Israel’s Mossad after a young Muslim woman reports the disappearance of her father.
Reprising their roles in Season 2 are Veronica Logan (Nero Wolfe) as Prosecutor Longhi, Alessandro Rossi (Suburra: The Series) as Police Commissioner De Zan, and Paolo Sassanelli (The Teacher) as Inspector Gamberini. Guest stars include Chiara Gensini (Il commissario Rex), Nino Frassica (Don Matteo), Nathalie Rapti Gomez (Recipe for Crime), and Desirèe Noferini (Detective Montalbano).
Inspector Coliandro: Season 2 premieres in the US on Tuesday, December 19th, exclusively on MHz Choice and the MHz Choice Channel on Amazon.
La Casa de Papel: Season 1 (aka Money Heist) (Spain)
With a nod to Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and films like Oceans 11, this crime thriller series centers on the biggest heist in history: one in which the mastermind, a mysterious character known as “The Professor” (Álvaro Morte, El secreto de Puente Viejo), intends to take the Royal Mint of Spain for 2.4 billion euros. Not by stealing the cash but by printing that amount in unregistered bills.
The Professor recruits eight people to do the work. Each has a specific skill for the job and all have nothing to lose. Instead of being called Mr. Brown, Mr. White, Mr. Orange, etc., his partners in crime are Berlin (Pedro Alonso, Grand Hotel), Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó, Isabel), Moscow (Paco Tous, Apaches), Río (Miguel Herrán, The Invisible Guardian), Nairobi (Alba Flores, Locked Up), Denver (Jaime Lorente, El secreto de Puente Viejo), Helsinki (Darko Peric, Crematorium), and Oslo (newcomer Roberto García Ruiz).
Planning takes five months to account for all possibilities and the tiniest of details, and implementing the plan requires the group to lock themselves inside the National Currency and Stamp Factory building for eleven days. With hostages on the inside and police on the outside.
The series is created and written by Álex Pina, and executive produced by Pina alongside series director Jesús Comenar — the team behind the hit drama series Locked Up and The Boat. Also featuring in La Casa de Papel are Itziar Ituño (Lifeline), Enrique Arce (Knightfall), Kiti Mánver (Velvet), Mario de la Rosa (Love in Difficult Times), and Fernando Soto (Sin tetas no hay paraíso).
La Casa de Papel: Season 1, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Wednesday, December 20th, exclusively on Netflix.
Cable Girls: Season 2 (Las chicas del cable) (Spain)
With its telenovela-like storylines, this winner of the 2017 Ondas Award for National Television: Best Fictional Web Series of Online Show returns with more intrigue as las chicas del cable — Lidia (Blanca Suárez, The Boat), Carlota (Ana Fernández, The Protected), Ángeles (Maggie Civantos, Locked Up), and Marga (Nadia de Santiago, Love in Difficult Times) — face the unresolved challenges from Season 1.
They are also forced to keep a secret that will test their friendship. Given that there is a menace lurking about them, the old saying of “if it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger” seems appropriate to them individually and collectively as friends in 1920s Madrid.
Joining the Season 2 cast are Argentine actors Ernesto Alterio (Web Therapy) and Andrea Carballo (7th Floor), as well as Spaniard Antonio Velázquez (Traición).
With Season 3 in the works for a 2018 launch, Cable Girls: Season 2, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Monday, December 25th, exclusively on Netflix.
Professor T.: Season 2 (Belgium)
Koen De Bouw (The Team, Cordon) returns as Jasper Teerlinck, the criminology professor and police consultant who’s like Sherlock Holmes, Gregory House, and Adrian Monk all rolled into one. (The Ally McBeal-like flights of fancy are back, too.)
The new season opens six months after the events in the Season 1 finale and finds Professor T. discharging himself from the psychiatric hospital, a rash of dead bodies turning up across Antwerp, and a parrot-like prof reading to, I mean leading, Jasper’s class.
The effects of Professor T.’s time in hospital are noticeable to those who know him, even if Dr. Gijselbrecht (new cast regular Barbara Sarafian, Hotel Beau Séjour), his psychiatrist, thinks he made no progress. At least he’s taking steps to include himself in the “we” of society, like attempting pleasantries in conversation, removing his glove to shake hands, and taking public transport. Meanwhile (in Episode 2), the police are trying to find the arsonist — nay, pyromaniac — who set a student housing building alight.
Here’s the trailer for Season 1:
Also returning for the new season are Ella Leyers (13 Commandments) as Inspector Annelies Donckers, a former student of Professor T.; Bart Hollanders (Salamander) as Inspector Daan de Winter, Annelies’ partner and beau; Herwig Ilegems (Los Flamencos) as Chief Inspector Paul Rabet; Tanja Oostvogels (Cordon) as Jasper’s ex, Police Commissioner Christina Flamant; Carry Goossens (Code 37) as university provost Walter De Paepe; and Goele Derick (Thuis) as Ingrid Sneyers, the faculty secretary.
Professor T.: Season 2 premieres in the US on Thursday, December 28th, exclusively on Walter Presents and the Walter Presents Channel on Amazon.
La Mante: Season 1 (The Mantis) (France)
This crime thriller series stars Carole Bouquet (Spin, Rosemary’s Baby) as Jeanne Deber, a famous serial killer nicknamed “the Mantis,” who terrorized France more than 25 years ago. In the present day, she is in prison, in solitary confinement, while the police in Paris are on the hunt for the copycat killer who is murdering people à la Deber.
To try to get inside the mind of the killer in the hopes of catching him/her, Commissioner Ferracci (Pascal Demolon, Braquo), who arrested Deber, asks for her help. She agrees, but on one condition: She will only deal with Damien Carrot (Fred Testot, Sam), her estranged son, who became un flic to atone for his mother’s crimes and hasn’t had any contact with her since her arrest.
Jacques Weber (The Passenger), Manon Azem (Research Unit), Frédérique Bel (Agatha Christie’s Family Murder Party), Élodie Navarre (The Bureau), Robinson Stévenin (The Frozen Dead), and Serge Riaboukine (Pauline’s Law) feature in the six-part thriller.
La Mante: Season 1, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Friday, December 29th, exclusively on Netflix.
ADDED TO PROGRAMMING SCHEDULES
The Pact: Seasons 1 & 2 (Pakt) (Poland)
This crime thriller series is the Polish version of the hit Norwegian series Mammon (whose second season just won the International Emmy® Award for Best Drama of 2017). The Pact had been streaming on the ad-supported Tubi TV until a few months ago, and its return to US telly will be on HBO’s streaming platforms.
The story centers on Piotr Grodecki (Marcin Dorocinski, Spies of Warsaw), a journalist who exposes fraud in the multinational company where his brother works and gets himself enmeshed in a scandal involving politics and big business.
Featuring Adam Woronowicz (Walesa: Man of Hope), Witold Debicki (Blondynka), Sebastian Fabijanski (Strazacy), Mariusz Bonaszewski (M jak milosc), and Janusz Chabior (Struggle for Life), The Pact: Seasons 1 & 2 debuts Friday, December 1st, on HBO GO, HBO Now, and HBO on Demand.
Collage images courtesy of Acorn TV (The Accident), MHz Choice (Inspector Coliandro, Transatlantic Ties), Netflix (Cable Girls, La Casa de Papel, La Mante), and Walter Presents (13 Commandments, Professor T.)
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