Netflixcharts are sort of known for being dominated by hit sitcoms of the past or present, buta new crime thriller is breaking through the string of American comedies and dramas in the top 10 series this week. The Swedish murder-mystery, four-part series,The Breakthrough,based on theonly criminal case in Europe to be solved with genetic genealogy, is #6 on Netflix’s Top 10 Series.
The limited series is based upon the 2021 novelThe Breakthrough: How the genealogist solved the double murder in Linköping(Genombrottet: Så löste släktforskaren dubbelmordet i Linköping), written by journalist Anna Bodin and genealogist Peter Sjölund. The show is giving American-produced true-crime series a run for their money.
The show is a far cry fromthe numerous shows on Netflix that are over five seasons long, with nearly countless episodes to fill viewers' time. So, it’s no surprise that the four episodes of the Swedish true crime noir broke through, pun intended,the ranks to be a part of this week’s top 10 series, alongsideSquid Game 2andAmerican Primeval.
“We’re excited that FLX and Netflix will tell this story, based on our extensive work. This is the first criminal case in Europe that has been solved with genetic genealogy, and it is a case that has touched both of us, the city of Linköping and Sweden deeply." - Bodin and Sjölund viaNetflix
Audiences flocked to the series starring Peter Eggers as the police officer investigating the case, and Mattias Nordkvist as the genealogist, who, for those who don’t know, is a professional who studies family ancestry and history, and eventually cracked it wide open. Produced by FLX and directed by Lisa Siwe with a script by Oskar Söderlund, the crime series focuses on adouble murder in Linköping, Sweden, that occurred in 2004 and its final closing after 16 years due to a genealogist’s breakthrough.
Is ‘The Breakthrough’ Real or Fiction?
WhileThe Breakthroughis a fictional series,it covers the very real and revolutionary criminal case that changed European criminal investigation forever. It follows the unlikely partnership between a police officer and a genealogist; the series also explores theeffects of an unsolved crime on a society and the people also affected. Director Siwe spoke with Netflix about the reality of the series:
“Though this is a fictional drama series about a crime, it is above alla depiction of a human tragedy, where we place our focus on the victims and the investigation rather than the perpetrator.It’s a story about the compassion and care for one another that is needed to move on when terrible things happen.”
Best Swedish Horror Movies to Watch Next
Sweden’s best horror movies range from pioneering masterpieces from the silent era to contemporary vampire stories such as Let the Right One In.
While this Swedish noir is sweeping the charts,another Swedish noir film project, based off of the award-winning and best-selling video gameAlan Wake,is in development to strengthen the Swedish crime thriller genre. As the Swedes continue to kill it in the noir crime category, the rest of the world can only hope to catch up.
