''Swedish Dicks'' is an American-Swedish comedy

web television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air ae ...

series created by

Peter Stormare Rolf Peter Ingvar Storm (born August 27, 1953), better known as Peter Stormare (), is a Swedish actor who holds both Swedish and American citizenship. He played Gaear Grimsrud in the film '' Fargo'' (1996) and John Abruzzi in the television ser ...

, Glenn Lund,

Peter Settman Peter Settman (born 24 February 1969) is a Swedish actor, comedian, television presenter, screenwriter, and television producer. Settman is known for his appearances on the comedy shows '' Byhåla'' (featuring the characters Ronny and Ragge), ' ...

, and

Andrew Lowery ''My Boyfriend's Back'' is a 1993 American zombie film directed by Bob Balaban which tells the story of Johnny Dingle ( Andrew Lowery), a teenage boy who returns from the dead as a zombie to meet Missy McCloud ( Traci Lind), the girl he's in love w ...

. The plot follows two unlicensed Swedish

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

s trying to make a living in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. It premiered on September 2, 2016, via Swedish online streaming service

Viaplay Viaplay is a streaming service owned by Viaplay Group which is based in Stockholm. History Originally owned by Modern Times Group, it was launched in May 2007 as Viasat On Demand. It was rebranded as Viaplay in 2011. Viaplay released its first ...

. In the United States, the series premiered on the

Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

television network on August 9, 2017, as well as being distributed worldwide by American company Lionsgate Television. In October 2016, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on December 25, 2017, in Northern Europe and premiered in 2018 in the United States.

Premise

A former

stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

, Ingmar Andersson (

), works as a

. His life crosses paths with struggling DJ Axel Kruse ( Johan Glans). After giving up his DJ career, he decides to join Ingmar and becomes a partner of his detective firm "Swedish Dick" (now "Swedish Dicks"). Together, they solve various cases, as well as compete with Ingmar's long-time rival and owner of the best investigating company in Los Angeles, Jane McKinney (

Traci Lords Traci Lords (born Nora Louise Kuzma; May 7, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She entered the adult film industry using a fake birth certificate to conceal that she was two years under the legal age of eighteen. Lords starred in adult f ...

). Axel is also trying to discover Ingmar's past and the circumstances of his retirement from stunt performing.

Production

came up with the concept for ''Swedish Dicks'' in 2014. He began writing the script for what was intended to become a one-hour drama. When he showed the script to

, he suggested that it would be better as a series. Stormare was inspired by his real-life friends, one ex-military and the other an ex-stuntman, who really did become private investigators.

Casting

The series was announced in November 2015 with

and Johan Glans confirmed for the cast. In March 2016, it was announced that

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...

and

had joined the show. Stormare confirmed he wrote the part of Jane McKinney with Lords in mind: "I had never met her, but whenever I saw her in a photo or anything, I just felt a connection to that face. And then she had written a book that is fantastic, about her survival, and how that girl survived is a miracle. So it was like a voice within me when I was writing, saying, 'You have to get Traci Lords, Traci Lords, Traci Lords.' Like she was channeling me." Lords described Jane as "the kind of a woman who likes to play with men and use her femininity. At the same time, she believes that she definitely has the biggest dick in the room."

Cast

as Ingmar Andersson * Johan Glans as Axel Kruse, Axel Magnus Enström *

Vivian Bang Vivian may refer to: *Vivian (name), a given name and also a surname Toponyms * Vivian, Louisiana, U.S. * Vivian, South Dakota, U.S. * Vivian, West Virginia, U.S. * Vivian Island, Nunavut, Canada * Ballantrae, Ontario, a hamlet in Stouffville, ...

as Sun * Felisha Cooper as Sarah Andersson *

as Tex Johnson *

as Jane McKinney *

Stephanie Koenig Stephanie Koenig is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her roles as Karen in '' The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo'', Eve in ''Swedish Dicks'', and Sabrina Oznowich in ''The Flight Attendant''. Koenig frequently collabo ...

as Eve

Episodes

Season 1 (2016)

Season 2 (2017)

Broadcast

The first two episodes of ''Swedish Dicks'' premiered on September 2, 2016, via Swedish online streaming service

. Later that month, it was announced that the series had been picked up by American network Lionsgate TV to be distributed worldwide, and premiered in the United States on the

television network on August 9, 2017. In October 2016, the series was renewed for a second season. It aired in December 2017 in Northern Europe and January 2018 in the United States.

Reception

''Swedish Dicks'' received mixed reviews from critics. Karolina Fjellborg of ''

Aftonbladet ''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. History and profile The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan H ...

'' wrote: "Initially, I felt a concern that this series would be more silly than funny, but soon I realized that it is actually both - and it works." Pål Nisja Wilhelmsen of SIDE3 found the first episode "shockingly weak" but pointed out that "the two leading roles have a good chemistry, and the script gives them room for friendly banter". He added that the series is "entertaining enough, but is probably no classic." Roger Wilson of

Sveriges Radio Sveriges Radio AB (, "Sweden's Radio") is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. Sveriges Radio is a public limited company, owned by an independent foundation, previously funded through a licensing fee, the level of which is d ...

wrote that ''Swedish Dicks'' is "one of those strange Swedish productions, where you think you do not need any act or joke if you just set it the United States and add guest appearances by Traci Lords and Keanu Reeves. It gets a little better when Traci Lords is in order, she can at least understand that she is part of a

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such ...

series." Steve Greene of ''

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

'' wrote: "Yet, “Swedish Dicks” still has one ray of hope in the form of Keanu Reeves. Though he only appears for the briefest of moments, his presence and giddy deliveries of southern twang pep talks are at that ideal intersection between heightened genre riffing and a dash of needed pathos. As the spectral memory of Ingmar's deceased stuntman partner Tex, Reeves is the kind of anchoring force that the rest of the scenes without him are in search of."

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 5324116 2016 American television series debuts 2018 American television series endings 2010s American comedy television series 2010s American crime television series Swedish comedy television series Swedish crime television series Television series by Lionsgate Television Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television shows set in Los Angeles