''Young Wallander'' is a crime
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
television series, based on
Henning Mankell
Henning Georg Mankell (; 3 February 1948 – 5 October 2015) was a Swedish crime writer, children's author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He also wrote a ...
's fictional Inspector
Kurt Wallander
Kurt Wallander () is a fictional Swedish police inspector created by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell (1948 – 2015). He is the protagonist of many thriller/mystery novels set in and around the town of Ystad, south-east of the city of Mal ...
. The series premiered on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
on 3 September 2020. Star
Adam Pålsson explained that the pre-imagining (i.e., ''Young Wallander'' being set in the present day) made more sense than a straight prequel, as it allowed for the social commentary which is a strong element of Mankell's original ''
Wallander Wallander may refer to:
TV, film, books
* Kurt Wallander, a fictional Swedish police inspector in novels by Henning Mankell
:*Wallander (film series), ''Wallander'' (film series), Swedish-language television films of the Wallander stories starring ...
''.
This choice of setting the series in the modern day has been criticised in a number of reviews.
In November 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which was premiered on Netflix on 17 February 2022, subtitled as ''Killer's Shadow''.
There are no plans for a season 3.
Premise
Cast and characters
*
Adam Pålsson as
Kurt Wallander
Kurt Wallander () is a fictional Swedish police inspector created by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell (1948 – 2015). He is the protagonist of many thriller/mystery novels set in and around the town of Ystad, south-east of the city of Mal ...
*
Richard Dillane as Superintendent Josef Hemberg (season 1)
*
Leanne Best as Frida Rask
*
Ellise Chappell as Mona
*Yasen Atour as Reza Al-Rahman
*
Charles Mnene as Bashir "Bash"
*
Jacob Collins-Levy as Karl-Axel Munck (season 1)
* Alan Emrys as Gustav Munck (season 1)
*
Jack Bandeira as Markus
*Kiza Deen as Mariam
* Jordan Adene as Ibra (season 1)
* Josef Davies as Sören
* Tomiwa Edun as Superintendent Samuel Osei (season 2)
*
Lisa Hammond as Roberta Modin (season 2)
* Lewis Mackinnon as Elias Fager (season 2)
*
Kim Adis as Katja Nilssen (season 2)
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2020)
Season 2 (2022)
Production
On 11 September 2019, it was announced that filming had begun. Although set in
Malmö
Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
, Sweden, it was shot in and around
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
, Lithuania.
Critical response
On the
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, 64% of 14 critics' reviews for the first season are positive, with an average rating of 4.90/10. The website's consensus reads, "Bearing little resemblance to the beloved procedural it presumes to reboot, ''Young Wallander'' is dispiritingly unenlightening as a prequel and merely functional as a drama in its own right."
Reviewed by Ellen E. Jones in ''The Guardian'' who gave the series 3 out of 5 stars. "Netflix's prequel to the Wallander novels and TV series takes place in the present day, weaving in contemporary politics – but would a straight origin story have been better?" Jones felt a more traditional prequel set in the 1970s may have been more interesting: "Just imagine if the show had researched and recreated 70s Malmö, where the Henriksson-timeline Wallander would have been a rookie? Imagine exploring how that very specific time and place – the era of plane hijacking, radical politics and Abba's Eurovision win – shaped Wallander's character? Now ''that'' would have been a case worth digging into."
Reviewed in ''The Telegraph'' by Chris Bennion, the series was given 1 star out of 5. "Here we have it, ladies and gentlemen – surely the worst TV drama of the streaming era. Or, to put it another way, if you loved Wallander, you'll hate Young Wallander."
Reviewed by Beth Webb for ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'', given 3 out of 5 stars. Webb states "Despite its strong aesthetic, the show's target audience seems unclear. ''Wallander'' has built a sizeable following over its extended lifespan, and older fans may struggle to connect with this modern version. But the story doesn't feel suitable for a younger audience either. As a short, suspense-laden crime drama, this is a justifiable watch, especially with its low-episode count. For those seeking another dose of their favourite seasoned Swedish inspector, however, you're better off revisiting the original."
References
External links
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{{Kurt Wallander
2020 Swedish television series debuts
Swedish crime television series
Swedish drama television series
Detective television series
Swedish English-language television shows
Netflix television dramas
Skåne County in fiction
Television series by Banijay
Television shows based on Swedish novels
Television shows set in Sweden
Wallander