In a world whipped into a maelstrom of division, with social and political turmoil, and climate crisis, television has provided – if not a panacea – a means of escapism. In this age of upheaval, with the hands of the doomsday clock edging unfathomably close to midnight, one would be forgiven for presuming that levity is what most TV viewers want from their screen time.
Yet, it seems, audiences’ hunger for depictions of darkness on screen has never been greater, nor more insatiable. Nordic noir is the prime example of this. Having first made its way on to British screens through dramas such as The Killing, this previously niche genre has become a global phenomenon, breaking viewing records and exceeding expectations in its popularity: when The Killing debuted its second season in 2011, more than 800,000 viewers tuned in.
