FALLEN – TV series review

Regular readers will recognize the name Sofia Helin from previous Scandinavian crime series reviews, including the highly praised original incarnation of “The Bridge.” The ultra busy actress stars in “Fallen” (originally “Sanningen”) as yet another police detective, Iris, in a solid six-episode season procedural. In this vehicle, she’s carrying more emotional baggage than usual.

She arrives in Malmo to head up their cold-case unit, reeling from the unsolved murder of her boyfriend in Stockholm. She’s immediately greeted with the unearthing of an old corpse that might have been a teenager who’d disappeared 18 years earlier. That triggers reopening the previous investigation, which proceeds while awaiting forensic confirmation of the remains. Is it Benjamin, or someone else? Several old wounds are opened and potential suspects identified. Meanwhile, Iris tries to help with finding who murdered her beloved Christian, despite department rules that prohibit her involvement. That loss was behind her transferring to another city.

Many parties with assorted issues and conflicts get their own arcs in a script that merges a lot of important moving pieces. This one’s a serious character drama with more interpersonal elements in relation to the sleuthing than is usually the case for such programs. Iris is plagued throughout by flashbacks, visions and nightmares surrounding her old relationship and his shooting that she witnessed. Very little sex or violence; no nudity. More plot twists than trysts. Helin plays the most emotionally beleaguered protagonist among any of her prior roles I’ve seen. And she does it with her usual stellar level of performance. The woman generates empathy in whichever hat she decides to don.

The acting is fine all around, but the real stars may be the trio of credited writers. Most of these series’ seasons run for eight episodes, usually seeming longer than needed for the material. These folks tightened it to six 40-minute segments, while still packing in a hefty dose of meaningful characters and subplots that all fit well together. This could have easily devolved into soap opera territory, but thankfully stays understated enough to avoid that trap. The location scouts also deserve a nod for the sites in and around Stockholm and Malmo they found for the shoot.

The season ends with closure of most major and minor plot points, but leaves a few loose ends for a second season, if there’s to be one. No need to fear the curse of a big cliffhanger and non-renewal. And that’s a good thing.

“Fallen,” mostly in Swedish with English subtitles, debuts streaming Tuesday, Dec. 10, on MHz Choice.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars