When the Danish crime series, The Killing, debuted in 2007 it was such a huge hit that the tv rights were sold in over 120 countries. The US even made their own version.
Hot on its heels came the Swedish/Norwegian collaboration, The Bridge which was equally as well received.
Suddenly Nordic Noir crime dramas were very hot property and anything that even came close to their style and substance became an instant hit.
One such show is Bordertown, the Finnish crime series that follows Detective Inspector Kari Sorjonen as he and his team solve some pretty dark crimes in a small coastal town that borders Russia.
The show has been a huge success on Netflix with three seasons available.
While Nordic Noir tends to imply Scandanavian origin, there have been plenty of similar European style shows like Bordertown, some of which we have included on our list.
So if you're looking for more shows like Bordertown, I have put together a list of nine fantastic series that you can easily binge on.
The shows listed below perfectly capture the essence of dark, gritty crime drama. There are no perky detectives with perfect hair and manicures here! Oh no.
Instead, we have some stellar characters that draw you into their murky world of murder and mystery as they unweave a web of grim deceit and it is great!
Let me know in the comments if you have any recommendations that I've missed. I wish I could recommend just one top show but I loved them all so any choice you make is a good one.
OUR LIST OF SHOWS LIKE BORDERTOWN
Deadwind
Deadwind is a top pick for fans of Nordic Noir crime drama and those that love The Killing, Black Spot, Bordertown and The Bridge.
Cardinal
Cardinal is a dark Canadian crime drama that follows two detectives as they hunt down a serial killer in a small isolated town. Very Nordic Noir in style and keeps you hooked throughout.
The Valhalla Murders
The Valhalla Murders follows Icelandic homicide detectives Kata and Arnar who are tasked with finding a serial killer who appears to be going after those who worked in an abusive boys home 30 years earlier. Gritty Nordic Noir crime drama.
Black Spot
If you're a fan of shows like The Bridge, Trapped or The Killing, then French offering, Black Spot, is definitely one for you. Laurène Weiss is the Captain of a small police force in Villefranche, a mountainous town surrounded by a dense forest and o...[Read More]
Bitter Daisies
The Spanish crime thriller series Bitter Daisies is a superbly balanced and tight scripted whodunit. Perfectly paced and well acted, this is a gem of a show and well worth watching.
Ultraviolet
When Ola witnesses an accident on an overpass she believes that the victim was murdered. The police disagree. So Ola, with the help of Ultraviolet, a group of online investigators, takes on the case in this great Polish crime drama series.
The Chestnut Man
Detective Naia Thulin and her new partner Mark Hess must solve the case of The Chestnut Man, a serial killer who leaves a very particular calling card in this dark Danish whodunnit from crime writer Søren Sveistrup.
The Gloaming
The Gloaming follows detectives Molly McGee and Alex O'Connell, who team up to solve the murder of an unidentified woman. Then they realise it ties win with a cold case from twenty years earlier.
Entrapped
Detective Andri Ólafsson is back in Entrapped, the third season of Trapped, the hit Icelandic crime drama. This time a biker gang's land dispute ends with the murder of a cult member. But who did and why?
Where Is Bordertown Filmed?
Bordertown (Finnish: Sorjonen) is a crime drama and Nordic noir television series created by Miikko Oikkonen.
Based in Finland, is is filmed in Lappeenranta and Helsinki.
Lappeenranta, where the show is set, is a real city in the region of South Karelia, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Russian border.
So it literally is a border town with Russia and has a population of approx 70,000 people.
How Many Seasons Of Bordertown?
In total there are THREE seasons of Bordertown. The first aired in 2016 with 11 episodes.
It was then renewed and season 2 dropped in 2018 with 10 episodes.
The third season, also with 10 episodes, started airing in December 2019.
With some storylines unresolved and a fourth season unlikely, creators then decided to make a one off feature film, Bordertown: The Mural Murders which is available on Netflix.
Why Was Bordertown Cancelled?
It's very tempting to keep producing a show that is hugely popular. Typically, at least in the US, shows keep going well passed their sell-by-date, until the ratings drop low enough for a network to cancel them.
That doesn't tend to happen in other countries. Creators have a story to tell and once it's done, it's done.
So Bordertown wasn't actually cancelled. The story of Detective Inspector Kari Sorjonen had come full circle.
A conclusion was reached, the characters all had their storylines wrapped up in The Mural Murders and so there was nothing left to write about.
