Best Finnish drama series

The First Days (2023)

A unique drama anthology series for our time, inspired by true events which happened in Kyiv in the first few weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As the brutal war got underway, every second person left Kyiv. Yet every second person remained. These are their stories – variously moving, funny, sad, stark, unsettling, and uplifting.

Shadow Lines (2019)

During the 1950s, Helsinki was the focal point of the Cold War, as global powers and their intelligence agencies coalesced in the small neutral country that stood between the East and the West. Shadow Lines is an international spy thriller that follows a secret intelligence team whose mission is to defend the independence of Finland no matter the cost.

Peacemaker (2020)

Finnish peace negotiator Ann-Mari Sundell has recently retired from her post as a crisis response adviser in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Suddenly, she is invited by the UN mandate to lead an international conflict resolution process in Turkey. As the peace talks proceed, Ann-Mari has to reconcile with her past before her personal life comes in the way of the whole peace process.

Salatut Elämät (1999)

Salatut elämät (Secret Lives) is a Finnish television soap opera that premiered on MTV3 on 25 January 1999. The series' storylines follow the daily lives of several families who live in the same apartment block in Helsinki.

White Wall (2020)

Three workers die in a mysterious explosion accident deep down in a mine shaft. The incident is obscured, but rumors begin to spread about a find that no one can explain.

Nymphs (2014)

They live among us, forever young and deadly seductive. And unlike vamps, it's not blood they crave from their male, as 17-year-old Didi Tiensuu discovers when she beds her boyfriend for the first time and promptly kills him. The sultry nymphs Kati and Nadia take Didi under their wings in her new life as a divine being and sexual predator.

The Age of Iron (1982)

Rauta-aika (The Age of Iron) is a dramatic four-part miniseries completed in 1982 by Finnish broadcast network Yle TV2. The production attempts to adapt the national epic of Finland, the Kalevala, for the television audience by way of humanizing the mythological characters whose thoughts and actions drive the narrative. The protagonists of Rauta-aika, Väinö, Ilmari and Lemminki, have been inspired by the tales in the Kalevala and go in search of a woman, eventually finding themselves at war with the Nordic people, and in the end pay dearly for their pursuits.

The Hobbits (1993)

Hobitit is a Finnish live action fantasy television miniseries originally broadcast in 1993 on Yle TV1. Produced by Olof Qvickström, it is based on the events of the books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Man in Room 301 (2019)

Summer 2007, Finland. While the Kurtti are spending their annual holidays in their cabins in the land of a thousand lakes, the family is struck by a tragedy: Tommi, 2 years old, is killed by a gunshot. Elias, a 12-year-old neighbour, is blamed for the death of the child. 12 years later, the family receives a threatening anonymous letter and the secrets start to unravel, and show how far each of them are willing to go for their loved ones.

Munkkivuori (2022)

In early 1980s a young child disappears. The lack of police support pushes the concerned parents to take justice into their own hands and launch a desperate manhunt that is seen from the perspective of the local children.

Bad Apples (2021)

Student activist Onerva is committed to an experimental psychiatric program for women at a 1970s sanatorium.

Hotel Swan Helsinki (2020)

A hotel manager of the brand-new Hotel Helsinki, is found dead one day before the opening festivities, leaving behind him a suicide note.

Next of Kin (2022)

Liv, a young woman from Helsinki, suffers from chronic pain for which she has not received a medical explanation. When Liv's DNA sample is stolen from a biobank, she encounters Markus Volf, an information security agent who is investigating the burglary of the biobank for personal reasons. It turns out that Liv’s genetic heritage may have an answer to the future of all of humanity. Liv's inheritance is also of interest to the power-hungry siblings Yoana and Sasha Leon, who lead the largest Nordic life science company Rise. A chase begins where it is difficult to know who to trust.

Lovi (2021)

The Night Servants (2019)

19-year old Luukas starts working in his family owned funeral home. They pick up corpses at night from deceased's homes. During one of these gigs Luukas discovers a new talent within him, that opens up a whole new world.

Rose's Time (1990)

Icebreaker (2025)

Estonia (2023)

Estonia tells the story of the tragic accident of the car-ferry MS Estonia, which deeply shocked the world in the autumn of 1994. Through the moving personal stories of victims, survivors, loved ones and investigators, the eight-part series explores how it is possible that 852 people lost their lives and no one is held accountable.

Nurses (2014)

Like good soldiers in a war-zone, hospital staff are expected to respect the chain of command when dealing with life and death situations. But what happens when smug doctors, arrogant surgeons, and out-of-touch administrators make that easier said than done? Nurses deals with the professional and personal lives of four female colleagues who cope in different ways with the challenges of life on the trauma ward. With determination, strength, and a dark sense of humor, they achieve the demanding and inspiring task of saving lives in a system that sometimes seems designed to do the opposite.

Metsolat (1993)

Metsolat is Finnish YLE TV 2's 41 -part serial drama of an ordinary Finnish family from 1987 to Christmas 1996. The main venue is at their farm, somewhere in Kainuu, imaginary countryside town called Hoikka.

Seconds (2024)

A huge train accident in an idyllic small town shocks the whole of Finland, and accident investigator Marita Kaila is faced with the most difficult case of her career. Under increasing pressure, Marita and her team try to find out what led to the death of dozens of people. But there is also a tragedy in Marita's own past, which the demanding investigation brings to the fore. Will he solve the case before the pressure becomes too much?

Roba (2012)

A new captain comes to take over the police station. Old behaviors and installed management will be questioned and put into debate. Police drama that tells the life of the policemen of the station of Roba, in the south of Helsinki. Winner of the Venla award for the best drama series in 2013.

Eroja ja sovintoja (2023)

Black Widows (2014)

Black Widows is a series about 3 ordinary women, friendship and an impossible secret.

The Laws of Man (2020)

Matti is on a career path in the traditional and large Benson law firm, where his wife Eeva Benson is also a partner. Matti is nominated to take over the management of the family business and everything has been set for the Crown Prince to rise to power when a tragedy in the family pushes Matti to make a radical decision and move to a smaller law firm. He takes only one case with him and it soon starts to unfold into a criminal case, that threatens not only the Benson law firm but the common future of Matti and Eeva.

Eight Deadly Shots (1972)

Small-farmer Pasi shoots four policemen who have come to arrest him for raged drunkenness. The movie is a flashback examining the events that finally lead to the tragic shooting. As time goes by, Pasi sinks deeper into poverty, gets into trouble with police and tax officials, all while family arguments grow more and more serious. Based on a real story.

Last to Break (2024)

An underdog challenges an unbeatable champion of motorcycle Grand Prix championships series in the early 70s, a time when even an amateur could win, but only by seriously risking his life on the track.

Forgiven (2023)

Forgiven is a realistic miniseries with dense atmosphere, based on Laura Manninen's novel. 30-something strong-willed Vilma falls in love with Mikko, who is perfect in many ways: a charming, polite, sensitive and sympathetically capricious man. Gradually, Vilma, who has never dreamed of children, realizes that she and Mikko have somehow become a blended family with hustle and bustle and three children. There's a dog, apple trees and beautifully aged house. Little by little, Mikko's true personality is revealed and the seemingly perfect idyll collapses. The abnormal becomes completely normal. Love, shame, fear and need to solve the problems keep Vilma in abusive relationship until the situation escalates to the poins where it's all about surviving and staying alive. The drama series Forgiven deals with love, domestic violence, shame and the culture of silence. Forgiven is a tragic love story, but also a story of survival.

Mobile 101: The Nokia Story (2022)

Made in Finland is a reality-based drama about telecommunication company Nokia's first steps towards global success. Who were the young and resourceful lawyers, the brilliant engineers and the and the forward-thinking director whose courage saved the whole company?

My Husband's Wife (2022)

When a successful businessman is rushed to hospital after suffering a massive stroke, a decades-long double life is revealed: two women appear at his bedside claiming to be his wife and the mother of his child.