Reconfiguring the Nordic Noir Brand: Nordic Noir TV crime drama as remake

Abstract

Nordic NoirTV crime drama foregrounds its Scandinavian identity, its particular noir-like mode of audiovisual expression, its complex long-form narrative, and its in-depth character studies, and though its national markers are an intrinsic part of its identity, it offers a branding template that has the capacity for cultural and geographical makeover on a global scale. With its roots in Scandinavian crime fiction dating back to the early twentieth century, the term Nordic Noir has become synonymous in contemporary times with quality television. First coined, according to Gunhild Agger, by the Scandinavian Department at University College London, and given mainstream exposure in a BBC documentary titled Nordic Noir: The Story of Scandinavian Crime Fiction (2016:138), the label Nordic Nair has since been adopted by reviewers, audiences, and production companies alike to classify film and television dramas that share a certain generic DNA, most readily aligned with crime drama and invariably employing a noir-style aesthetic.