This is a list of scripted Icelandic TV shows. The first section covers shows that are currently, or have previously been, available to watch in the United Kingdom. The second section covers a selection of other Icelandic shows – both historic and upcoming – including any that are known to be available with English subtitles in other countries.
The lists are alphabetical but to find what you want quickly – or to search for the Icelandic title – use Ctrl and F.
The first section includes current availability and provides a link to where you can watch. We’ve only included paid streaming services (Netflix, Prime Video, Now TV etc.) not services where you can pay for shows individually (itunes, Amazon Video). The initial UK channel is also shown where that differed. On both lists we’ve added links to the relevant imdb page (click on the series name) and given details of availability in Australia and the United States. If we’ve missed any of those let us know.
Series currently or previously available in the UK.
Case (Réttur – season 3) (1 season) – Walter Presents
“A ballerina is found hanged on a Reykjavik theatre stage in this dark Icelandic thriller”.
Also available: Netflix (USA & Australia)
For seasons 1 and 2 of Réttur see The Court.
Current status: Pending/unknown.
The Court (Réttur – seasons 1 & 2) – Walter Presents
“A group of lawyers in Reykjavik tackle diverse assignments in an exhilarating legal drama”.
Also available: Walter Presents on PBS Masterpiece (USA)
For season 3 of Réttur see Case.
Cover Story (Pressa) (3 seasons) – Walter Presents (Seasons 2 & 3)
“Compelling, gritty Icelandic drama about an investigative journalist at a tabloid paper”.
Also available: Walter Presents on PBS Masterpiece (USA)
Current status: Presumed ended.
The Lava Field (Hraunið) (Miniseries) – Not currently available.
“When Reykjavik crime detective Helgi Marvin Runarsson is called in to investigate a suicide case on Snaefellsnes Peninsula, the case turns out to be far from simple”.
Originally available in the UK on Netflix.
This was actually a follow up to another miniseries The Cliff (Hamarinn) which has never been shown in the UK.
The Night Shift (Næturvaktin) (Miniseries) – Not currently available.
“Comedy series involving three men working at a petrol station in Reykjavik”.
Originally aired in the UK on BBC Four.
Subsequent miniseries The Day Shift (Dagvaktin) and The Prison Shift (Fangavaktin) have never been shown in the UK.
Prisoners (Fangar) (1 season) – Sundance Now
“A troubled woman with a dark secret is sent to prison for assaulting her father, a high-profile businessman and politician”.
Also available: Sundance Now (USA)
Current status: Renewed for season 2.
Stella Blómkvist (1 season) – Sundance Now (from April 2019)
“In this deliciously dark Scandi noir, Stella, a ruthless and cunning lawyer, takes on mysterious and often dangerous murder cases. Based on the bestselling series of books that won international acclaim”.
Also available: Sundance Now (USA)
Current status: Renewed for season 2.
Trapped (Ófærð) (2 seasons) – Amazon Prime (Season 1), BBC iplayer (Season 2) (*Episodes are only available on the iplayer for 30 days so Episodes 1 & 2 disappear on Monday 18 March)
“In a remote town in Iceland, Police desperately try to solve a crime as a powerful storm descends upon the town”.
Originally aired in the UK on BBC Four.
Also available: SBS (Australia).
Current status: Pending. Work on the scripts for season 3 has already started.
Other Icelandic series
Astridur (Astríður) (2 seasons)
“This is the Icelandic equivalent of The Office, with a much more interesting twist: the protagonist is a woman”. The lead is played by Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir (Hinrika in Trapped). (2009-13) (Comedy)
Black Angels (Svartir englar) (1 season)
“A story about four Icelandic detectives, working in the gloomy everyday life in Reykjavik where international crime rings are starting to operate”. (2008)
Black Port (Verbúð) (Coming in 2019/2020)
“Columbia has cocaine. Africa has gold. Iceland has fish. Resources owned by a handful of people in each country. How it got there in Iceland is the source behind Verbúd. And all of it is inspired by true events”.
The Flatey Enigma (Flateyjargátan) (Miniseries)
“Set in 1971, the series follows Johanna, a professor of Nordic Studies, accused of murder. To prove her innocence, she has to solve a riddle in a medieval manuscript about Norse kings, the Flatey Enigma. On top of that, Johanna has to face her deepest fear: the man she ran away from ten years ago”. (2018)
Hlemmavideo (1 season)
“Siggi inherits the very first Icelandic video rental shop. The place seems to be the perfect spot for him to start another business: become a private detective”. (2010-11) (Comedy)
The Mayor (Borgarstjórinn) (1 season)
“Borgarstjórinn is about the mayor of Reykjavík and his assistant going through various adventures”. (2016) (Comedy)
The Minister (Ráðherrann) (Coming in 2019/2020)
“Political tragicomedy series about a politician with bipolar disorder who gets elected prime minister of Iceland”. Casting of Ólafur Darri Ólafsson in the lead role confirmed in November 2018.
The Valhalla Murders (Coming to Netflix in 2019)
“The story centers on police profiler Arnar, sent back home from Copenhagen to his native Iceland to investigate the country’s first serial killer case. He teams up with the local senior cop Kata. The murders don’t seem to have much in common until the investigative duo connect them to an abandoned boys’ home named Valhalla, where horrendous crimes occurred 35 years earlier”. Netflix co-production with RÚV confirmed in January 2019.
World’s End (Heimsendir) (1 season)
“Einar, a charismatic history teacher is committed to a remote mental asylum in Iceland. During the bank holiday weekend he initiates an uprising that transforms into a proper revolution where the lunatics literally take over the asylum”. (2011) (Comedy)
Square Eyed World 