Pagan Peak
Let's begin with the show that's probably the closest to Nordic Noir because it was inspired by . If you've seen The Bridge this will sound familiar – when a body is discovered on the border between Germany and Austria, a joint investigation is launched. But that's where the similarities end, pitted together are the confident, optimistic German detective Ellie Stocker (Julia Jentsch) and her Austrian counterpart, the nihilistic cynic, police inspector Gedeon Winter (Nicholas Ofczarek). The killer has arranged the body in a way that indicates some kind of pagan ritual took place. Murders continue and the killer leaves messages and stylises himself as Krampus, a folkloric demonic creature that must punish society for its sins.
Reyka
The first South African drama of its kind, this eight-part series follows expert criminal profiler, Reyka Gama (Kim Engelbrecht). Being abducted as a child has given Reyka profound insight into deviant minds in her work for Scotland Yard. Now a mother herself, she returns to her hometown to investigate a string of serial murders among the sugarcane fields of KwaZulu-Natal. Speelman (Iain Glen), the farmer that abducted her, is not quite ready to let go of her (even from prison) and Reyka's mother, Elsa (Anna-Mart van der Merwe) struggles to see her daughter's life spiral into cycles of obsession with her abductor and her work.
Taboo
If you are after a brooding, dark and mysterious British period drama (with added Tom Hardy) then look no further. Set in 1814, Taboo follows James Keziah Delaney (Hardy), a man who has been to the ends of the earth and comes back irrevocably changed. Believed to be long dead, he returns home to London from Africa to inherit what is left of his father's shipping empire and rebuild a life for himself. But his father's legacy is a poisoned chalice, and with enemies lurking in every dark corner, James must navigate increasingly complex territories to avoid his own death sentence. Encircled by conspiracy, murder and betrayal, a dark family mystery unfolds in a combustible tale of love and treachery.
Cardinal
Based on the best-selling books, Cardinal has all the elements you want for a perfect noir crime drama. There's our charismatic detective duo John Cardinal () who has a haunted and complex history and his partner Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse) who is secretly investigating him. The murder cases are complex, full of mysteries and twists and turns. Plus there is the incredible cold and beautiful Canadian landscapes as a back drop. Cardinal is made up of all the best parts of the genre, and makes them all its own.
Reprisal
The colour dial is being turned up to 11 in the revenge thriller . The show follows one woman's journey of vengeance against the powerful gang that tried to kill her. After being left for dead, Doris (Abigail Spencer) has re-emerged years later and many miles away into a quaint new life in Detroit. Armed with the expected inheritance from the impending death of her husband, Doris embarks on a vengeful mission to destroy the gang.
As mysterious connections are revealed and secrets uncovered, Reprisal packs intense action and graphic violence into Doris' story of rescue and retribution. You may not be able to pinpoint what era it's set in, but that's what makes this rockabilly neo noir so original, stylish and enjoyable.
The Crimson Rivers
This gripping two-season French thriller is based on the best-selling novel by Jean-Christophe Grangé, who is also the creative force behind the show. The Crimson Rivers follows detective Pierre Niémans (played by the legendary Olivier Marchal) and his new partner Camille Delauney (Erika Sainte) as they investigate a series of bizarre crimes in remote areas across France. Each case has a touch of the mystical about it, revealing forgotten customs or regional myths.
Paris Police 1900
Let's stay in France but roll back 100 years or so for some Belle Époque Noir, where we enter the city upon the sudden death of President Félix Faure, and rising anarchy amid the prominence of the far right and anti-Semitism. When police chief Louis Lepine (Marc Barbe) is urgently called out of retirement to restore order in Paris, the tragic discovery of a young woman's torso in a suitcase floating down the Seine, spurs a young, ambitious detective Antoine Jouin (Jeremie Laheurte) into action at the heart of the police headquarters. Joseph Fiersi (Thibaut Evrard) is a corrupt officer known for blackmail who also moonlights as a hit man for the undercover police. He's taken a particular interest in this criminal investigation and enlists Med Steinheil (Evelyne Brochu) – the courtesan accused of killing the frail-hearted president during sex – to work as a spy for him. Every Golden Age has a dark side.
Baghdad Central
We couldn't be further away from the icy fjords and chilling landscapes of Scandinavia now. immerses us in the warm tones and hot sun of Iraq. We are in Baghdad 2003, Saddam Hussein has been thrown out of power and the US-led Coalition forces now occupy Iraq. Muhsin Al-Khafaji (Waleed Zuaiter), a care-worn but resilient ex-Iraqi police inspector, no longer recognises his country. When his eldest and recently estranged daughter Sawsan (Leem Lubany) goes missing, he makes it his sole aim to track her down and bring her home.
Al-Khafaji is a perfect noir detective/inspector – he has a dark past, a small drinking problem, his detective skills are top-notch and he is also extremely charismatic. The landscape, while changed up from Nordic Noir, completely adds to the tension, because what is more stressful than toeing the line between the new local Iraqi-led police and the US military police while searching for your missing daughter?
