Truthfully, we wanted to make a list of Scandinavian series, but we changed our minds. There are simply too many great European series to limit ourselves only to the north of the continent. However, you should certainly check out the scandi noir series playlist from our friends at Voyo, that we absolutely recommend. And here we’ll give you our hints for a wider selection of best European series that are in our opinion definitely worthy of your time.

 

LA MAFIA UCCIDE SOLO D’ESTATE

The more we thought about it, the more we realised we’re recommending a lot of mafia and crime movies or series. But we know a lot of you also have kids and would like to watch something appropriate for the whole family. So we remembered this series. A family series – about mafia! Win-win. A cute comedy for the entire household that’s also available with Slovenian subtitles with our aforementioned friends.

 

BRON/BROEN

Let’s at least partially stick with our original intention. This series is the first hit on the best Scandinavian series Google search for a reason. A body. On a bridge. On the border between Denmark and Sweden. Half of it lies on the Danish side and the other half on the Swedish side. And each country sends its own charismatic detective to try and solve the case. A great idea.

 

GOMORRA

The main reason we couldn’t only stick with the North. Since this is already the second series on this list that comes from the far South of Europe. The first one takes place in Sicily, but Gomorra is from Neaples. And if the first one humorously deals with the classic Cosa Nostra … Gomorra gives us a dark and real insight into the current mafia times.

 

SUBURRA

Once you’re done with Gomorra, you’ll surely be wanting more. Or maybe you’ve already seen it and are looking for something similar. Well, in any case, here’s Suburra for you, which judging by the name similarity apparently targets the same group of viewers. It also takes us into the heart of Italian crime underground, but the creators also spice up this series with an interesting look into the life of Italian Gypsy community.

 

4 BLOCKS

Moving from Italy to Germany. But no worries, we’re sticking with the crime theme. Except here the story revolves around the Arabic diaspora in Berlin and the secrets of their criminal underground in the Neukölln area. If we’ve seen the stories of Italian mafia countless times already, 4 blocks is a series about new power relations in the world of central European crime.

 

DOGS OF BERLIN

Since our last suggestion on the list only has three seasons so far, we’ve found you a suitable replacement after you’ve finished with it. Dogs of Berlin revolves around similar locations and twists, but executes it in a cooler way and with higher production value.

 

FORTITUDE

Do you generally like European series, but secretly wish everyone would speak English so you wouldn’t need subtitles? No problem! Fortitude is an excellent Scandinavian series, in which due to an interesting twist and location everybody speaks English. This also enables the series to show off some well-known faces from the West, such as Stanley Tucci and Dennis Quaid.

 

THE FALL

Well, since you like English so much, we might as well travel to England, which at least geographically still counts as Europe. Did you ever wish Gillian Anderson from X Files would chase after Jamie Dornan, the lead actor from Fifty Shades of Grey? A strange wish, but we can still make it come true. The Fall is exactly that. He’s a serial killer and she’s a badass detective. But no alien sex scenes, unfortunately.

 

SEX EDUCATION

And we’re getting into patterns again. Another series with Gillian Anderson. This time in a supporting role, but we might like her here even better. It’s a teenage comical drama that you can easily watch even if your highschool years happened over a decade ago. The title says everything and this series is definitely one of our favorites lately. We certainly recommend it!

 

ALARM FÜR COBRA 11

Let’s be fair, maybe you’ll need something to keep you busy for a longer period of time. And what’s better than a series with 46 seasons? Yes, you read it correctly, we’re not talking about episodes, but seasons! There’s 363 episodes, to be precise … almost for a whole year. And look at it from the bright side – once you’re finished watching, you’ll be ready for new endeavours with you excellent, newly conquered German!

 

We’re focusing on movies again next time. Which ones? Slovenian movies! So light yourself a cigarette and stare through a window depressingly, while you wait for our next list!