It’s an exciting time for Prime Video in the Nordics. The first half of January brought with it the streamer’s first-ever Danish original with “Snake Killer,” and the end of the month will see the launch of Prime Video’s biggest Swedish drama series of 2026, the eagerly-awaited dystopian offering “VAKA.” Below, you will also find an exclusive first look at “Murder in the Dark,” an adaptation of Dan Turèll’s highly lauded gritty Danish noir novel that is coming out later this year.
Speaking with Variety ahead of a slate presentation at the Göteborg Film Festival, Amazon MGM Studios/Prime Video’s head of Northern Europe originals Tara Erer said that, over the last few years, their team has been “working with creatives across the three countries where we’re making originals, and a lot of the things we are working on are now hitting.”
“The development slate is finally coming to fruition,” she added. “We feel extremely strongly in the Nordics, the writing, directing and producing talent there is incomparable. I am energized by it. It’s great for audiences to finally see the really exciting shows that we’ve been working on.”
Amazon MGM Studios/Prime Video’s head of Nordic originals, Emilia Widstrand, echoed that thought, saying the Nordics offer “strong broadcasters with whom [we] can collaborate.” She offered a prime example in the upcoming World War II drama “Rinnan,” from Freamtle’s Miso Film,a project developed in collaboration with Denmark’s public broadcaster TV2. “We’ve seen a fantastic result in the editing room. We will continue to do both, our own projects and co-productions, and will take it project by project.”
Erer highlighted how there is an “appetite” for Nordic series outside the Nordics. “With other countries, it’s not so prevalent that you would get a lot of attention for languages outside the local country. There is something with the shows we’re making, where we are seeing a lot of interest.” The exec has, however, reiterated how Prime Video’s strategy is “local for local everywhere.”
“The great thing here is that local for local can travel,” she adds. “We want to make Swedish shows primarily for Swedish audiences, same for Danish, Norwegians… Then again, there is so much appetite, so much interest, and so many opportunities here in building projects in a way that maybe feels tricky in other countries. We’re open to licensing, we’re open to originals, we’re open to co-productions… The project should be guiding us.”
Asked about a generalized perception that major streamers may have closed doors to smaller local creators, both Widstrand and Erer are quick to rebuff that thought. “It’s important for us to show that we’re a strong player in local drama,” said Widstrand, adding that a large part of the reason they travel to markets like Göteborg is to “meet creators, and to build on those relationships.” “It’s been tough times for the industry, so it’s good to see we’re a player who invests in local dramas and is open to different models of working.”
Widstrand offered “Snake Killer” as an example of a great recent creative collaboration, praising series helmer Anders Ølholm as someone with “a lot of integrity in [his] vision.”
“We wouldn’t be able to do something interesting with someone if we didn’t trust their creative vision,” continued the exec when talking about the dynamics of their collaboration. “We are trying to earn trust and work together. I meet producers and creators every day to speak about projects, what they are dreaming of working on, and just trying to find synergies and projects that could work for us, as well as let their vision shine through.”
Erer emphasized how it is precisely the combination of their small localized teams and “brilliant” storytellers that “drives” their work. “But we do hear this a lot, when creators are like: ‘Oh, you are individuals making shows.’ We hear this in every country. What Emilia and her team have created with our local creators is that trust, where they can call them up and say if there is something they don’t agree with. This is why we all got in [this business].”
Both execs reiterated that there isn’t an inherent final word in their collaborations, guaranteeing that it is always a matter of dialogue between commissioner and creator. “We want to make sure we’re on the same page, so we can make the best show and reach the biggest audiences,” said Erer. “It’s a collaboration. There is no world in which we would ever alienate someone who’s worked for years on a project. We are all in it because of them.”
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