ITV Studios Finland and French production and distribution group Oble have partnered up on “Helsinki Crimes,” a new Finnish crime drama which will debut at Goteburg TV Drama Vision.
“Helsinki Crimes” is an eight-part crime series based on Matti Yrjänä Joensuu’s bestselling novels. Set in contemporary Helsinki in the height of summer, the series revolves around Timo Harjunpää (Olli Rahkonen), a popular detective known for his honesty and empathy for the victims, as well as the criminals. He and his partner Onerva Nykanen (Olga Temonen) are investigating a wave of murders taking place in Helsinki.
The show was produced by Maria Kangas and Pete Paavolainen at ITV Studios Finland and was commissioned by the broadcaster MTV3 and streamer CMore which are presenting the series at Goteborg’s TV Drama Vision. “Helsinki Crimes” will premiere later this year on CMore.
“There are many police procedural TV shows but there are none like ‘Helsinki Crimes’ – a startlingly original, contemporary detective series set in the vibrant seaside Finnish capital,” said Ekaterina Sol at Oble.
“The never-ending days of the Scandinavian summer give this stylish, high-calibre series an atmospheric brightness which is enhanced by glossy characters and polished performances,” added Sol, who described Harjunpää’s character as a “family-man and psychologically astute police detective.”
Maria Kangas at ITV Studios Finland said Oble “has a fantastic track record introducing premium local drama series to global audiences (…) and really understand how to make scripted content travel.”
Goteborg International Film Festival wraps Feb. 6.
