History Series / Wallander

* BigBad: Hans von Enke is the closest thing the series really ever gets to a consistent big bad.

** It's worth pointing out that the Swedish Wallander is fluent in English and uses it on a few occasions.

* OneSteveLimit: Averted, as two major characters go by "Louise" and two of the cops have Magnus as given names, though only one goes by it (it's Svedberg's middle name).

The novels became the basis of several film and TV adaptations: a Swedish televised film series for SVT starring Rolf Lassgård as the titular character, a Swedish television series for TV4 starring Krister Henriksson, and most recently an English-language adaptation starring Creator/KennethBranagh. All three have now concluded their runs.

* CharacterOutlivesActor: Johanna Sällström (Linda Wallander) killed herself in 2007 between the first and second seasons of the TV4 series. Linda was written out of the second season and recast for the third.

** When he visits South Africa to investigate the murder of a Swedish tourist, he has to deal with a white police officer with [[TheApartheidEra some unreformed attitudes]]. Called ''[[Literature/RiotousAssembly van Heerden]]''.

The novels became the basis of several film and TV adaptations: a Swedish televised film series for SVT starring Rolf Lassgård as the titular character, a Swedish television series for TV4 starring Krister Henriksson, and most recently an English-language adaptation starring Creator/KennethBranagh. The first two have now concluded their runs, while three more episodes are left in the English version.

* SceneryPorn: In all TV and film adaptations. Skåne is an exceptionally beautiful place, so you can't blame them really.

* {{Homage}}: In ''Dogs Of Riga'', our protagonist travels to a foreign country, and the first thing he does there is to attend the funeral of an acquaintance involved in mafia, corruption and black marketeering. There, he meets the late acquaintance's girlfriend and a very suspicious-looking local chief of police. I can't believe it's not ''TheThirdMan''. (Bonus points for taking a stroll with said girlfriend on a rather long stretch of cementery lane.)

* ActionGirl: Wallander's daughter Linda, who choses to join the police like her father.

* AteHisGun: Happens in the Swedish episode ''The Secret''.

* BloodFromTheMouth: In ''Firewall'', this is how you can tell that [[spoiler: Ella]]'s not going to make it. Indeed she seems to have been shot in the gut. Averted in ''The Man who smiled'', although it would have been fatal without Wallander's prompt intervention.

* ButtMonkey: Wallander can't even go out to eat without the universe abusing him. In one episode, Nyberg forgets his wallet and Kurt's card is out of date, so they come off looking like bums and get yelled at by an angry waitress.
** He [[spoiler: survives an assassination attempt]] because he ''trips over a rug''.

* DeusAngstMachina: While TrueArtIsAngsty, the Branagh adaptations could possibly be called "Wallander's Horrible Life".

** This could also apply to Wallander, who wasn't around enough when his daughter was growing up.

* FairCop: Ann-Britt Höglund.

* HeroesLoveDogs: In the novels, Wallander spends years yearning for a pet dog and a house by the sea. In ''The Troubled Man'', the final book in the series, he finally gets his wish.

* HypercompetentSidekick: Ebba, the police station receptionist, can find out just about any information Wallander needs on anything, is a top-class organiser and can even track down such obscure items as a tofu pie to feed a vegan witness.
** In the Henriksson series, she's also shown to have a decent singing voice (her actress, Marianne Mörck, is also a stage and opera singer).

* SelfImmolation: at the beginning of ''Sidetracked'' a teenage girl does this in the middle of a field, apparently out of fear of Wallander. Later it's discovered that she wanted to die because [[spoiler: she had been trafficked into Sweden and was being forced to work as a prostitute]].

* TranslationConvention: The English-language Branagh version anglicized several place names, for instance, Ystad's pronunciation is altered (from "ee-stad" to "eah-stad"). Wallander's name is pronounced "Wall-and-er", while the Swedish pronunciation is "Val-''and''-air".
** One notable case in ''Firewall'' in which the on-screen status data of a computer specialist is in English, but it's entirely plausible for someone in a country where English is a second language of most of the population to do that. Combined with Swedish not always being a good option when it comes to computer programs (due to bad or nonexistent translations), it might not have been this trope, but exactly what it looked like: English.
* TenderTears: Count it up in the Branagh adaptation, and Wallander cries in literally four out of the six episodes that have been produced. There's a borderline case of shining eyes in 2x01, which could make it five out of six. But it's because he's so empathetic; he [[TheWoobie almost never cries for himself.]]

* TraumaCongaLine: Sometimes it seems that if Wallander ever felt real happiness, the world would probably end or something.

* [[YankTheDogsChain Yank the Dog's Chain]]: In the Branagh adaptation of ''The Man Who Smiled'' Wallander is impressed by [[spoiler: Harderberg's philanthropic work for impoverished children in Africa.]] He clearly feels that the man is a ray of goodness in an all-too-grim world. He even smiles a bit! And then it turns out [[spoiler: Harderberg's foundation is a front for black market organ dealing, and he's probably had some of those adorable kids in the photos slaughtered for parts.]] Yeah.

* ActorAllusion: In one of the Swedish episodes, Wallander is talking to the coroner Karin Linder about the possibility that the victim may have drunk himself to death, and gives her a sly look as he refers to death by alcohol poisoning as "Finnish suicide". Stina Ekblad, who plays Karin, is a Swedish-speaking Finn.

* YouLookFamiliar: A Swedish nationalist that [[spoiler: Branagh's Wallander shoots dead]] is played by Fredrik Gunnarsson, who is in the Swedish version as Officer Svartmann!

This series contains examples of:

* TheInspector: Wallander.

The novels became the basis of several film and TV adaptations: a Swedish televised film series for SVT starring Rolf Lassgård as the titular character, a Swedish television series for TV4 starring Krister Henriksson, and most recently an English-language adaptation starring Creator/KennethBranagh.

* InstantDramaJustAddTracheotomy: Performed buy Branagh's Kurt Wallander with a kitchen knife and a pen.

Swedish author Henning Mankell's popular series of crime novels follow Kurt Wallander, a middle-aged, diabetic inspector who is often up against both criminals and his own demons. In the novels Mankell explores social and political issues affecting modern-day UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}}, as well as providing the reader with plenty of mystery and suspense.

* WholesomeCrossdresser: [[spoiler: Louise, Kalle Svedberg]]'s girlfriend, turns out to be one of those.

The novels became the basis of several film and TV adaptations: a film series starring Rolf Lassgård as the titular character, a Swedish television series starring Krister Henriksson, and most recently an English-language adaptation starring Creator/KennethBranagh.

Swedish author Henning Mankell's popular series of crime novels follow Kurt Wallander, a middle-aged, diabetic inspector who is often up against both criminals and his own demons. In the novels Mankell explores social and political issues affecting modern-day Sweden, as well as providing the reader with plenty of mystery and suspense.

* BilingualBonus: Some of the written Swedish in the British version. For example, when Wallander checks his inbox, viewers are treated to a bunch of annoying emails from [[TomHiddleston Tom Hiddleston]]'s character Magnus Martinsson, with headlines like "Vem stängde inte av kaffebryggaren?" ("Who left the coffee maker on?") and "Glöm inte möte med Martinsson!" ("Don't forget meeting with Martinsson!").

* AssholeVictim: Pretty frequently. Pretty much ''all'' of the victims in [[spoiler:''The Fifth Woman'']], for example, were themselves horrible criminals who had been [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]] up to that point. Many of the victims in [[spoiler:''Sidetracked'']] fall under this trope as well.
** ''Sidetracked'' is also full of these, from the ex-justice minister with a dark secret to [[spoiler: the murderer's father]] who was abusive to his family.

* WholePlotReference: In ''Dogs Of Riga'', our protagonist travels to a foreign country, and the first thing he does there is to attend the funeral of an acquaintance involved in mafia, corruption and black marketeering. There, he meets the late acquaintance's girlfriend and a very suspicious-looking local chief of police. I can't believe it's not ''TheThirdMan''. (Bonus points for taking a stroll with said girlfriend on a rather long stretch of cementery lane.)