When a woman's skull discovered on a deserted island points to her murder by shooting despite apparently dying in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, arrogant murder detective and television star Evert Bäckström takes the case to find out how the victim can die twice.
Bäckström was produced by Yellow Bird (known for the various Wallander adaptations), and distributed by TV4 in Sweden and Acorn TV in the Anglosphere. A second season is in production, adapting the third novel The Sword of Justice.
Not to be confused with the 2015 adaptation of the novels.
Tropes connected to the original novels are here. This page also includes a brief account of the first time Ewart Backstrom appeared as a character on Swedish TV, in an adaptation of the first novel in the series. (As En Pilgrims Död, screened in Sweden in 2013)
Bäckström provides examples of:
- Adorably Precocious Child: Bäckström's neighbour Edvin is only a boy, but he behaves more like a tiny policeman, making several (correct) deductions about the skull he finds and being generally very useful. He's even brought along to question a suspect, although admittedly Bäckström doesn't have much choice in the matter.
- Alliterative Name: Hanna Hwass, Jaidee Johnson, Jada Jing.
- Character Title: Bäckström.
- Chekhov's Gun: Bäckström gives Tina the security key to get into his apartment. After she sells him out to Boris and the Russians, they use it to get in without setting off the alarm.
- Always Gets His Man: Apparently Bäckström has solved 99% of his murder cases.
- Dead Person Impersonation: How Jaidee died "twice" - by switching identities with Jada Jing, who died in the 2004 tsunami.
- Detective Mole: Bäckström is offered money by the Russians to feed them info, or else be killed. He breaks down and, begging for his life, literally grovels at Boris' feet, before pulling out a gun and making short work of them... and then takes the money for himself anyway.
- Faking the Dead: Jada Jing is dressed up as Jaidee, complete with a (rub-on) infinity tattoo. When she's killed in the tsunami, Jaidee swaps identities with her to claim the insurance money. Daniel provides the tsunami police with a strand of her hair so they don't realise it's not actually her who died.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Bäckström and Hwass can't stand each other at first, and consistently attempt to undermine each other's authority, but they have grown closer by the end.
- Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist: Bäckström wears muted floral shirts throughout the show, but only brings out the bright, garish ones whilst in Thailand for the case.
- In-Series Nickname: Oleszkiewicz is merely addressed as "Olzzon" by everyone else.
- Never Suicide: Carlsson brings up the fact that, statistically, it's more likely the victim killed herself (especially since a gun is involved) but Bäckström quickly proves her wrong.
- Number Two: Annika Carlsson for Bäckström, although she's working a separate case for most of Season One.
- Mythology Gag: Olsson and Olzzon mention Bäckström's dick is nicknamed the Super-Salami as it is the novels.
- Red Herring:
- Mimi, one of the missing Southeast Asian women with a Swedish husband, turns out to have eloped with a new lover, changed her name, and started a hotdog business. Her former husband bribed the family into declaring her dead to obtain full ownership of the restaurant they used to jointly own.
- Carlsson photographs Bäckström going into a restaurant moments before a notorious gangster she believes is behind her robbery case. She confesses to Toivonen that he might be the leak, but it turns out he was literally just getting lunch with a lady friend.
- Sherlock Scan: Edvin deduces multiple facts about the skull he found, all of which are right!
- Teeny Weenie: Det. Sven Severin is known as "The Noodle" for this reason.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Bäckström and Hwass, initially.
- Those Two Guys: Olsson and Olzzon are rarely seen apart.
- Three-Way Sex: Daniel and Jaidee Johnson hook up with a random Thai bargirl, the night before the tsunami. When she's killed the next morning, the couple realise they can fake Jaidee's death and claim the insurance money.
- Wham Line: When regarding the photo Edvin stole from his scout master, depicting the three main suspects.Sund: That's Daniel. And that's Haqvin.Bäckström: And who's the third guy?Sund: That's the guy who's on TV with you.
