A young woman flees a murder scene, running through the snowy woods holding a shotgun and a list of names. It’s a killer hook for a series. But when you look beyond the story, Catch and Release is Nordic Noir taken to a new level – though not so much literally as geographically.
With the success of the crime genre over the last decade, it’s hard to believe there’s any part of Scandinavia that hasn’t been used as the stunning backdrop for a series of grim murders. But until recently, Norway’s northern regions (where Catch and Release is set) were relatively off-limits to TV producers.
Up near the Arctic Circle the cold can be a real issue, especially in sparsely populated rural areas where the travel times between locations are often measured in hours. The amount of daylight available can also make things tricky, with long stretches of the year having almost day-round sun while others leaving the locals in perpetual night. The locations are stunning, with a chilly beauty that’s compelling to watch, but getting there to film them has been seen as more trouble than it’s worth.
Mira Hildonen (Cora Karlberg) in ‘Catch and Release’. Source: Distributor
That’s where production company Shuuto Arctic comes in. They’ve become something of a trailblazer in the region, with Catch and Release being their second series set in northern Norway. Their first, the 2020 drama Outlier () focused on a profiler who is convinced the local police had arrested the wrong man for murder and that the real killer was still out there. With Catch and Release, the story is more interested in the impact a murder has on a small town – though the initial murder may not be the last.
When a much respected, now retired local doctor is found floating dead in a river outside a small village, the locals are thrown into disarray. The town’s police department, which consists entirely of the sheriff Kaare (Espen Mauno) and his inexperienced deputy Filippa (Mathilde Sofie Henriksen), are on the case. But for reasons of her own, terminally ill police officer Irja (Anitta Suikkari) has decided she wants to take charge of what seems likely to be her final case. Maybe it’s the unusual and shocking nature of the crime that’s lured her in; maybe she has some personal reasons she’s keeping to herself.
Filippa (Mathilde Sofie Henriksen) in ‘Catch and Release’. Source: Distributor
The producers’ original plan was to have the story centred firmly on the clash between Kaare and Irja, with Filippa taking on more of a supporting role. But during filming Henriksen was so impressive her role was expanded, turning the drama into a three-sided conflict where the younger police officer increasingly strikes out on her own investigation and Irja desperately tries to keep her illness at bay while searching for answers.
Initially the prime suspect is Mira Hildonen (Cora Karlberg), the seventeen-year-old who fled the murder scene with a shotgun. That’s the kind of suspicious activity that tends to attract the attention of the police; it’s left to the local residents to wonder why anyone – but especially Mira – would have committed such a brutal crime.
For one, the doctor’s daughter Erika (Kristine Hartgen), a doctor herself, wants to know why anyone would want to murder her highly respected father. Thomas (Alexander Rindestu), a local tourist guide, is increasingly drawn into the investigation. And when Mira is eventually found she raises more questions than she answers, especially when a shocking new crime rocks the village.
Policewoman Irja (Anitta Suikkari) in ‘Catch and Release’. Source: Distributor
Over the series’ eight episodes there’s more than one major shift in this ever-expanding case. The state police led by Detective Anders (Jesper Malm) become involved, as does the local business community. And increasingly the spotlight is turned on the macho culture that’s built up around the tourism brought to the area by the river’s famous salmon fishing. Is it possible that Mira was set up, or could it be that the motive for the killing goes much deeper than anyone initially thought?
Throughout the many twists and turns, the surprise reveals and the slow-burning tension in Catch and Release, there’s one thing you can count on: the settings almost always look amazing. If you’ve ever thought about taking a fishing trip, this series is one long advertisement for the ideal holiday location – if you can just look past that one little murder.
Catch and Release starts 10.50pm Thursday 4 may on SBS, with episodes airing weekly. The full series is also streaming .
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