I don’t watch a lot of Finnish dramas, but 2025 will be written in history for me, as I’ve already seen three great shows this year, which is about three more than I can remember from the decade before.

First, there was Konflikti, aired by MTV3. Technically it was late 2024, but I’ll include it here anyway. In the series unmarked green men attack and take over the Hanko peninsula in the very southernmost point of mainland Finland. The show follows several different people or groups of people. A group of conscripts were practicing in the area when the incident started and are now trying to survive in the middle of an actual enemy; special forces are conducting a reconnaissance mission to the invaded area; the president and the prime minister have very different opinions on how to resolve the situation; and some more.

The very first episode caught me by surprise with some professional military slang that was not explained – you just had to know or deduce it from the context. So the dialog is well written and the budget has been big for a Finnish show, with tanks, ships, and fighter jets zooming around. The show lasts for just six episodes, so there is not too much space for character development, but the characters are different and believable enough. 💥

The next show I watched was Queen of Fucking Everything by Yle. This show follows Linda, a middle-aged woman who is accustomed to a pretty wealthy life with his perfect husband. However, the man turns out to be a scammer, leaving Linda drowning in debt. Linda tries her very best to cover her misfortune and sudden loss of credit records from her coworkers — the kind of people who buy expensive coffees from baristas and then might just abandon them if a meeting comes up – which pisses Linda off, naturally, if it was her turn to buy those coffees with the money she just got from a pawn shop.

The show gets increasingly unhinged in the best way. Eventually Linda, who turns out to be extremely resourceful but also very ruthless if need be, even gets involved with organized crime.

When watching the show you never know where it’s going. Sometimes it takes on some very dark tones, and sometimes the viewer can rightfully think that Linda is quite a bitch, but at the same time you still root for her, as she never asked to be dropped into a blender of social shame and financial ruin. 💸

The last show I’d like to highlight is Kurjen kirous by Nelonen. In this one the main character is an actor named Aki Kurki (played by Kari Ketonen). Aki is stuck in forgettable mediocre supporting roles. He’s convinced he’s meant for greater things and can’t understand why he’s never cast in anything significant. At one point he tells his manager Hannu (the great Antti Holma) that he doesn’t want to do any “crazy neighbors” anymore, which is a fun nod towards Kari Ketonen’s role as a crazy neighbor in another great show called Luottomies.

Anyway, Aki is cast as a fortune teller in some show. The role is very small, but being the serious actor he is, he prepares diligently by booking an appointment with an actual fortune teller. The man offers to do a reading for Aki and finds out that Aki has a curse on him. Being a rationalist Aki walks out from the session – only to witness a smaller prediction by the fortune teller come true.

This offers Aki an explanation for his stalled career: it’s not that he’s had bad luck or anything, but he has been cursed! So, he embarks on a side quest to find out who cursed him, and whether that person could lift the curse, allowing his career to finally take off.

Aki, like Linda in Queen of Fucking Everything, is a multi-faceted character: he is often arrogant and self-important, but at the same time he’s trying to mend his relationship with his teenage daughter and to maintain other relationships too. And of course he takes acting very seriously – just not always the productions he’s in if he doesn’t think they have the artistic value he’d deserve. 🎭

So there you have it: three good Finnish TV shows that might some day even make it abroad as adaptations. Watch these if you get the chance. 📺