Beck is a Swedish crime dramamovie series, based on characters featured in the Martin Beck novels of Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, starring Peter Haber as the titular character. The first three series and two specials were released direct-to-video, with a small number of episodes also concurrently released theatrically. To date, fifty episodes have been filmed, with all episodes from the fourth series onwards broadcast on C More.[1][2]
The first series was written entirely by Rolf Börjlind, while several episodes in series two and three, and the two specials, were co-written by Rolf and Cilla Börjlind. From the books, the character of Kollberg is entirely omitted from the TV series. Mikael Persbrandt announced in 2015 that he would be leaving the series to focus on other projects, although he did return to film Gunvald, the first episode of series six. In 2015, the series was acquired by the BBC as part of their international crime drama slate. The first episode to be broadcast was Buried Alive, on BBC Four.[3]
A person who works at the incineration plant in Stockholm finds a body among the garbage on his way to the oven. Martin Beck has to take care of the difficult case. He assumes that a very brutal murder has been committed, but he does not know when, where, or how. His only clue is a coded address on the Internet, from a man who will murder again.
A Russian petty criminal gets caught by his own mistakes in a major criminal tangle. Those who have taken hold of him know all about his past. A rather miserable background bordered by house murders, looting, and smuggling.
White Nights is another name for a 2-3 day long rave party where everyone dances but with amphetamine or ecstasy in their blood. The drugs are smuggled into the country, hidden among medical equipment addressed to a Swedish hospital with trucks from Eastern Europe. Beck gets involved but not just for police reasons.
A series of murders are discovered around the country, seemingly completely unrelated, but all with the same denominator: all the victims have had their eyes cut out after they were killed.
When the price of a passport and a ticket to Sweden is to smuggle in a small bottle of liquid metal taped to your body, the consequences can be very tragic.
Bomb threat at a police station in Stockholm. The bomb squad's robot smashes the briefcase with the bomb. The briefcase contains an infant. Shocked by the cruelty, Beck's group tries to keep it all a secret. But the killer has other plans. The entire country's newspapers will soon receive an e-mail, where everything will be revealed about the child.
A homosexual police officer has provided gangster Gavling with information from the National Police's archives. When he no longer wants to participate in disclosing information, he is murdered.
Beck is on his way to vacation with a colleague and girlfriend, Lena Klingström, when several gruesome murders in the Stockholm Metro force him to return. Without any type of motivation, he is forced to lead the investigation. Four things connect the murders: they are all in the underground, they are all beheadings, and the murderer has left a sign.
A police car pulls over near a van with a flat tire on a desolate highway, where two young men are changing the tire. Two officers step out of the car and offer their help. Suddenly, a third person gets out of the van. One of the officers reacts instantly when he recognises the man is a well known criminal. Having just robbed a military camp ten minutes ago, the van is loaded with explosives and assault rifles. Hours later, the two police officers are found shot dead in an execution style manner. Beck is assigned to the case and is offered all resources he needs to solve the case. The hunt is complicated by the fact Larsson was a close friend of one of the officers murdered, and he makes it clear he is ready to use any methods necessary to find the killer.
Two nocturnal dog walkers find the dead body of a third in the woods. His face has been cut off. Could the dead man's job as a burglar alarm salesman have had anything to do with his gruesome death?
When a restaurant owner is murdered, the police must investigate the criminal's involvement in the restaurant industry. Gunvald Larsson has to stay in the office because he walks on crutches after injuring his foot. Instead, it will be Martin Beck and his colleague Alice Levander who will investigate the case.
An auditor is found shot in the long-term parking lot at Arlanda Airport. The man has neither a ticket nor luggage, but Martin Beck soon discovers that the murdered man had booked a one-way ticket to Malaysia.
A man rapes several women after meeting them via social media. Martin Beck, Gunvald Larsson and Alice Levander unravel the case, which turns out to be about revenge.
A woman is found dead in her home. In the house is her autistic son, with the murder weapon in his hand. But it will not be long before Martin Beck and his colleagues suspect that something is not right ...
In short order, the bodies of three Latvian prostitutes are found, all with their faces burned off with acid. Beck learns he has serious heart disease and meets a woman in a restaurant to whom he is strongly attracted.
An abused woman is feverishly sought by police for the murder of her ex-husband but is being hidden by abused woman-advocates. At the same time, Gunvald Larsson discovers a police report that his long-estranged sister has been abused. He confronts her with his knowledge, but she denies it.
The body of a little girl is discovered neatly tucked into a makeshift bed in a root cellar deep in the woods. With a plate of food beside her, she has starved to death. Shortly after, a reclusive farmer is found hanged, with a suicide note confessing to the crime. Lena Klingström reappears, looking for a job.
Known lawyer Patrik Hansson is found brutally murdered in his home. The murder initially looks like an open and shut case - Hansson had been involved in a case where a company has been indicted for lying about the circumstances surrounding a serious environmental crime. When Beck and Klingström go through Hansson's office, they find evidence that casts new light on the investigation - but who pulled the strings, and why? To find the solution, they have to dig further into Hansson's past and find a picture that is even more complicated than they thought.
Martin Beck and Hans Sperling, German detective and Beck's friend who is visiting Stockholm for an art auction, discover in Sperling's hotel the dead body of an art agent who outbid Sperling for a Japanese shunga erotic print. She has been murdered and the crime scene arranged to resemble Chagall's painting The Woman and the Roses. Two Chagall prints and the shunga print are missing from her room. Soon three more bodies are found, arranged to resemble the shunga print. Who is constructing these gruesome reproductions, and why?
A paparazzo is beaten to death. While the homicide team goes through his photographs, Police Chief Margareta Oberg conceals two photos from the rest of the team. She is then killed in her home. What was in the photographs that could have led to her death?
Beck and his colleagues link the discovery of a burned female body to the hunt for a group of environmentalists engaged in terrorism across borders. Larsson knew the woman believed to have been murdered and is suspected by SÄPO (Swedish Security Services) of involvement. While the terrorists plan an attack that could have dire consequences, Larsson is taken off the case.
In a playground in a park, a child finds a buried wooden box, and police discover that it contains the body of a famous and well-respected prosecutor. Martin Beck and his police team initially suspect the criminal leader of a motorcycle gang of the attack, but they have to re-evaluate the case once the gang leader is found murdered, his corpse in a similar wooden box. Soon, more wooden boxes are found and the police realise that they are part of a cat and mouse game with a serial killer. The investigation soon shows that there is a connection between the victims in the form of an event nine years ago, and police think that they know the identity of the killer; but what Martin Beck does not suspect is that his own life is at stake too, as the real murderer has chosen him as the next victim.
A young woman is found strangled in a hotel room. The investigation leads Beck and Gunvald towards Stureplan, Stockholm's nightlife and its dark sides.
A famous gangster is shot to death right in front of his family. Shortly afterwards, a woman is brutally run over in a parking lot. Is there a connection between the cases?
The bodies of two men are found and despite diligent attempts, one cannot be identified. When another man then takes his life, the investigation picks up speed and the clues seem to lead to an Islamist terrorist cell.
The son of a recently deceased ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) patient accuses his mother's doctor of causing her death. Shortly afterwards, the doctor falls to his death from the hospital's roof. What at first is believed to be a suicide quickly turns out to be a murder.
A journalist is beaten to death in his home. At the crime scene, clues lead the police to a known collector who has previously been punished. The colleague of the murdered man says that the man was engaged in investigative journalism and was currently working on a book about a known criminal and that he was repeatedly threatened both for his ethnic background and his political stance.
An unidentified body is found in the remains of a burnt-out caravan. Arson is suspected and the Beck group is involved. Martin Beck's chief Klas Fredén has recruited the Norwegian police Steinar Hovland to the group. He quickly turns out to be Gunvald's exact opposite, which both facilitates and complicates the collaboration with Martin.
A former police officer and his family fall victim to a brutal triple murder. During the crime scene investigation, weapons are found that link the man to organised crime. The findings significantly increase the drama in the investigation and the questions pile up. Why did the man have these weapons and are there colleagues left in service who know anything?
Two traffic officers attempt to stop a car that is driving too fast. When the car stops, the driver gets out and shoots one of the officers dead. There is not much to go on at the beginning, but with the help of CCTV cameras, the car soon is identified. Beck and the team storm into the apartment of the car owner, where they unexpectedly find him also shot dead. As Beck begins the hunt for the murderer anew, murderer takes steps towards carrying out his next deadly plan of revenge.
Series 6 (2018)
No. overall
No. in season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
35
1
"Beck – Ditt eget blod" "Flesh and Blood"
Mårten Klingberg
Mårten Klingberg
1 January 2018 (2018-01-01) 3 November 2018 (2018-11-03) (UK)
Beck, now retired, returns to help SÄPO track down a Syrian immigrant who has defected to ISIS. Meanwhile, Steinar and the team investigate the disappearance of a sixteen-year-old girl from Stockholm city centre, but the two cases collide when the girl's boyfriend turns out to be the brother of the man Beck is trying to track down.
36
2
"Beck – Den tunna isen" "Thin Ice"
Mårten Klingberg
Katarina Ewers
3 February 2018 (2018-02-03) 10 November 2018 (2018-11-10) (UK)
The murder of an ice hockey coach, which appears initially to be an open-and-shut case, is complicated by a targeted campaign of attacks against a group of refugees living at a nearby hostel. Meanwhile, Steinar is devastated to learn that he has been passed over for the position of permanent team leader in favour of Alex.
37
3
"Beck – Utan uppsåt" "Without Intent"
Jörgen Bergmark
Wilhelm Behrman
3 March 2018 (2018-03-03) 17 November 2018 (2018-11-17) (UK)
A young girl arrives home from school to find her mother lying at the bottom of the stairs, having seemingly fallen to her death - but signs of a struggle in the family home suggest that her death may in fact be murder. Meanwhile, Alex arrives for her first day as team leader, and Steinar struggles to cope with the shift of power.
38
4
"Beck – Djävulens advokat" "The Devil's Advocate"
Jörgen Bergmark
Johan Bogaeus
7 April 2018 (2018-04-07) 24 November 2018 (2018-11-24) (UK)
The murder of a restaurant owner who is gunned down in front of a diner full of customers has unexpected repercussions for Alex, whose brother, Paul, represented two men expected of involvement in the killing. Meanwhile, Steinar, amidst tension with Alex and the breakdown of his marriage, accepts the offer of a transfer from Klas.
Series 7 (2020–2021)
No. overall
No. in season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
39
1
"Beck – Undercover" "Undercover"
Pontus Klänge
Johan Bogaeus
6 November 2020 (2020-11-06) 3 July 2021 (2021-07-03) (UK)
A young boy has been found murdered, and the Beck group's investigation leads them to a narcotics network.
4 December 2020 (2020-12-04) 10 July 2021 (2021-07-10) (UK)
During a spontaneous intervention, a macabre find is made in the trunk of a car. It will be Alex's task to lead the investigation of a cruel murder mystery, all the while the Beck group is put under severe pressure both internally and externally.
1 January 2021 (2021-01-01) 17 July 2021 (2021-07-17) (UK)
A candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize is brutally stabbed to death in central Stockholm just after a meeting with two lawyers from the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
42
4
"Beck – Den förlorade sonen" "The Lost Son"
Lisa Ohlin
Stefan Thunberg
5 February 2021 (2021-02-05) 24 July 2021 (2021-07-24) (UK)
A jawbone is found in the middle of the forest. When the rest of the body is found, it turns out that it has just recently been moved and belongs to Viktor Eklund, who has been missing for five years.
25 December 2021 (2021-12-25) 7 May 2022 (2022-05-07) (UK)
After three months of rehabilitation, Martin Beck is back on duty. His group is thrown into a case where the body of a notorious Danish professional criminal is found in the water at Liljeholmen.
21 January 2022 (2022-01-21) 14 May 2022 (2022-05-14) (UK)
A murder in a wooded area and a man who died suddenly in a heart attack after being awakened in the middle of the night by a masked burglar. The Beck group is facing another tough case where internal tensions and loyalties are being put to the test.
18 February 2022 (2022-02-18) 21 May 2022 (2022-05-21) (UK)
When Alex Beijer participates in a TV morning show which develops into a nightmare when a hostage situation arises in the TV studio, she needs the support of the rest of the group to find a solution.
46
4
"Beck – Den gråtande polisen" "The Crying Cop [7]"
Lisa Ohlin
Fredrik Agetoft
18 March 2022 (2022-03-18) 28 May 2022 (2022-05-28) (UK)
After a 14-year-old boy is shot by police, an anti-violence demonstration gets out of hand. The police are forced to take further blame. A massacre takes place on a bus near the Police Academy. A tip from Martin's police cadet grandson Vilhelm leads the Beck group to a long-time anti-police activist. The plot borrows its central idea from The Laughing Policeman (1968), one of the original novels.
Series 9 (2022–2024)
In February 2022, the shooting of four Beck films began in Stockholm. (Beck 47–50)[8]
No. overall
No. in season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
47
1
"Beck – Dödsfällan (The Death Trap)"
Niklas Ohlson
Peter Arrhenius
25 December 2022 (2022-12-25) 1 July 2023 (2023-07-01) (UK)
Police trainee Vilhelm Beck, Martin's grandson, is out on an internship with his supervisor. During a routine burglary case, he finds a dead 17-year-old boy at the scene of the crime. It immediately becomes a case for Alex and the others in the Beck group.
48
2
"Beck – Quid Pro Quo"
Dennis Magnusson
Pontus Klänge
17 March 2023 (2023-03-17) 8 July 2023 (2023-07-08) (UK)
Steinar Hovland and Josef are assigned to investigate a death at a flea market - where SÄPO shows an unusual interest.
49
3
"Beck – Inferno"
Pontus Klänge
Annika Sandahl
15 July 2023 (2023-07-15) (UK)
Josef is suspended, pending an investigation of his alleged assault of a SÄPO agent. But he is not idle for long. Meanwhile, the Beck group investigates a shooting.
50
4
"Beck – Deadlock"
Niklas Ohlson
Johan Bogaeus
22 July 2023 (2023-07-22) (UK)
The Beck group is called out to investigate the brutal murder of a man in his own apartment. Soon after, Beck's grandson Vilhelm is taken hostage.
Home Video
MHZ Choice DVD released Beck on DVD in the U.S.A.
Volume 01 = episodes # 1,2,3
Volume 02 = episodes # 4,5,6
Volume 03 = episodes # 7,8,9
Volume 04 = episodes # 10,11,12
Volume 05 = episodes # 13,14,15
Volume 06 = episodes # 16,17,18
Volume 07 = episodes # 19,20,21
Volume 08 = episodes # 22,23,24
Volume 09 = episodes # 25,26,27
Volume 10 = episodes # 28,29,30,31
Volume 11 = episodes # 32,33,34
Volume 12 = episodes # 35,36,37,38
MHZ Choice Network streams seasons 1 through 8 in the U.S.A. Season 9 will begin streaming on May 21, 2024.
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