Joel Kinnaman has arguably been doing his best work on TV of late. His lead performance in one of the best sci-fi shows of the 2020s, Apple TV’s “For All Mankind,” is a standout, but he’s also delivered great turns in “In Treatment” Season 4 and the 2026 limited series “High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam.” But many fans of the Swedish-American actor may have missed his 2026 TV crime drama that not only has stellar reviews but finally gives a popular book series the adaptation it deserves.
“Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole” is based on the author’s Harry Hole novel series, with Season 1 adapting Nesbø’s fifth novel, “The Devil’s Star.” It’s fronted by Tobias Santelmann as the titular detective alongside Kinnaman as his dodgy police colleague Tom Waaler. Thus far, it has been “certified fresh” over on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising the Scandinavian Noir for its performances, action sequences, and stylish presentation. But “Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole” is even more significant, seeing as it makes up for a historic blunder of a movie.
The Michael Fassbender flop “The Snowman” was about as disappointing as adaptations get, jettisoning everything interesting about Nesbø’s book to create an immediately forgettable crime thriller. It was a perplexing development, too, considering director Tomas Alfredson has previously overseen two undeniable film classics in “Let the Right One In” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” Pairing him with Nesbø’s slick Scandi-Noir sensibility seemed like a no-brainer. Alas, for whatever reason (Alfredson has blamed a time crunch that left large parts of the script un-filmed), the movie was a disaster. “Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole,” however, is anything but, and Kinnaman is a big part of it.
Tobias Santelmann and Joel Kinnaman are excellent in Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole
After “The Snowman,” Jo Nesbø fans unanimously felt that his crime thriller book deserved a much better adaptation. And while a worthy screen version of “The Snowman” has yet to materialize, “Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole” has made up for it by finally doing justice to another of the writer’s Harry Hole novels. That’s to be expected since the Norwegian novelist took no chances this time, assigning himself the role of creator, writer, and showrunner.
The nine-episode series is based on Nesbø’s book “The Devil’s Star” and sees Tobias Santelmann’s Oslo detective Harry Hole investigating a serial killer who leaves body parts and a red pentagram at their crime scenes. At the same time, Hole is haunted by having caused the death of his former partner five years prior and a violent bank robbery that remains unsolved.
But there’s also an enemy much closer to home: Joel Kinnaman’s detective Tom Waaler. While Hole isn’t exactly a model policeman, Waaler is a fully corrupt cop with a slimy smirk and a fragile ego. As Waaler, Kinnaman struts around the Oslo Police headquarters, his shirt unbuttoned enough to reveal a suitably sleazy gold chain while radiating a contemptible confidence that ensures he’s destined for a clash with Hole.
There’s a little more dimension to Waaler than is immediately obvious, though. Kinnaman told the Radio Times that he envisaged the character as a “malignant narcissist” and “someone that doesn’t have much empathy, and can act completely without empathy, but has the ability to sometimes feel it.” That adds some subtlety to both the character and Kinnaman’s performance (which, like Santelmann’s, is top-notch throughout the series).
Joel Kinnaman is just one highlight of Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole
Joel Kinnaman began acting when he was some 11 years old, appearing in 22 episodes of the Swedish soap opera “Storstad.” He then forged an impressive career in his native Sweden before becoming known to international audiences as homicide detective Stephen Holder on AMC’s “The Killing.” Thus, “Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole” sees him return to Scandinavia in a Swedish-speaking role, and while it’s a thrill for fans to see him using his native tongue again, the actor has said it was also a turning point for him. “I realized I have another gear in Swedish that I haven’t used for 15 years,” Kinnaman told Deadline. “It has become so clear to me how important it is for me to do stuff regularly in Swedish.” Expect to see a lot more Swedish projects from Kinnaman, in the future, then.
Meanwhile, we have “Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole,” which has a lot more going for it than its performances. For one thing, it was shot on location in Oslo, with executive producer Øystein Karlsen telling Tudum, “Jo’s version of Oslo is sort of a Gotham version, and we enhance that in the series.” As such, the show strikes an interesting balance between realism and stylization, making for consistently immersive, noirish visuals that feel lived-in. And let’s not forget the score from the always stellar Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
All of this has earned “Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole” Season 1 a 91% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Sure, some reviewers have criticized the show’s haunted cop clichés and tired detective tropes (yes, there’s an evidence cork board), but for the most part, critics have been hugely impressed with one of the best crime TV shows of 2026.
