# Bäckström (Swedish TV series)
**Bäckström** is a Swedish crime drama series based on Leif GW Persson's novels about the veteran criminal commissioner Evert Bäckström, produced by Yellow Bird for C More and TV4 and first broadcast in 2020 with Kjell Bergqvist in the title role.[1](https://filmivast.se/filmer-serier/samproduktioner/2020/baeckstroem-saesong-1) • [2](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/5c92287424bc62080b03d012/nya-originalserien-backstrom-baserad-pa-leif-gw-perssons-bocker-med-kjell-bergqvist-i-huvudrollen) The series ran between 2020 and 2024.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10068932/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Lead and character | Kjell Bergqvist, a Guldbagge and Kristallen award winner, plays Evert Bäckström, a murder detective whom the broadcaster describes as nationally famous and who claims to have solved 99 percent of all cases he has taken on.[1](https://filmivast.se/filmer-serier/samproduktioner/2020/baeckstroem-saesong-1) • [2](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/5c92287424bc62080b03d012/nya-originalserien-backstrom-baserad-pa-leif-gw-perssons-bocker-med-kjell-bergqvist-i-huvudrollen) |
| Season 1 | Six episodes; premiered on C More on 23 March 2020 (two episodes at once, then one weekly) and on TV4 on 7 April 2020 at 21:00.[4](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/5e4177c7cf4a375243075c68/da-har-nya-kriminaldramaserien-backstrom-premiar) |
| Season 1 source | Based on Persson's novel *Kan man dö två gånger?* and parts of *Den som dödar draken*.[1](https://filmivast.se/filmer-serier/samproduktioner/2020/baeckstroem-saesong-1) |
| Season 3 | Premiered 24 April 2024 on TV4 and TV4 Play; six episodes; freely based on the character, inspired by *Linda – som i Lindamordet* and the real police investigation "Operation Playa".[5](https://press.tv4.se/post/tittarfavoriten-backstrom-ar-tillbaka-med-en-tredje-sasong) • [6](https://press.tv4.se/post/ny-sasong-av-backstrom-inspelningen-startar-idag-1) |
| Production | Produced by Yellow Bird (Yellowbird) for C More/TV4 in co-production with Film i Väst and ARD Degeto; Banijay Rights handles international distribution.[1](https://filmivast.se/filmer-serier/samproduktioner/2020/baeckstroem-saesong-1) • [6](https://press.tv4.se/post/ny-sasong-av-backstrom-inspelningen-startar-idag-1) |
| International release | Premiered in the US and Canada on Acorn TV on 26 April 2021; released on DVD with English subtitles; listed on Apple TV and available on TV 2 Play in Denmark.[7](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2021/03/23/valkommen-ba%cc%88ckstro%cc%88m/) • [8](https://shop.bbc.com/products/backstrom-23174) • [9](https://tv.apple.com/se/show/backstrom/umc.cmc.4hkecw5zo9b74mtuspkifkgbn) • [10](https://play.tv2.dk/serie/backstrom-cmore) |
## Premise and characters
The series centers on Evert Bäckström, a self-satisfied master detective whom the broadcaster describes as nationally famous and able to boast of having solved 99 percent of all the cases he has taken on.[1](https://filmivast.se/filmer-serier/samproduktioner/2020/baeckstroem-saesong-1) Bergqvist described the character as a corrupt, completely unscrupulous man who is lazy, often slips away from work to frequent pubs, and cares nothing for what anyone else thinks, including his superiors.[2](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/5c92287424bc62080b03d012/nya-originalserien-backstrom-baserad-pa-leif-gw-perssons-bocker-med-kjell-bergqvist-i-huvudrollen) Danish and English-language platform descriptions reinforce the portrait: his methods are often at odds with the law, and his arrogant, egoistic personality makes him unpopular among colleagues.[10](https://play.tv2.dk/serie/backstrom-cmore) [Acorn TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/acorn-tv)'s promotional copy calls him "a rock star among cops" who thinks he is a genius, and who is, at solving crimes.[11](https://acorn.tv/backstrom/)
**Season 1 case.** The first season opens when a skull with bullet holes is found on an uninhabited island in the Swedish archipelago, posing the mystery of the season's source novel's title, "Can you die twice?".[2](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/5c92287424bc62080b03d012/nya-originalserien-backstrom-baserad-pa-leif-gw-perssons-bocker-med-kjell-bergqvist-i-huvudrollen) DNA results identify the skull as belonging to a victim of Thailand's 2004 tsunami, and the island is named Ofärdsön (Misfortune Island); the victim, Jaidee, appears to have died twice, both on the island and in the tsunami.[7](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2021/03/23/valkommen-ba%cc%88ckstro%cc%88m/) Episode synopses name prosecutor Hanna Hwass, who believes the identification is a mistake, and Bäckström's colleague Ankan Carlsson; Bäckström travels to Thailand in the third episode.[7](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2021/03/23/valkommen-ba%cc%88ckstro%cc%88m/) • [11](https://acorn.tv/backstrom/)
**Season 3 case.** The third season follows Bäckström to Palma as he pursues his only unsolved case, the murder of his childhood friend Sally; the investigation turns when a Swedish man is found murdered and a bomb detonates in Stockholm.[5](https://press.tv4.se/post/tittarfavoriten-backstrom-ar-tillbaka-med-en-tredje-sasong) The season also involves the undercover "Operation Palma", in which three Swedish police officers under prosecutor Xenia Wall map a Swedish drug cartel smuggling drugs from South America via Palma to Sweden.[6](https://press.tv4.se/post/ny-sasong-av-backstrom-inspelningen-startar-idag-1)
## Episodes and seasons
Season 1 comprises six episodes. It premiered on C More on Monday 23 March 2020, with two episodes released at once and one per week thereafter, and reached broadcast television on TV4 on Tuesday 7 April 2020 at 21:00.[4](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/5e4177c7cf4a375243075c68/da-har-nya-kriminaldramaserien-backstrom-premiar) Season 3 also consists of six episodes, broadcast in spring 2024, premiering on 24 April 2024 on TV4 and TV4 Play.[5](https://press.tv4.se/post/tittarfavoriten-backstrom-ar-tillbaka-med-en-tredje-sasong) IMDb lists 18 episodes spanning 2020 to 2024, which implies six episodes per season across three seasons.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10068932/)
## Production
The series is produced by Yellow Bird (Yellowbird) for C More and TV4 in co-production with Film i Väst and ARD Degeto, with Niva Westlin Dahl as executive producer at C More/TV4 and Georgie Mathew as producer at Yellowbird for the first season.[1](https://filmivast.se/filmer-serier/samproduktioner/2020/baeckstroem-saesong-1) For season 3, Daniel Gylling produced at Yellowbird, again in co-production with ARD Degeto and Film i Väst, with Petra Ahlin as TV4 executive producer.[6](https://press.tv4.se/post/ny-sasong-av-backstrom-inspelningen-startar-idag-1) • [5](https://press.tv4.se/post/tittarfavoriten-backstrom-ar-tillbaka-med-en-tredje-sasong) Jonathan Sjöberg was conceptual director and head writer on season 1, with Amanda Adolfsson as second director, and the script was written by Leif G.W. Persson, Sjöberg, and Dennis Magnusson.[1](https://filmivast.se/filmer-serier/samproduktioner/2020/baeckstroem-saesong-1) Season 3 scripts are by Magnusson and Sjöberg, with direction by Sjöberg and David Berron.[5](https://press.tv4.se/post/tittarfavoriten-backstrom-ar-tillbaka-med-en-tredje-sasong) Filming took place in [Gothenburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/gothenburg), which stands in for Stockholm on screen.[6](https://press.tv4.se/post/ny-sasong-av-backstrom-inspelningen-startar-idag-1) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10068932/)
The series premiered streaming-first on C More before a free-TV run on TV4, financed through a co-production chain that includes the regional film fund Film i Väst and a German partner, ARD Degeto, with international sales handled by Banijay Rights.[1](https://filmivast.se/filmer-serier/samproduktioner/2020/baeckstroem-saesong-1) • [4](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/5e4177c7cf4a375243075c68/da-har-nya-kriminaldramaserien-backstrom-premiar)
## Adaptation from the novels
Season 1 builds on Persson's novel *Kan man dö två gånger?* and parts of *Den som dödar draken*.[1](https://filmivast.se/filmer-serier/samproduktioner/2020/baeckstroem-saesong-1) The third season is freely based on the character rather than a single novel, drawing inspiration from *Linda – som i Lindamordet* and from the real police investigation the force called "Operation Playa".[6](https://press.tv4.se/post/ny-sasong-av-backstrom-inspelningen-startar-idag-1) Persson's books about the character have also inspired an American adaptation, the US series *Backstrom* starring [Rainn Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/rainn-wilson).[7](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2021/03/23/valkommen-ba%cc%88ckstro%cc%88m/)
## Cast
Season 1 stars Kjell Bergqvist alongside Agnes Lindström Bolmgren, Helen Sjöholm, Linus Wahlgren, and Elvis Stegmar.[4](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/5e4177c7cf4a375243075c68/da-har-nya-kriminaldramaserien-backstrom-premiar) Season 3 brings back Bergqvist as Evert Bäckström with Helena Bergström (Tussan), Agnes Lindström Bolmgren (Ankan Carlsson), Rolf Lydahl (Niemi), Mira Lydahl (Alice), Peshang Rad, Filip Berg (Olzzon & Olsson), Pekka Strang (Toivonen), and Julia Marco Nord as prosecutor Xenia Wall.[5](https://press.tv4.se/post/tittarfavoriten-backstrom-ar-tillbaka-med-en-tredje-sasong) • [6](https://press.tv4.se/post/ny-sasong-av-backstrom-inspelningen-startar-idag-1)
## International distribution and availability
The series premiered in the United States and Canada exclusively on Acorn TV on Monday 26 April 2021.[7](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2021/03/23/valkommen-ba%cc%88ckstro%cc%88m/) It is available internationally on DVD as a six-episode Swedish-language thriller/drama with English subtitles, running five hours on two discs with SDH subtitles.[8](https://shop.bbc.com/products/backstrom-23174) Apple TV lists the series as a Swedish crime series released in 2020, rated 15+, with origin regions Sweden and Germany and original audio in Swedish and German.[9](https://tv.apple.com/se/show/backstrom/umc.cmc.4hkecw5zo9b74mtuspkifkgbn) In Denmark it streams on TV 2 Play.[10](https://play.tv2.dk/serie/backstrom-cmore)
## What has changed since 2023
After the first two seasons, a third season went into production with filming in Gothenburg, announced as freely based on Persson's character and expected to premiere on C More during 2024.[6](https://press.tv4.se/post/ny-sasong-av-backstrom-inspelningen-startar-idag-1) Season 3 launched on 24 April 2024 on TV4 and TV4 Play.[5](https://press.tv4.se/post/tittarfavoriten-backstrom-ar-tillbaka-med-en-tredje-sasong) The season's plot moved the setting abroad to Palma, tying Bäckström's only unsolved case, the murder of his childhood friend Sally, to the undercover Operation Palma drug-cartel investigation.[5](https://press.tv4.se/post/tittarfavoriten-backstrom-ar-tillbaka-med-en-tredje-sasong) • [6](https://press.tv4.se/post/ny-sasong-av-backstrom-inspelningen-startar-idag-1)
## References
1. [Bäckström – säsong 1, Film i Väst](https://filmivast.se/filmer-serier/samproduktioner/2020/baeckstroem-saesong-1)
2. [Nya originalserien Bäckström baserad på Leif GW Perssons böcker med Kjell Bergqvist i huvudrollen, TV4](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/5c92287424bc62080b03d012/nya-originalserien-backstrom-baserad-pa-leif-gw-perssons-bocker-med-kjell-bergqvist-i-huvudrollen)
3. [Bäckström (TV Series), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10068932/)
4. [Då har nya kriminaldramaserien Bäckström premiär, TV4](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/5e4177c7cf4a375243075c68/da-har-nya-kriminaldramaserien-backstrom-premiar)
5. [Tittarfavoriten Bäckström är tillbaka med en tredje säsong!, TV4 presstjänst](https://press.tv4.se/post/tittarfavoriten-backstrom-ar-tillbaka-med-en-tredje-sasong)
6. [Ny säsong av Bäckström – inspelningen startar idag, TV4 presstjänst](https://press.tv4.se/post/ny-sasong-av-backstrom-inspelningen-startar-idag-1)
7. [VÄLKOMMEN, BÄCKSTRÖM, AMC Global Media / Acorn TV](https://www.amcglobalmedia.com/2021/03/23/valkommen-ba%cc%88ckstro%cc%88m/)
8. [Bäckström, BBC Shop](https://shop.bbc.com/products/backstrom-23174)
9. [Bäckström, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/se/show/backstrom/umc.cmc.4hkecw5zo9b74mtuspkifkgbn)
10. [Bäckström | TV 2 Play](https://play.tv2.dk/serie/backstrom-cmore)
11. [Backstrom, Acorn TV](https://acorn.tv/backstrom/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Crime and thriller series › Police and detective procedurals*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license