# Love Me

**Love Me** is a television franchise that began with the Swedish comedy-drama series *Älska mig* (2019–2020), created, written, directed by, and starring Josephine Bornebusch, and has since been remade in Australia and South Korea. The name also belongs to unrelated works, including a 2024 American science-fiction romance film. The Swedish original follows three generations of Stockholmers through friendship, grief, and romance, and its premise of one family facing love at different stages of life has carried into each adaptation.<sup>[1](https://www.viaplaygroup.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/nent-group-falls-new-season-original-comedy-drama-love-me-1719745)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original series | *Älska mig* (Swedish for "Love Me"), six-part comedy drama, premiered on Viaplay on 11 October 2019<sup>[2](https://commercial.viaplaygroup.com/viaplay-originals/love-me)</sup> |
| Creator | Josephine Bornebusch wrote, directed, and starred; Sverrir Gudnason co-stars as Peter<sup>[2](https://commercial.viaplaygroup.com/viaplay-originals/love-me)</sup> |
| Early renewal | A second season was commissioned before the first had aired; it premiered across the Nordic region in autumn 2020<sup>[1](https://www.viaplaygroup.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/nent-group-falls-new-season-original-comedy-drama-love-me-1719745)</sup> |
| Australian remake | *Love Me* (2021), the first original commission from Foxtel's streamer Binge, starring Hugo Weaving, Bojana Novakovic, and William Lodder; two seasons<sup>[3](https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/international/love-me/5168084.article)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/love_me_2021)</sup> |
| Korean remake | *Love Me* (러브 미), JTBC, 12 episodes, 19 December 2025 to 23 January 2026, starring Seo Hyun-Jin<sup>[5](https://asianwiki.com/Love_Me_%28Korean_Drama%29)</sup> |
| US pilot rights | ABC acquired English-language pilot rights to the Swedish series in 2019, with a pilot produced by Elizabeth Banks<sup>[1](https://www.viaplaygroup.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/nent-group-falls-new-season-original-comedy-drama-love-me-1719745)</sup> |
| Unrelated film | *Love Me* (2024), a post-apocalyptic robot romance by Sam and Andy Zuchero starring Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun, premiered at Sundance 2024<sup>[6](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/love-me-sundance-review/5189643.article)</sup> |

## Spoilers

### Plot

#### Season 1

Stockholm, the present. Sten (Johan Ulveson) and Kersti (Görel Crona) sit at their kitchen table. Sten cooks, administers medication, and grumbles; Kersti, frail but sharp, teases him for it. They bicker about food and repeat an old joke one more time. Then Kersti dies suddenly, and Sten is left a widower with a trip booked for two.

Instead of canceling, he goes. At the airport terminal he meets Anita (Ia Langhammer), loud, warm, recently single herself, and the two fall into an unlikely holiday romance. Back home, Sten's grief and his new happiness collide: his family reads his quick move toward Anita as a betrayal of Kersti's memory, and Sten himself cannot always tell whether he is living or escaping.

Sten and Kersti's daughter Clara (Josephine Bornebusch) is a chief physician at a childbirth clinic, competent at work and a wreck at home. She is married to Peter (Sverrir Gudnason), and their marriage is quietly starving: he wants another child, she cannot face one, and neither of them says the real thing out loud. Clara's episodes move between the clinic, where she delivers other people's babies while her own family stalls, and her father's widowed loneliness, which mirrors the marriage she is afraid she is already in.

The third strand is Aron (Gustav Lindh), Clara and Peter's son, a law student still living at home. He falls for a woman with a child and, for the first time, has to decide whether he is a boy or a man.

**The scene the season is remembered for is the dinner table after Kersti's death, when the family's grief comes out sideways as anger.** Sten announces his trip, then Anita, and the family's polite Swedish restraint cracks open, each of them saying the cruellest true thing they can find. The series stages it as a single sustained scene, the camera staying with faces rather than cutting away, letting Ulveson's improvised gruffness and Bornebusch's controlled Clara carry the weight. It works because nobody is wrong: Sten needs to go on living, and the family needs to be allowed to grieve.

By the season's end, Sten and Anita have committed to each other despite the family's resistance, Clara and Peter have begun, painfully, to say honest things to each other, and Aron has taken a first step out of the house and into adulthood. The finale, titled "Är du lycklig?" ("Are you happy?"), leaves each character mid-question rather than mid-answer.

#### Season 2

Sten and Anita's relationship is no longer a scandal but a fact. The season tests what happens after falling in love: two older people merging households, habits, and griefs, Anita carrying losses of her own. Clara and Peter's marriage reaches its crisis point, with separation genuinely on the table, and Clara has to decide who she is without the roles of doctor, wife, and daughter. Aron's relationship deepens into real responsibility, the child in it making him grow up faster than he planned.

The finale leaves the family rearranged rather than repaired, each generation having paid something for the connection it gained.

### Characters

**Sten (Johan Ulveson)** is the grieving patriarch, a curmudgeon whose grumpiness is a form of devotion. He cared for Kersti for years, and his abrupt pursuit of Anita is less a betrayal than a man refusing to stop living. Ulveson improvised much of his crankiest material.

**Clara (Josephine Bornebusch)** is Sten and Kersti's daughter, a chief physician at a childbirth clinic who manages everyone's crises except her own. Her marriage to Peter is the series' study of a couple who love each other and have stopped seeing each other.

**Peter (Sverrir Gudnason)** is Clara's husband, patient to a fault and quietly desperate for the family they have not had. His patience curdles over the seasons into its own kind of resentment.

**Aron (Gustav Lindh)** is Clara and Peter's son, a law student living at home whose first serious relationship forces the question of adulthood on him years before he is ready.

**Anita (Ia Langhammer)** is the widow Sten meets at the airport, exuberant and unembarrassed about wanting more from life, the catalyst for the whole family's reckoning.

**Kersti (Görel Crona)** is Sten's wife, whose death in the opening episodes sets everything in motion. In her brief screen time she establishes the marriage that Sten spends the series learning to outlive.

### Sequels, spin-offs, and adaptations

The series was adapted for Australian television as *Love Me* (2021), written mainly by Alison Bell for the ABC, with the same premise of a family at three life stages after the mother's death, and directed by Emma Freeman across all six episodes.<sup>[19](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-who-wants-love-everybody-does-and-love-me-delivers/)</sup>

## The Swedish original: Älska mig

The series premiered exclusively on the Nordic streaming service Viaplay on 11 October 2019 as a six-part comedy drama. Josephine Bornebusch, previously known to Swedish audiences as Mickan in the sitcom *Solsidan*, wrote, directed, and starred, with Sofie Palage producing for Warner Bros. International Television Production Sverige and Film Capital Stockholm co-producing.<sup>[2](https://commercial.viaplaygroup.com/viaplay-originals/love-me)</sup>

The story follows the intersecting lives of three generations of Stockholmers and their experiences of friendship, grief, and romance. At its center is Clara (Bornebusch), a successful doctor whose ailing love life revives when she meets Peter (Sverrir Gudnason of *Borg vs. McEnroe*). The cast also includes Johan Ulveson and Ia Langhammer as Clara's parents, Gustav Lindh as her brother Aron, and Görel Crona, Dilan Gwyn, and Sofia Karemyr.<sup>[1](https://www.viaplaygroup.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/nent-group-falls-new-season-original-comedy-drama-love-me-1719745)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://commercial.viaplaygroup.com/viaplay-originals/love-me)</sup> Swedish reviews placed the show in different registers: Sveriges Radio's critic described it as darker than the romantic comedy Bornebusch pitched it as, while *Aftonbladet* gave it four of five and called it Viaplay's best original series to that point; *Svenska Dagbladet* was cooler, calling it a romantic comedy forced into a drama costume.<sup>[7](https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/7319429)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/tv/a/MRJjy5/alska-mig-ar-valdigt-latt-att-alska)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.svd.se/a/nan4kB/overtydlig-romkom-om-trasslig-medelklassfamilj)</sup>

**Renewal and rights.** NENT Group, Viaplay's parent company, commissioned a second season before the first had premiered, an unusual step its Chief Content Officer Jakob Mejlhede Andersen presented as a measure of the show's quality. Season two, six episodes produced by the same team, was filmed in Stockholm from autumn 2019 and premiered across the Nordic region in autumn 2020.<sup>[1](https://www.viaplaygroup.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/nent-group-falls-new-season-original-comedy-drama-love-me-1719745)</sup> The American network ABC acquired rights for an English-language pilot produced by [Elizabeth Banks](https://www.edgepedia.org/elizabeth-banks), with Bornebusch as executive producer.<sup>[1](https://www.viaplaygroup.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/nent-group-falls-new-season-original-comedy-drama-love-me-1719745)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/7319429)</sup>

The first season won three awards and gathered eight nominations: two Riagalan jury prizes in 2020 (Program Idea of the Year and Storyteller of the Year for Bornebusch), the Kristallen award for TV Drama of the Year 2020, and nominations at the C21 International Drama Awards and further Kristallen categories.<sup>[2](https://commercial.viaplaygroup.com/viaplay-originals/love-me)</sup> International distribution was handled first by Eccho Rights, which signed the series shortly after its premiere.<sup>[10](https://worldscreen.com/tvdrama/eccho-rights-to-rep-swedish-drama-love-me/)</sup>

## The Australian remake

[The Australian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-australian) *Love Me* premiered on Binge on 26 December 2021 as the first original commission from Foxtel's streaming service, which had launched in 2020. It transposes the premise to Melbourne, following the Mathieson family: father Glen ([Hugo Weaving](https://www.edgepedia.org/hugo-weaving)), daughter Clara ([Bojana Novakovic](https://www.edgepedia.org/bojana-novakovic)), a 38-year-old anaesthetist, and son Aaron (William Lodder), who are pushed to emotional crossroads after an unexpected death. The six-part season was directed by Emma Freeman and written by Alison Bell, Leon Ford, Adele Vuko, and Blake Ayshford, produced by Aquarius Films and Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia with Screen Australia and Film Victoria support.<sup>[3](https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/international/love-me/5168084.article)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[11](https://www.aquariusfilms.com.au/love-me)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[12](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/news/foxtel-warner-bros-and-aquarius-films-team-up-on-new-romantic-drama-love-me-1470554/)</sup>

The cast also includes Heather Mitchell, Bob Morley, Sarah Peirse, Shalom Brune-Franklin, and [Celia Pacquola](https://www.edgepedia.org/celia-pacquola).<sup>[13](https://www.c21media.net/news/intl-streamers-ready-for-more-romance-in-second-season-of-dcd-rights-love-me/)</sup> Season one was nominated for seven TV Week Logie Awards, with Mitchell winning Most Outstanding Supporting Actress, and received ten AACTA Award nominations across categories including Best Drama Series, Best Direction, and acting nods for Novakovic, Weaving, and Mitchell.<sup>[11](https://www.aquariusfilms.com.au/love-me)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[14](https://au.variety.com/2022/tv/news/love-me-season-2-6445/)</sup>

**International sales.** Distributor DCD Rights sold the series to more than 25 territories. Hulu took it in the United States, Acorn TV in the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and India, and Viaplay in the [Nordic countries](https://www.edgepedia.org/nordic-countries), Poland, and the Netherlands; [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) picked up seasons one and two for Italy, France, and Germany.<sup>[13](https://www.c21media.net/news/intl-streamers-ready-for-more-romance-in-second-season-of-dcd-rights-love-me/)</sup> On Rotten Tomatoes the Australian series holds an average Tomatometer score of 89 percent across its two seasons.<sup>[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/love_me_2021)</sup>

**Season two.** Filming began across Melbourne and regional Victoria in October 2022, with Bonnie Moir joining as director alongside returning cast members Weaving, Novakovic, Lodder, and Mitchell, plus [Bob Morley](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-morley), Celia Pacquola, Shalom Brune-Franklin, and Mitzi Ruhlmann. The season picks up nine months after the first and continues the family's romantic storylines.<sup>[14](https://au.variety.com/2022/tv/news/love-me-season-2-6445/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[15](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/apr/06/love-me-season-two-review-very-middle-class-very-melbourne-and-very-compelling)</sup>

## The Korean remake

A South Korean version aired on the network JTBC from 19 December 2025 to 23 January 2026, in a Friday 20:50 slot with two consecutive episodes per week, for a total of 12 episodes. It was directed by Jo Young-Min, written by Park Eun-Young and Park Hee-Kwon, and stars Seo Hyun-Jin as Seo Jun-Kyung, a single obstetrician-gynecologist who appears to have a perfect life but has run away from her family seven years earlier after an accident that caused it to collapse. A neighbor, the music composer Ju Do Hyun ([Chang Ryul](https://www.edgepedia.org/chang-ryul)), becomes the only person to learn of her loneliness.<sup>[5](https://asianwiki.com/Love_Me_%28Korean_Drama%29)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[16](https://www.soompi.com/article/1807065wpp/first-impressions-love-me-is-a-slow-burn-k-drama-about-loneliness-guilt-and-healing)</sup> AsianWiki identifies it as a remake of the Swedish series, which it says aired from 2019 to 2020.<sup>[5](https://asianwiki.com/Love_Me_%28Korean_Drama%29)</sup>

## Other works titled Love Me

An unrelated American film, *Love Me* (2024), directed by first-time feature filmmakers Sam and Andy Zuchero, is a post-apocalyptic romance in which a robotic buoy and an orbiting satellite, voiced and embodied by [Kristen Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/kristen-stewart) and [Steven Yeun](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-yeun), pursue connection after humanity's extinction. It premiered at Sundance in January 2024 and received a mixed critical reception, with a Metacritic Metascore of 52.<sup>[6](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/love-me-sundance-review/5189643.article)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[17](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/love-me/critic-reviews/)</sup> A separate Italian romantic film, *Love Me, Love Me*, an adaptation of a bestselling novel, was released on Prime Video in early 2026 as part of the platform's youth-oriented romance slate.<sup>[18](https://los40.com/2026/02/13/llega-a-prime-video-la-adaptacion-del-best-seller-italiano-love-me-love-me-de-que-va-la-pelicula/)</sup>

## References

1. [NENT Group falls for new season of original comedy drama 'Love Me', Viaplay Group press release, 9 September 2019](https://www.viaplaygroup.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/nent-group-falls-new-season-original-comedy-drama-love-me-1719745)
2. [Love Me, Viaplay Commercial Originals page](https://commercial.viaplaygroup.com/viaplay-originals/love-me)
3. [Love Me, Broadcast, Features](https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/international/love-me/5168084.article)
4. [Love Me (2021), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/love_me_2021)
5. [Love Me (Korean Drama), AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Love_Me_%28Korean_Drama%29)
6. ['Love Me': Sundance Review, Screen Daily, 19 January 2024](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/love-me-sundance-review/5189643.article)
7. [Hatten av för Josephine Bornebusch och dramakomedin "Älska mig", Sveriges Radio Kulturnytt, 11 October 2019](https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/7319429)
8. [Älska mig – recension: En serie som är väldigt lätt att älska, Aftonbladet](https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/tv/a/MRJjy5/alska-mig-ar-valdigt-latt-att-alska)
9. [Övertydlig romkom om trasslig medelklassfamilj, Svenska Dagbladet, 11 October 2019](https://www.svd.se/a/nan4kB/overtydlig-romkom-om-trasslig-medelklassfamilj)
10. [Eccho Rights to Rep Swedish Drama Love Me, TVDRAMA / World Screen](https://worldscreen.com/tvdrama/eccho-rights-to-rep-swedish-drama-love-me/)
11. [Love Me, Aquarius Films](https://www.aquariusfilms.com.au/love-me)
12. [Warner Bros, Binge, and Aquarius Films team up on new romantic drama 'Love Me', ScreenHub, 17 August 2021](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/news/foxtel-warner-bros-and-aquarius-films-team-up-on-new-romantic-drama-love-me-1470554/)
13. [Int'l streamers ready for more romance in second season of DCD Rights' Love Me, C21Media, 15 November 2022](https://www.c21media.net/news/intl-streamers-ready-for-more-romance-in-second-season-of-dcd-rights-love-me/)
14. ['Love Me' Season 2 Starts Filming in Melbourne, Variety Australia, 14 October 2022](https://au.variety.com/2022/tv/news/love-me-season-2-6445/)
15. [Love Me season two review: very middle class, very Melbourne – and very compelling, The Guardian, 5 April 2023](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/apr/06/love-me-season-two-review-very-middle-class-very-melbourne-and-very-compelling)
16. [First Impressions: "Love Me" Is A Slow-Burn K-Drama About Loneliness, Guilt, And Healing, Soompi, 24 December 2025](https://www.soompi.com/article/1807065wpp/first-impressions-love-me-is-a-slow-burn-k-drama-about-loneliness-guilt-and-healing)
17. [Love Me critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/love-me/critic-reviews/)
18. [Llega a Prime Video la adaptación del best seller italiano 'Love Me, Love Me', LOS40, 13 February 2026](https://los40.com/2026/02/13/llega-a-prime-video-la-adaptacion-del-best-seller-italiano-love-me-love-me-de-que-va-la-pelicula/)
19. [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-who-wants-love-everybody-does-and-love-me-delivers/](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-who-wants-love-everybody-does-and-love-me-delivers/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series › Premiered 2017 to 2021*

*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

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