Ah, the rugged landscapes of frozen Norway. And also the rugged features of Sven Nordin in the role of William Wisting, the Norwegian detective based in Larvik who seems to land the most difficult of cases. The serial killers, the mutilations and the frozen remains always fall to him… So, if Nordic noir is what you love, then tune in to the new season of Wisting, which comes to BBC Four in the subtitled crime slot from 9pm on Saturday 1 February 2025, and the iPlayer.
Doubt has been cast on past convictions previously in the series – including Wisting’s own cases. This time, the shadow falls on the murder of Tone Vaterland, a teenager who disappeared when on her way home from work some years back. The police at the time put her boyfriend away. Now, Wisting has received a cryptic, anonymous note that points to another case. It’s one that he handled, and it might be linked to Tone’s murder.
Wisting is on leave as he recovers from a serious injury, and begins his investigation in secret as exposing a miscarriage of justice will cause ructions in the force. Meanwhile, his colleague Nils Hammer (Mads Ousdal) is investigating the case of a woman found dead in the water and running down leads, such as a curious tattoo. Soon, another letter arrives, sending Wisting deeper into his off-the-books case, and as the episodes progress the trail runs to a prison in Vilnius, Lithuania, where another incarcerated man may be able to shed light on Tone’s murder, and more.
Read more about previous seasons of Wisting here.
As Wisting expected in the beginning, digging into the case has unpredictable consequences. Another death has occurred that puzzles him, and finding the source of the letters is one problem but catching the killer is another. Perhaps DNA profiling can help clear up whether or not past suspects were guilty…
Returning to the series is Wisting’s daughter, Line (Thea Green Lundberg) – a journalist who often makes his professional life difficult, but who has the same investigative instincts as her father. This time, might she help him reach the right outcome? Wisting will also work with Harriet Dunn (Shelley Conn, as seen in Bridgerton and Good Omens), an Interpol investigator who accompanies him to Lithuania.
Unlike the previous season, which was inspired by the work and characters of author and former detective Jørn Lier Horst, this series is based on the novel A Question of Guilt, published in English in 2022.
According to Norwegian TV3’s production schedule, the four episodes constitute season five of Wisting. Confusingly, however, the BBC is listing them as part two of season three. The episodes will air in pairs on 1 February and 8 February, with all four available on the iPlayer from 1 February.
According to some sources, this is to be the final season of Wisting. If this troubles you, check out some of the books about the character here. We’ve been reviewing them since we started Crime Fiction Lover in 2011.
