Viaplay May 2026
Black Sands, Season 2
S10
Welfare Warriors
Keep It Together
5 Women
The Mine

SPOTLIGHT: NORDIC NOIR

Black Sands, Season 2 / Final Season (Svörtu sandar) - Award-winning Nordic Noir returns with final season

Exclusive U.S. Premiere

Thursday, May 14 (Two episodes weekly)

*One of the most nominated Icelandic series of the past decade - Eighteen-time nominee for top Scandi awards, including Television Show and Actress for both seasons

*Season 1 'Best TV Shows' of the Year Selection. "Hidden streaming gem of the year... (a) moody Nordic noir but with a pleasurably rambunctious Icelandic spirit." -Vogue

"This superior Nordic noir is intense, sexy, well-acted and unnerving." - San Jose Mercury News

Showcasing Nordic noir at its very best with eighteen television award nominations in Iceland, BLACK SANDS (Svörtu sandar) returns with another riveting and final eight-part season. Featuring beautiful cinematography around Iceland's famous black sands, the dark crime drama's first season followed a troubled police officer (Aldis Amah Hamilton, Netflix's The Valhalla Murders) forced back to her hometown, who soon begins tracking a serial killer who has been operating for years, disguising murders as accidents.

During the bleak Arctic winter, Season 2 picks up fourteen months after the Black Sands tragedy, where the survivors are still haunted by the revelation that a beloved resident was a serial killer.

The mystery deepens with the strange death of an elderly woman, Helena, and another shocking murder. As the investigation unfolds, the town's dark history of abuse and negligence is revealed, exposing that their serial killer was just one part of a much larger, insidious secret.

(8 episodes by 45 minutes; Icelandic with English subtitle)

SPOTLIGHT: MUSIC DOCUMENTARY

S10 (Stien) - Music Feature Documentary on Dutch superstar and Eurovision singer

Exclusive U.S. Premiere

Tuesday, May 12

As the excitement builds for this year's Eurovision Song Contest in mid-May, Viaplay debuts a powerful new feature documentary S10 (Stien). The fascinating film shares the highs and lows of Dutch singer-songwriter Stien den Hollander, known as S10, who represented The Netherlands in Eurovision 2022.

With comparisons to Billie Eilish and nearly a million monthly listeners on Spotify, the internationally acclaimed, charismatic hip-hop phenomenon S10 has been hailed as a defining voice of her generation. Signed at just 16-years-old to Noah's Ark record label and adopting the moniker S10, she made a rapid rise to fame with her raw, genre-defying sound and deeply personal lyrics shaped by her challenging experiences with mental health and a complicated upbringing. Painfully honest and powerful, her songs have become a way to channel her feelings and those of many in her generation who share the same struggle.

For this intimate documentary, Stien was followed for several years, from her greatest performance in front of two hundred million people at the Eurovision Song Contest to her most vulnerable moments at home and her ongoing struggles with her past. Directed by Linda Hakeboom and Rolf Hartogensis, this poignant and emotionally charged film captures a thought-provoking portrait of a bold, young artist as she overcomes mental health crises and takes her career to the global stage, including exclusive behind-the-scenes access, from songwriting to her standout stage performances.

(Feature Documentary 70 mins, 2024, Dutch with English subtitles)

SPOTLIGHT: DARK COMEDY

Welfare Warrior (Sisäilmaa) - Award-winning Workplace Dark Comedy Series

Exclusive U.S. Premiere

Thursday, May 7

"A delightfully unhinged comedy"
- Helsingin Sanomat

"A surreal and satirical look at the collapse of public institutions, with a uniquely Finnish twist" - Cineuropa

This darkly comic workplace drama won three 'Finnish Emmys' (Golden Venla Awards) for Best Drama Series, Best Actress and Best Actor. When her workplace - an employment agency - is haunted, threatened by mold contamination, and crushed under impossible performance targets, service manager Anneli Tiainen (Elina Knihtilä, The Beast Must Die) turns to increasingly bizarre remedies. But when one misstep spirals into chaos, Anneli must confront not only the strange phenomena invading her office - ghosts, visions, and creeping mold - but the collapse of her own mental stability.

As the walls of the welfare state begin to literally crumble around her, Anneli faces a choice: give up or risk everything. Welfare Warriors is a bold, genre-blending comedy drama that mixes biting social satire with psychological suspense, offering a uniquely Finnish take on workplace burnout, public service pressure, and the absurdity of modern bureaucracy.

(3 x 60 mins episodes, Finnish with English subtitles)

SPOTLIGHT: INTERNATIONAL DRAMEDY

Keep It Together (Hålla samman) - Family Dramedy

Exclusive U.S. Premiere

Thursday, May 21

This moving and humor filled new Swedish comedy drama follows two sisters forced to face the past and a new family reality, when their father receives a life-changing diagnosis.

When Kenneth (Lennart Jähkel, The Hunters), a retired bus driver in a small town in Sweden, learns that he has Alzheimer's, his two adult daughters must confront not only his decline - but how to navigate their own relationship. Lina (Michaela Thorsén, Riding in Darkness), a single mother and overworked nurse, suddenly finds herself housing her unpredictable father. Petra (Ulrika Nilsson, The Congregation), the responsible older sister with a picture-perfect family, insists on structure and control. The sisters couldn't be more different, and they rarely agree on anything - except that they love their dad.

Keep It Together explores the chaos of caregiving, sibling rivalry and the bittersweet comedy of everyday life. With sharp dialogue, relatable family dynamics and laugh-out-loud moments of absurdity, the series balances heartbreak and humor. This is a story about holding on - to family, to dignity and to each other - when everything seems to be falling apart.

(8 x 29 mins episodes, Swedish with English subtitles)

Films / New to Viaplay

Thurs., May 7 / The Mine (Jättiläinen) - Feature Film

A young and ambitious civil servant Jussi finds himself in charge of the environmental permit of a huge nickel and uranium mine in Northern Finland. The Talvivaara mine, led by a charismatic globe-trotting visioner Pekka Perä is introducing an entirely new method of collecting minerals whilst creating jobs in one of the poorest areas in Scandinavia. Jussi slowly discovers that he has been led astray by several people and that the new method has serious downsides he did not foresee. The mine is causing environmental hazards that are being hushed down. A new application for another permit is brought to his table by the same mine. Along with the application comes an interesting job offer and a chance of a new beginning. Jussi must decide whether he will play along and if so, with whom. (2016, 93 mins, Finnish with English subtitles)

Thurs., May 28 / 5 Women (5 Frauen) - Feature Film

A group of female friends meet every year, for a relaxing break and to get away from it all in the south of France, but this years' trip takes a dark turn... All is going well until one night, when they're all on a crazy drug trip, a man breaks into the house, and in the mayhem, they kill the intruder and decide to hide the body. As darkness descends, a mysterious man appears from nowhere, looking for his missing brother. Scared and confused, the woman must tolerate his presence, and as sexual attractions deepen, tensions rise and a palpable danger hangs in the air. (2017, 98 mins, German and French with English subtitles)

RECENT ACCLAIMED PREMIERES / HIDDEN GEMS

· Scarborn (Kos, U.S. Premiere, Feature Film, Available April 30) - This Tarantino esque, action-packed historical drama is set in 18th-century Poland and follows a young serf (Bartosz Bielenia, star of the Oscar-nominated Corpus Christi) on a perilous quest to prove his noble heritage, while unexpectedly getting entangled in a rebellion led by historical figure General Tadeusz "Kos" Kościuszko. The most nominated film in the history of the Polish Film Awards ('Polish Oscars') with 16 nominations and six wins, including Best Director and Best Screenplay. (Trailer)

· Dangerous Truth (Das Zweite Attentat, U.S. Premiere) - Inspired by real events surrounding the faulty intelligence that helped justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the six-part German thriller explores a deadly conspiracy buried within European intelligence services. With the current Iran war once again putting U.S. foreign policy and intelligence decisions in the spotlight, the series feels especially timely - exploring how flawed information and political pressure can shape global events. (Trailer)

· Double Stakes (U.S. Premiere) - "A stimulating tale of cops and thieves" (LA Times) | A bold new entry in the global crime drama landscape out of the Ukraine | Seen on Netflix Ukraine, this intense crime drama blends the moody atmospherics of Nordic Noir with the gritty realism of a modern Ukraine. With cinematic stye, the action thriller follows a soldier who after being discharged from the front, challenges the circles of crime and corrupt officials in Kyiv. (Trailer)

· Stayer, Season 1 - 'Best New Shows of January' Selection... "Outstanding Cast" (Time Magazine) and "Beautiful, deep, intense, and fabulous hour drama" (ABC22) | Led by Norwegian superstar Aksel Hennie (The Martian, Sisu, Headhunters) - who also directs - this high-end drama follows an aging rock musician forced to confront his greatest test when the mother of his child dies tragically. He must navigate his way back to life, finding new meaning in music and fatherhood. (6x33') (Trailer)

· Vanguard (English and Swedish) - "Succession meets The Wolf of Wall Street" (TV Guide) | This gripping, award-winning five-part drama series explores fierce family rivalries, high-stakes deals, and groundbreaking innovation that shaped a media empire. With a fast-paced, cinematic approach, this riveting series captures not just the rise of a visionary but also the personal sacrifices behind power. Nominated for 'Best Drama' and winning 'Best Actor' (Jakob Oftebro) at the 2025 Swedish Emmys (Kristallen Awards). (Trailer)

· A Life's Worth - #1 'Best Nordic Shows of 2025' (Nordic Watchlist) | Sweden's most ambitious war series to date. This riveting, landmark drama series follows young soldiers thrown into Bosnia's brutal conflict in 1993. Visually striking and emotionally charged, A Life's Worth is not just a war drama - it's a gripping exploration of duty, humanity, and the cost of peacekeeping in one of Europe's most devastating modern conflicts. Co-starring Edvin Ryding (Young Royals, 28 Years Later) (Trailer)

· Mafia - 'Best International Shows' of 2025 'Top 10' Selection in The New York Times | This bold crime series follows the violent rise of a notorious gangster (Peshang Rad, Bäckström) and the lone cop (Katia Winter, The Boys, Dexter) pursuing him. (Trailer)

About Viaplay:

The Viaplay streaming service features thousands of hours of premium Nordic and European series and films from Scandinavia's largest and most recognized television/streaming platform. Viaplay's US content offering focuses on the Nordic region's high-quality and psychologically penetrating titles: from atmospheric and suspenseful crime dramas and provocative and stylish young adult series to award-winning dramas and riveting documentaries. On par with the best on television, Viaplay series feature first-rate production values, incredible scenery, award-worthy acting, and edge-of-your-seat storylines. Viaplay is available as an add-on subscription on Prime Video Channels, The Roku Channel, Comcast Xfinity, and more for only $5.99 a month. All titles are available in their original language with English subtitles. Link: http://amazon.com/video/viaplayus