Honestly, most history documentaries feel like a dusty lecture you're forced to sit through in high school. You know the vibe—slow panning shots of old oil paintings and a narrator who sounds like they haven't had a coffee since 1994. But then Historien om Sverige (The History of Sweden) dropped on SVT, and suddenly, everyone from Gothenburg to Kiruna was talking about the Bronze Age at the dinner table.
It wasn't just a "show." It was a massive cultural event.
Sveriges Television (SVT) bet big on this one. It’s officially their most expensive and ambitious historical project ever. We’re talking ten hour-long episodes, 1,500 extras, and a timeline that starts with the literal melting of the ice caps 14,000 years ago and ends in the modern day. If you’ve been looking for the history of sweden tv show that actually makes you feel the grit and the cold of the past, this is the one.
What Makes This Show Different?
The creators didn’t just want to list dates. They wanted to show how humans actually lived.
Simon J. Berger, the narrator, brings a certain weight to the storytelling. You might recognize him from Exit or Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves. His voice guides you through everything from the first nomadic hunters following reindeer across the tundra to the high-stakes political drama of the Vasa dynasty.
The production value is through the roof. Most of the time, historical reenactments look a bit... cheap? Like people wearing Spirit Halloween Viking costumes. Not here. They filmed at over 200 locations. They used 4K cameras (a first for an SVT documentary of this scale). They even brought in an Oscar-winning composer, Ludwig Göransson (the guy behind the Oppenheimer and Black Panther scores), to handle the theme music.
It feels cinematic. It feels expensive. Because it was.
📖 Related: Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke Videos and What Really Happened
A Timeline That Doesn't Skip the Boring Parts
Actually, it makes the "boring" parts pretty fascinating. The series is split into two halves, with five episodes airing in late 2023 and the final five in early 2024.
The Early Days (Ice Age to Vikings)
The first few episodes are a trip. You see the ice retreat and the very first people stepping onto what would become Swedish soil. There’s a huge focus on archaeology here—showing how we know what we know. They talk about the "Doggerland" land bridge and the transition from hunting to farming, which, as it turns out, was way more violent than your history books might have suggested.
Then you get into the Viking Age. But it’s not just bearded guys shouting on boats. The history of sweden tv show dives into the trade routes that stretched all the way to Constantinople and the slow, messy process of Christianization.
The Rise of the Nation (Kings, Queens, and Bloodbaths)
As the show moves into the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, things get Game of Thrones-y real fast. You’ve got the Kalmar Union—that awkward time when Sweden, Norway, and Denmark were basically one big, unhappy family—and the eventual "Stockholm Bloodbath" of 1520.
Seeing the execution of Swedish nobles dramatized with that level of detail makes you realize why Gustav Vasa was so stressed out. The show does a great job of showing Vasa not just as a "founding father" statue, but as a real, often paranoid guy trying to build a state from scratch.
Why Some People Got Grumpy
You can’t make a show this big without starting a few fights.
Some critics and historians went back and forth in the Swedish press (like P1 Morgon) about the "multicultural" lens of the early episodes. The show makes a point to highlight that Sweden has always been a product of migration. From the very first settlers to the traders of the Hanseatic League and the Walloon immigrants who revolutionized the iron industry.
Some people loved this focus on "ordinary people" and diversity. Others felt it was a bit too "2024" for a show about 1000 BC. Honestly? That’s part of why it worked. It made history feel relevant to the people living in Sweden today, not just a list of dead kings.
The "After-Talk" Phenomenon
SVT did something clever: Historiskt Eftersnack.
After every episode, they had a 30-minute deep dive with experts like Cecilia Düringer. They’d take questions from viewers and explain the "how" behind the "what." Did they really wear those clothes? How do we know that specific person died of a spear wound? It turned a passive viewing experience into a national classroom.
The Real Impact: By the Numbers
If you think nobody watches "educational" TV anymore, check this out:
- 2.2 million viewers watched the first episode on SVT Play and linear TV.
- In a country of 10 million people, that is insane.
- About 80% of the population was aware the show existed by the time it premiered.
It wasn't just a hit; it was a phenomenon. Museums across Sweden reported a massive spike in visitors wanting to see the actual artifacts featured in the episodes. Libraries couldn't keep history books on the shelves.
Is It Worth the Watch?
If you can find it with subtitles (or if your Swedish is up to par), absolutely. It’s the definitive history of sweden tv show for the modern era. It manages to balance the "Great Man" theory of history (the kings and generals) with the stories of the peasants, the witches, the industrial workers, and the women who actually kept the country running while the men were off dying in the 30 Years' War.
It doesn’t shy away from the dark stuff, either. The poverty of the 19th century, the mass emigration to America, and the complicated neutrality of the World Wars are all handled with a lot of nuance.
How to Experience the History Yourself
Watching the show is great, but if it sparks that "I need to see this" feeling, here is how to follow up:
- Visit the Historiska Museet in Stockholm: They have a massive "History of Sweden" exhibition that aligns perfectly with the show’s timeline.
- Check out SVT Play: If you’re in Sweden (or have a very good VPN), the series and the Eftersnack are usually available for a long time after broadcast.
- Look for the "Historien om Sverige" book: There’s a companion book that goes into even more detail than the ten hours of screen time allowed.
Don't just take the show's word for it. The best part of a big production like this is that it gives you the map, but you get to do the exploring. Whether you’re interested in the rune stones of Uppland or the industrial ruins of Bergslagen, the show is basically a 10-hour invitation to go find the real thing.
Practical Next Steps
- Watch the "Metal Age" episode (Episode 2): It’s arguably the most visually stunning, showing how the sun cults and bronze trade linked ancient Sweden to the rest of Europe.
- Explore the Digital Archive: SVT often uploads behind-the-scenes "making of" clips that show how they recreated the Battle of Lützen or the 17th-century witch trials.
- Track the filming locations: Many of the sites used in the show, like the Glimmingehus castle or the Ale's Stones, are open to the public and make for a killer road trip.