Agatha Christie’s Sven Hjerson Series in the Works

Shooting has commenced on Agatha Christie’s Sven Hjerson, a new series created and developed by Patrik Gyllström at BR•F and distributed by ZDF Enterprises.

Agatha Christie’s Sven Hjerson is the first official Agatha Christie character spin-off. Hjerson is the fictional detective of Christie’s fictional author Ariadne Oliver. The show is set in contemporary Stockholm and the islands of Åland and centers around Hjerson (Johan Rheborg), with original stories and characters inspired by Christie’s vast body of work. The series, which will revolve around four specific murder mysteries/whodunits, will be wrapped up by April 2021.

In the series, former criminal investigator Hjerson solves murder mysteries with the help of TV producer Klara Sandberg (Hanna Alström), who believes her life and career are at a stand-still. Looking for new and unexpected adventures, she dedicates herself to finding and befriending Hjerson, with whom she can solve crimes.

Agatha Christie’s Sven Hjerson is created and developed by Patrik Gyllström at BR•F and is written by Patrik Gyllström, Björn Paqualin, Jakob Beckman, Martin Luuk and Aron Levander. The series is directed by Lisa James Larsson and Lisa Farzaneh. ZDF Enterprises will be responsible for the worldwide distribution outside of Scandinavia.

TV4/CMore and co-production partners ZDF, ZDF Enterprises, Agatha Christie Ltd and NADCON Film announced the start of shooting on the project. It is produced by BR•F, producers Patrik Andersson and Ulf Synnerholm, with support from Nordisk Film & TV Fund.

Josefine Tengblad, head of drama at TV4/C More, said: “Getting an opportunity to turn parts of Agatha Christie’s literary universe into a TV series is such a privilege. It is a great challenge and I am very proud of us having been entrusted with this project, something that has never been done in the world of television before. With an amazing team both behind and in front of the camera, we are going to create a contemporary whodunit. In times like these, I believe that we need to be entertained and seek escapism in things part recognizable, part innovative more than ever, the classic whodunit in a brand new way!”

Frank Seyberth, head of co-production of international fiction for ZDF, added: “ZDF is stunned to be partnering on this exciting new show. It is unique as well as universal due to the combination of the vital DNA of the Agatha Christie universe with a very contemporary Scandinavian appeal. In that sense, we are very delighted by our fruitful relationship with TV4/Cmore and b*reel. We are sure that the audience will fall in love with the great cast and enjoy this missing link of modern crime very much.”

Robert Franke, VP ZDFE.drama at ZDF Enterprises, commented: “Developing and producing the story of Sven Hjerson for television is an exciting project for all partners involved. We are extremely proud to once again work with the same skilled ‘drama dream team’ and to have this series in our sales catalog.”