Created by Søren Sveistrup, Dorte Warnøe Hagh, David Sandreuter, and Mikkel Serup.
The Chestnut Man first premiered on 29 September 2021.
Distributed by Netflix.
The Chestnut Man TV Series Review
The Chestnut Man is a Danish Netflix crime thriller about two detectives solving brutal murder cases connected to a small chestnut doll.
The series is dark, emotional, and full of suspense.
Season 1 focuses on a serial killer mystery tied to a politician’s missing daughter.
It has strong twists, creepy scenes, and excellent performances from Danica Curcic and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard.
Season 2, called Hide and Seek, follows a new dangerous case with more secrets and psychological tension.
The story is slower but still very gripping.
Overall, The Chestnut Man is a smart and chilling crime drama that fans of mystery thrillers will enjoy watching.
CR Rating: 9/10.
The Chestnut Man Actors
Danica Curcic as Naia Thulin
DOB: August 27, 1985.
Bio: Serbian-Danish actress known for intense, emotionally layered performances across Scandinavian film and television.
Born in Belgrade, Serbia, and raised in Denmark, she graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in 2012.
Role: Naia Thulin is the series’ central detective, a sharp Copenhagen investigator who keeps pushing through the most disturbing parts of the case.
In season 1, she is drawn into the Chestnut Man murders with Mark Hess, and in season 2 she returns to face a new killer and an even more personal investigation.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (12 eps).
Interesting facts: She has been widely praised for roles in Silent Heart, The Absent One, Darling, The Exception, and Equinox, and she is one of Denmark’s most in-demand dramatic leads.
Notable Works: Silent Heart, The Absent One, Darling, The Exception, Equinox.
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard as Mark Hess
DOB: May 1, 1984.
Bio: Danish actor trained at the Danish National School of Performing Arts, and he became internationally known after winning the Silver Bear for Best Actor for A Royal Affair.
He has since become a major name in Danish film and television, especially in emotionally layered roles that blend authority, intelligence, and vulnerability.
Role: Mark Hess is a troubled investigator attached to Europol in The Chestnut Man.
Assigned to work with Naia Thulin on the Chestnut Man murders, Hess becomes both her investigative partner and one of the emotional centers of the story.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (12 eps).
Interesting facts: Følsgaard earned major acclaim immediately after graduating from drama school when he won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for his first major film role.
Notable Works: A Royal Affair, The Legacy, Land of Mine, The Rain, The Count of Monte Cristo.
Sofie Gråbøl as Marie Holst
DOB: July 30, 1968.
Bio: Danish actress internationally recognized as one of the defining faces of Nordic noir.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, she began acting at a young age and built a celebrated career across film, theatre, and television.
Role: Marie Holst enters the story in season 2 as one of the key emotional and investigative figures around the new hide-and-seek case.
Her presence broadens the show’s world beyond the original cast, while still keeping the atmosphere firmly inside Nordic noir.
Seasons & Episodes: S2 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Gråbøl studied theology before acting, started her career very young, and remains one of the best-known faces in Danish television.
Notable Works: The Killing, Gentleman Jack, The Undoing, Prisoner, Nikolaj og Julie.
David Dencik as Simon Genz
DOB: October 31, 1974.
Bio: Swedish-Danish actor with a long career across Scandinavian and international film and television.
He has appeared in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Top of the Lake, McMafia, Chernobyl, and No Time to Die, and he is known for playing intelligent, unsettling, or morally complex characters.
Role: Simon Genz is a forensic expert connected to the murder investigation in The Chestnut Man.
Intelligent and seemingly dependable, he works closely with the investigative team during the hunt for the Chestnut Man killer.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Dencik has won both Robert and Guldbagge awards, and he has a strong reputation for playing layered, unpredictable characters.
Notable Works: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Top of the Lake, Chernobyl, No Time to Die.
Iben Dorner as Rosa Hartung
DOB: October 19, 1978.
Bio: Danish actress and voice performer known for her work across television, film, theatre, and dubbing.
She has built a strong reputation in Scandinavian drama through emotionally grounded performances that often combine authority, vulnerability, and quiet intensity.
Role: Rosa Hartung is Denmark’s Minister of Social Affairs in The Chestnut Man.
Her family becomes deeply connected to the investigation after the apparent murder of her daughter Kristine.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Dorner is also a respected voice artist, which has helped give her an unusually broad career inside Danish entertainment.
Notable Works: Borgen, Tatort, Those Who Kill: Shadow of the Past, The Sommerdahl Murders.
Lars Ranthe as Nylander
DOB: August 26, 1969.
Bio: Danish actor and musician known for his strong supporting performances across Scandinavian film, television, and theatre.
A graduate of the Danish National School of Theatre, he has built a respected career playing characters who balance authority, tension, humor, and emotional restraint.
Role: Nylander is Naia Thulin’s superior, and he represents the institutional pressure around the case.
He is skeptical, controlling, and worried about being proven wrong, which makes him a useful source of friction inside the police structure.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Ranthe has frequently collaborated with major Danish filmmakers and became internationally familiar to many viewers through Oscar-winning and internationally acclaimed Danish productions.
Notable Works: The Hunt, Another Round, Warrior, A Funny Man, Adam’s Apples.
Esben Dalgaard Andersen as Steen Hartung
DOB: July 3, 1976.
Bio: Danish actor who has built a steady career in film and television, with roles in The Stranger, Bedrag, Hånd i hånd, and Tinka og kongespillet.
He often plays men with emotional strain or hidden tension, which suits the family-drama side of The Chestnut Man.
Role: Steen Hartung is Rosa Hartung’s husband in The Chestnut Man.
Still devastated by the apparent loss of their daughter Kristine, Steen struggles with grief, alcoholism, and the strain placed on his marriage and family life.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Dalgaard Andersen has also worked as a host and writer, which gives him a broader creative background than many TV actors.
Notable Works: The Stranger, Hånd i hånd, Tinka og kongespillet, The Good Traitor.
Anders Hove as Aksel
DOB: January 16, 1956.
Bio: Danish-Greenlandic actor and director with a long international career.
He is best known outside Denmark for General Hospital and the Subspecies horror films, and he has worked across Danish film, U.S. soap opera, and genre television for decades.
Role: Aksel is a retired police officer and a trusted father figure in The Chestnut Man.
He helps care for Naia Thulin’s daughter, Le, and provides emotional support away from the brutality of the investigation.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (11 eps).
Interesting facts: Hove studied at the Royal Danish Theatre school and has spent years balancing Danish and American screen work.
Notable Works: General Hospital, The Idiots, Nymphomaniac: Vol. I, Subspecies, Winter Brothers.
Louis Næss-Schmidt as Gustav Hartung
DOB: June 23, 2007.
Bio: Danish actor who began building a screen career at a young age through Scandinavian television and film productions.
Born in Denmark, he comes from a well-known acting family and is the son of Danish actor Nicolaj Kopernikus.
Role: Gustav Hartung is Rosa and Steen’s son, and the family’s youngest generation helps give the series its emotional urgency.
His presence reminds the story that the case is not just about crime, but about a family that has been living inside grief for years.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: He has already worked on Carmen Curlers and has done voice work as well, which is unusual breadth for a teen performer.
Notable Works: Carmen Curlers, Stenofonen.
Liva Forsberg as Le Thulin
DOB: N/A.
Bio: A younger Danish actress whose screen profile is still growing, with Speak No Evil and The Chestnut Man standing out as her best-known credits so far.
Even with a short résumé, she has already shown up in some of Denmark’s most talked-about recent genre projects.
Role: Le Thulin is Naia’s daughter, and the character gives the detective’s story real emotional stakes beyond the murder investigation.
Le also helps humanize Naia, because every case pressure is filtered through motherhood and family life.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Her visibility grew after Speak No Evil, which helped establish her as a young performer to watch in Nordic film and TV.
Notable Works: Speak No Evil, I morgen uden dig.
Ali Kazim as Nehru
DOB: April 26, 1973.
Bio: Danish actor and director who has worked across Scandinavian film and television for many years.
Known for understated and naturalistic performances, he has appeared in both comedy and drama productions, often bringing warmth and realism to supporting characters.
Role: Nehru is one of the important supporting characters in the Hartung-related world, and he helps broaden the social and institutional circle around the case.
His presence gives the series additional texture outside the central detective duo.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Kazim has also worked in directing, which adds another layer to his creative profile.
Notable Works: Adam’s Apples, Journey to Saturn, Pizza King.
Katinka Lærke Petersen as Sandra Lindstrøm
DOB: December 26, 1991.
Bio: Danish actress trained at the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Odense.
She has steadily built a strong profile in Danish film and television through dramatic and thriller-oriented performances.
Role: Sandra Lindstrøm is a new investigative figure introduced in Season 2.
Her character becomes connected to the new “Hide and Seek” case, helping expand the investigative and emotional scope of the story beyond the original murder investigation.
Seasons & Episodes: S2 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Petersen gained additional mainstream attention in Denmark after competing on the Danish version of Vild med dans in 2023.
Notable Works: Loving Adults, When the Dust Settles.
More Actors
Season 1 (2021)
• Signe Egholm Olsen as Astrid Berring.
• Arian Kashef as Jacob Rasouli.
• Camilla Lau as Anne Sejer-Lassen.
• Simone Lykke as Benedikte Skans.
Season 2 (2026)
• Ellaha Lack as Zara Solak.
• Ester Birch Beck as Le Thulin.
• Özlem Saglanmak as Esra Foldager.
• Bjork Storm as Emma Holst.
FAQ – The Chestnut Man TV Series
What is The Chestnut Man about?
The Chestnut Man is a Danish crime thriller about detectives Naia Thulin and Mark Hess investigating brutal murders where a small chestnut doll is left at each crime scene, linking the killings to a missing child case in Copenhagen.
Is The Chestnut Man based on a true story?
No, it is not based on a true story. It is adapted from the bestselling novel by Søren Sveistrup, the creator of The Killing.
What genre is The Chestnut Man?
It is a Nordic noir crime drama with elements of psychological thriller and mystery.
How many seasons does The Chestnut Man have?
The series currently has 2 seasons, with a total of 12 episodes.
Where can I watch The Chestnut Man?
The series is available exclusively on Netflix worldwide.
Conclusion
The Chestnut Man is a gripping Nordic noir series filled with suspense, emotional storytelling, and disturbing mysteries.
With strong performances, dark atmosphere, and clever investigations across both seasons, the show stands out as one of Netflix’s best international crime thrillers for fans of slow-burn detective dramas.