Bron/Broen, translated as The Bridge from Swedish/Danish, is the original Scandinavian crime drama television series that FX’s The Bridge is based on. I defer to any Swedish or Danish viewers’ perspective on the show, but unlike FX’s version, it was less exploitative, better written and more thrilling. The crimes are not firmly based in a single real life criminal phenomenon, but is similar to the conceit raised in Seven-performance art criminal acts to illustrate specific problems. The killer in the FX version was aiming for the same, but had a less cohesive set of points thus there was no natural rhythm as momentum increased. For the most part, the characters seemed well rounded and realistic instead of absurdly hyper sexualized. I will give FX’s version two brownie points ahead of the original: Demián Bichir magnificently deals with his character’s arc throughout the season, and the killer is more effectively integrated innocuously in the early part of the show so when he is finally revealed, it is more shocking. Otherwise Bron/Broen, the original, is far superior to its FX counterpart. The supporting characters are fully realized people who have as sympathetic plights as the lead detectives although their story arcs are not as fully explored. I was surprised that the Danish storyline paralleled the Mexican story line and the Swedish storyline paralleled the Texas story line-is that the first and last time such parallels will ever be drawn? Side note: there was more ethnic diversity in Bron/Broen than a number of shows that were set in New York City. We need to hang our heads in shame. Bron/Broen is definitely worth a viewing marathon and reading subtitles. Bron/Broen is exclusively available on Hulu.