Welcome to Sweden

2014

Seasons & Episodes

  • 2
  • 1

6.6| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

The fish-out-of-water story of New York accountant Bruce, who falls in love with a Swedish girl named Emma and follows her to Sweden.

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Trailers & Clips

Also starring Greg Poehler

Reviews

Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment
FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
carsenal Welcome to Sweden shows a lot of Swedish stereotypes and although it's very accurate, it's not very funny. It's just droll, amusing, but not laugh out loud funny. It is a TV show equivalent of Youtube video "20 things Koreans do" or "You know you're Serbian when..." lists that were very popular on the internet many years ago.This is exactly that. Jokes like declined credit card/forgotten wallet, him blurting out to airport security that he smokes weed sometimes or awkwardly joking to the Swedish DMV lady if the driver's license charge comes with a happy ending. Then there's a bunch of celebrity cameos (Gene Simmons, Will Ferrell, etc) chasing him to do their taxes. His big adjustment issues are street signs that say "farthinder", driving with a stick or the name "Sigsten" which sounds like "six and ten" - barrels of laughs.Some of the stuff is just poor. The protagonist is a New Yorker of 10 years and he wants to say "hello" and "how are you" to everyone he meets, neighbours, random people on the street, and he says he actually cares what the answer is. He actually attempts to strike up a conversation with a homeless person for some reason or another. He is ignored by neighbours. A New Yorker from the city of hugs doesn't get why Swedes keep to themselves. That makes no sense.There is an episode that is centred around the theme of his girlfriend being un-photogenic. Every time someone attempts to take a photo, she makes a strange face. This goes on for a while.There's enough jokes in the show for about 2 or 3 top notch episodes, but there isn't 2 seasons worth of comedy. The lame jokes should just be thrown out - his sister's brother dressed in cycling clothing but he cannot ride a bike. The protagonist gets a job as a tour guide on a boat, feels sea sick, has people speaking to him in foreign languages, doesn't answer, vomits and gets fired. That's supposed to be funny.There's not enough comedy in the show to be considered a comedy. Big budget shows like these should hire more writers to write jokes and not try to stretch droll anecdotes into a comedy series.
marksmith-88729 I think a lot of people miss the whole point of this show -- it may be set in Sweden , but i assure you all , it doesn't matter what country they set this show in -- it is all about culture shock -- I am an American who moved to Belgium to be with my Belgian GF -- and EVERY episode I have watched , I have lived -- the show last night , "Flashmob" was especially funny and painful at the same time because the thought of marriage in BEL is very similar , I had the talk with the parents in Dutch/Flemish (because I thought it would impress her parents , it didn't ! lol) and then afterward found out she had the same thought process about marriage as portrayed in the show ---- Forget about the acting and enjoy it for what it is -- a chance to look inwards -- it's not all about us America ! -- our fast lifestyle is only a USA thing -- an example - in the USA , we can go to the bank on Monday and get preapproved for a mortgage and buy and move into a house on Friday - - we put a down payment on a house 2 months ago and just last week , we were approved for the mortgage -- now we need to wait another 6 weeks to 3 months before the notaries do their thing and we can move in -- so just sit back and enjoy the show , laugh at our cultural differences and get up off your couch and visit another country while you can , it will open your eyes ! thanks :)
chad parlett (ctelrap) I teach writing. I've written professional comedy, and I've been to Sweden many times. This is a great show. Granted it might be difficult for some who are not as familiar with Sweden, but it is very realistic. It might be hard for the average American to believe, but that's what Sweden is really like. Everyone does speak English there. It's a nice blend of zanier American humor combined with the subtleties of the dryer Swedish humor. We had a Swedish exchange student for a year then we visited her family in Sweden a number of times. They are a wonderful people, and I hope this comedy acquaints some Americans with Swedes and Sweden on some level. Nice job Greg!
sherlock-tempest I agree with many reviewers that "Welcome to Sweden" is packed with old fashioned stereotypes and that it is overall painfully badly written and executed, with very few glimpses of intelligent laughter-provoking jokes and acting. It is therefore really a mystery how it has been given a second season. From a Swedish perspective, however, I see a couple of things that I think might have contributed to the "success" of this series despite the at best lukewarm reviews by many critics and audiences. One: Sweden is a tiny country in this big world and Swedes are in awe of the US. When American celebrities (and former ones) show interest in us or even come to our little pond to connect and work, we get all excited and our newspapers and social media go berserk. The series' cameos, no matter being terribly unfunny, therefore attract an automatic audience. Greg P may be a terrible actor and writer, but through his sister Amy he is certainly a strong door opener to a very attractive US market, where not many Swedish TV series have made it before. And yes, nepotism is a big thing in Sweden too so connections beat quality. Two: I think there is an American nostalgia or fascination with Sweden, based on a very limited postcard idea of Sweden, which gives the series a good portion of US viewers. The fact that the series is located in Swedish contexts, with Swedish actors and spoken Swedish, can itself be enough to fulfill a desire of viewers with a connection to Sweden. The quality of the show is in that light not the main thing. I think both Swedish and American audiences deserve much better comedy than this and I can only wish that more talented, intelligent and modern first time writers will get a similar bombastic chance one day in the very small and closed TV world in Sweden.