"Tschugger" (both a dialect and light swear word for "policemen" in the rural Swiss canton of Valais) worked great for Swiss audiences and it will probably work great internationally - even if some local nuances and in-jokes regarding Valais (where the entire series was filmed on location) will get lost in translation.
Great actors (some of them are laymen, not even professional actors!), great overarching and fast-paced plot with many sudden twists and turns.
Regular moviegoers will spot lots of influences from (cop) movies and TV series like...
The only major downside in my opinion? Season two (both seasons only feature five episodes each) goes a bit overboard towards the action-packed finale compared to all the earlier episodes - but that's only a minor minus overall.
Give Tschugger a try, it truly deserves a broader international audience and distribution.
Certainly the best and funniest Swiss TV series in years, if not decades, in my opinion.
9/10 (one point deduction for the over-the-top finale).
Great actors (some of them are laymen, not even professional actors!), great overarching and fast-paced plot with many sudden twists and turns.
Regular moviegoers will spot lots of influences from (cop) movies and TV series like...
- Fargo (not just because there is plenty of snow in both the Fargo and Tschugger settings, probably the most direct association)
- Super Troopers (as well as earlier cop movies/series such as Starsky & Hutch, Miami Vice or Beverly Hills Cop)
- Braunschlag (2012, Austrian TV series)
- Headhunters (2011, the very good Norwegian thriller) or
- Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse (but "Tschugger" isn't nearly as dark and somber as the Crimson Rivers sequel and has more comedic elements).
The only major downside in my opinion? Season two (both seasons only feature five episodes each) goes a bit overboard towards the action-packed finale compared to all the earlier episodes - but that's only a minor minus overall.
Give Tschugger a try, it truly deserves a broader international audience and distribution.
Certainly the best and funniest Swiss TV series in years, if not decades, in my opinion.
9/10 (one point deduction for the over-the-top finale).