Top Contenders for the Nordic Series Script Award: A Closer Look at ‘A Better Man’, ‘Secrets We Keep’, and ‘Queen of F***ing Everything’
The acclaimed series A Better Man, which recently won at Series Mania, is set to compete for the Nordic Series Script Award this month.
Also nominated in the category are Secrets We Keep from Denmark, Queen of Fucking Everything from Finland, Vigdis from Iceland, and My Brother from Sweden.
The award winner will receive NOK200,000 ($20,000) during the Nordic Series Awards, held as part of the Göteborg Film Festival’s annual TV Drama Vision event. These awards honor excellence in Nordic television drama and are presented by the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
This year, in a departure from previous practices, the Nordic Series Script Award will recognize the main writer or writers of each series, all of which premiered in 2025. The nominated writers include Thomas Seeberg Torjussen for A Better Man, Ingeborg Topsøe for Secrets We Keep, Tiina Lymi for Queen of Fucking Everything, Ágústa M. Ólafsdóttir and Björg Magnúsdóttir for Vigdis, and Karin Arrhenius for My Brother.
Watch on Deadline
The award ceremony is scheduled for January 27. The jury for the Nordic Series Script Award includes Norwegian actress Agnes Kittelsen, Danish film and TV reviewer Nanna Frank Rasmussen, and Henning Kamm, executive producer and Managing Director at Real Film in Germany.
“Since no productions happen without the visions and skills of Nordic creators and writers, each year we want to shed extra spotlight on the talents behind outstanding drama series – one from each Nordic country,” noted Liselott Forsman, CEO of Nordisk Film & TV Fond. “I want to thank the selected writers for their inspiring work, Göteborg Film Festival for our fruitful collaboration and our international jury for accepting the challenging task of selecting the Nordic winner.”
Below is a summary of the nominated series:
A Better Man (Ølhunden Berit) – Series Mania 2025 Grand Prize winner.
Norway, 4×50′
Nominated writer: Thomas Seeberg Torjussen
Broadcaster: NRK
Production company: Maipo Film
Producers: Christian Fredrik Martin and Synnøve Hørsdal
Director: Thomas Seeberg Torjussen
Co-Director: Gjyljeta Berisha
Sales: Beta Film
Premiere: November 9, 2025
The narrative follows Tom, who blames feminism for societal issues. Working in his mother’s clothing store by day and trolling the internet by night, his identity is exposed when hackers reveal his secrets. In a state of panic, Tom masquerades in women’s clothing, adopting the persona of Berit, which opens a new world for him. The series achieved triple awards at Series Mania 2025.
Secrets We Keep (Reservatet)
Denmark, 6×30-40′
Nominated writer: Ingeborg Topsøe
Co-writers: Ina Bruhn, Mads Tafdrup
Broadcaster: Netflix
Production company: Uma Film
Producer: Claudia Saginario
Director: Per Fly
Sales: Netflix
Premiere: May 15, 2025
Cecilie investigates the mysterious disappearance of a neighbor’s au pair, leading her to uncover secrets that shatter her seemingly perfect life.
Queen of Fucking Everything
Finland, 6×50′
Nominated writer: Tiina Lymi
Broadcaster: YLE
Production company: Rabbit Films
Producer: Minna Haapkylä
Director: Tiina Lymi
Sales: Rabbit Films
Premiere: January 1, 2025
Linda, a leading real estate agent in Helsinki, faces turmoil when her husband goes missing, likely dead, leaving her with massive debts. To maintain her status, she dives into theft and the criminal underworld, skillfully blending her business acumen with illegal activities, ultimately becoming the Queen of Fucking Everything.
Vigdis (Vigdís)
Iceland, 4×60′
Nominated writers: Ágústa M. Ólafsdóttir and Björg Magnúsdóttir
Broadcaster: RÚV
Production companies: Vesturport and Vigdís Production
Producer: Rakel Garðarsdóttir
Directors: Björn Hlynur Haraldsson and Tinna Hrafnsdóttir
Sales: Reinvent Yellow International Sales
Premiere: January 1, 2025
Vigdis tells the inspiring true story of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, who became Iceland’s first female president and the first democratically elected female head of state in the world. The series chronicles her life from her teenage years in the late 1940s through her historic presidential campaign in 1980 against three male candidates.
My Brother (Jag for ner till bror)
Sweden, 4×45′
Nominated writer: Karin Arrhenius
Broadcaster: SVT
Production company: Filmlance International
Producer: Anna Wallmark
Director: Sanna Lenken
Sales: Nordisk Film Danmark and TrustNordisk
Premiere: December 26, 2025
When Jana Kippo returns to Smalånger to help her alcoholic brother, she unexpectedly falls for a man suspected of murdering his wife—the very woman who was her brother’s great love. As Jana becomes more involved, she must face her troubling past and buried memories.
