'The haunting crime series that had me hooked within the first two minutes.'

In the middle of the night, the lights of the Øresund Bridge – which connects Sweden and Denmark – suddenly blacks out. A man is then seen dragging a body out of his car and laying the corpse on a line which marks the exact border between the two countries.

It’s soon revealed the corpse isn’t just of one body but has, in fact, been constructed out of two halves. The top belongs to a prominent Swedish politician while the lower half is eventually ID-ed as a missing Danish prostitute with a lengthy drug history. The Swedish politician is placed on Danish territory, and vice versa.

The killer is clearly sending a message.

This is how the gripping, crime series, The Bridge begins, proving the fact that when it comes to grisly horror and haunting murder mysteries, the Scandinavians do it best.

Watch the trailer for The Bridge and get hooked into the drama ASAP.

Originally released in 2011, The Bridge might not be the newest series on the roster but it’ll have you hooked within the first two minutes. And then you can revel in the fact that you can watch all four seasons for free on SBS On Demand.

Viewers soon realise the gruesome murder is the first crime committed by the social justice vigilante and the true scale of his horrific, pre-meditated attack slowly begins to unfold, as Danish and Swedish detectives Martin (Kim Bodnia) and Saga (Sofia Helin) try to calculate his next step.

While the story is masterfully crafted – with multiple plot points weaving in and out of the central narrative to create tension and suspense – the characters will keep you equally as entertained. Martin’s friendly family-man disposition is balanced by Saga’s stunted social skills and lack of empathy which only slightly blunts her laser-focused determination, and their growing friendship becomes a highlight of the show.

There’s also the metaphorical aspect of ‘the bridge’ which unites the Swedish and Danish police, in a comment on geo-politics that seems even more relevant in today’s turbulent international space than it would have eight years ago.

And while episodes come in meaty, hour-long instalments, I easily inhaled four episodes in one sitting, and now halfway through the first season, I can confirm the series gets better (and darker) the deeper you venture.

So whether you love a convoluted and gruesome murder plot or you’re in it more for the ‘who-dunnit’ intrigue, The Bridge is definitely worthy of a #throwback marathon.

You can watch all four seasons of The Bridge for free on SBS On Demand. Get cracking now.

Have you watched The Bridge? What do you think of the TV series? Tell us in a comment below!