Spotlight

Kenneth Branagh returns as detective Kurt Wallander

Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010

Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Hamlet, Shackleton) returns to his remarkable Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated role as the soul-searching Swedish cop created by bestselling novelist Henning Mankell. “Wallander, Series II” features three gripping new Kurt Wallander cases based on the books that launched the craze for Nordic thrillers like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

“Wallander, II” airs on Masterpiece Mystery! Sundays, beginning Oct. 3 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET and Thursdays, beginning Oct. 7 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET2.

First, in “Faceless Killers,” Wallander investigates the brutal slaying of an elderly couple at an isolated farmhouse. The fallout from the case leads him to doubt everything, including his abilities as a police officer.

Then, an old friend contacts Wallander in “The Man Who Smiled.” The friend believes that his father has been murdered, but subsequent events convince the detective that there might be more to the case.

Finally, in “The Fifth Woman,” two seemingly unconnected cases lead Wallander to believe he is on the trail of a serial killer bent on revenge.