Hurrah for the return of the woolly jumper

IN the bleak midwinter, the woolly jumpers have returned with aplomb. I’m talking of Sarah Lund’s fashion staple of course, which has returned to BBC4 in Forbrydelsen II [The Killing 2]. Last time out it, it was a less-than-straightforward whodunit. This series, however, seems to have taken a more political route, which is no bad thing, as who doesn’t like a bit of political intrigue.
Whereas series one centred on one murder and trying to find the killer, by the end of the double episode opener on Saturday we had two killings on our hands – a soldier and a military legal adviser.
Responsibility has been claimed by unknown fundamentalists, The Muslim League, but there is a lot of army links floating around too and I have no doubt this will be significant as things progress. In the background, the reluctant new justice minister, Thomas Buch, is trying to get an anti-terrorism bill through parliament, which isn’t making for easy work either.
At the centre of proceedings is the formidable but damaged Lund, brilliantly played by Sofie Gråbøl. Her life has taken a few less than happy meanders since we last saw her. Her single mindedness in  her investigation of the Nana Birk Larsen case and her ultimate implosion has had some noticeable consequences in her life, none moreso than the fact that she has been busted down to passport controller in southern Denmark, that relations with her old boyfriend are non-existent and that her mother and son are just about on talking terms with her.
A stuttering spectre of her former self, she is less than willing when old boss Lennart Brix summons her back to Copenhagen to consult on the case of the murdered woman. Her reluctance is overcome though and she soon gets back into stellar detective mode, picking up on some vital clues that the police had previously missed.
But therein lies a problem. There was a niggling worry as the credits rolled that the story may have become a little too big and, with 10 instead of 20 episodes to conclude matters, there is a danger that it could ultimately end up sacrificing the little nuances that made the first series so compelling. Before, we had time to revel in Lund’s eye for detail but with fewer episodes there is less time for these subtleties, which I think will ultimately take away from its enjoyment.
A few favourites were also missing, the most noticeable being the famous cream and black Faroese jumper, replaced by a red and rather less alluring effort. There are internet rumours that it makes an appearance later on in the series though, so there’s no need to panic just yet. The second is the grieving family element that was so central to the first series. Thirdly, Lund’s new partner, Strange, isn’t quite Meyer and that sidekick element is lacking so far. Yet, this is all superfluous to the brilliant script and acting and so ultimately I’m just nit-picking.
This series was always going to have a lot to live up to with the first one garnering such rave reviews and almost cult-like status. It’s hard to call yet if can reach the same dizzy heights but all the ingredients are there for a thriller.
Elsewhere, scenes of my childhood have come walking out of the woodwork over the past week with the announcement that two old favourites are getting a reboot/rehash/reinvention.
On the cusp of the release of their first film in over a decade, The Muppets are set to return to the small screen with NBC commissioning a new series of the loveable soft furnishings. Titled The New Nabors it’s to be set around a family in Palm Springs who discover their new neighbours are The Muppets.
Jim Henson’s creations had their first solo show 1976 and, watched by an estimated total of 235 million viewers a week in more than 100 countries, it ran for five years, before spawning several spin-offs and films such as Muppet Babies, A Christmas Carol and Muppets Tonight.
The new series will be written by 30 Rock executive producer John Riggi and John Hoffman, who will also executive produce alongside Jim Henson’s daughter Lisa.
NBC has also reportedly ordered a pilot for a reinvention of The Munsters. The original, aired in the 1960s in black and white, focused on a family of comical horror movie parodies including dad, Herman Munster, who looked like Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula-lookalike Grandpa. It ran alongside The Addams Family until the ‘super cool’ all-colour pow, zap, bam! Batman exploded onto 1960’s TV and put paid to the poor black and white relation.
Finishing in 1966 with 70 episodes, it was revived for TV in 1988 as The Munsters Today and ran until 1991. No stranger to dealing with the unusual or the supernatural, the new pilot is in the hands of Brian Fuller, he of Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me fame.