Our focus as viewers tends to be upon the English-speaking world, because we are too lazy to learn foreign languages and subtitles make our heads hurt. So we look to the US for animation, Britain for sketch comedy, Australia for terrible breakfast programs, and so forth. But there is, believe it or not, very good TV being made by people who don't speak English, and Scandinavia has carved out its own niche in recent years as the go-to destination for grim crime drama.
The Bridge (SBS One, 9.30pm) is nothing if not grim. Named after the Oresund bridge that connects Sweden to Denmark, it combines the dourness of the Swedes with the dourness of the Danes for a winningly dour combination. Everything looks so cold and washed-out - the world of The Bridge looks like the sort of place where being murdered is as commonplace as stubbing your toe, and to be accepted with the same sense of weary resignation. Danish detective Martin Rohde and his Swedish counterpart Saga Noren, pictured, tramp about the chilly urban landscape looking for murderers, with demeanours suggesting they're planning to either arrest them or beg them to put them out of their misery.
It's not cheerful, but it is oddly refreshing. Rohde and Noren simply do their jobs with minimum fuss. Given the language barrier, it's sometimes hard to tell whether the writing and acting is superlative, or merely super-dour, but the effect is the same: gripping and involving. And there is no doubt that Sofia Helin is watchable as Noren, her performance helping you forget how many times you've seen the ''cop being brilliant at solving crimes while unable to form relationships with other people'' routine. In Wednesday's episode, Noren's lack of empathy is on show, upsetting victims' relatives, sniping at nannies, and reacting awkwardly to hugs in the grand manner. As she and Rohde investigate the deaths of the eco-terrorists, the mystery deepens in the iciest way TV has to offer.
For a more heartwarming look at the world around us, why not try World's Heaviest Man Gets Married (Gem, 9.30pm), a documentary about Mexico's Manuel Uribe, who two years ago hit 555 kilograms and won the aforementioned title. However, it's so easy to let yourself slip if you don't maintain standards and Manuel, having scaled that mountain, has seemingly rested on his laurels to the extent that he's dropped 181 of those kilograms and is preparing to marry his girlfriend. A marvellous show for anyone who enjoys saying, ''Ooh look at THAT!''
