Ritual Murders and Scandinavian Darkness

George Kay, the creator of “Lupin” and “Hijack,” turns to Scandinavia with “Blood Sacrifice,” a dark crime thriller that climbed to the top of Netflix’s top 10 only days after its premiere.

At its center is Thomas Berg, a detective investigating a series of horrifying murders with an eerie pattern. Every Friday at 1:15 a.m., during the deepest darkness of Sweden’s summer months, emergency services receive a call. Different voices desperately ask for help, claiming that someone is trying to kill them. When police arrive, they fall into a trap and are murdered in ritualistic fashion.

Thomas has little time before the next Friday. His colleagues are threatening to strike because they fear becoming the next victims, so he turns to his father, a former police officer forced into early retirement because of misconduct. The two men must find the killer while confronting the unresolved issues between them.

The series combines a dark noir atmosphere with Scandinavian landscapes. Its tension builds from episode to episode, while its tightly constructed plot makes it suited to a weekend binge. Beneath the police thriller, the story also carries an element of “Succession”: a son must prove he can become a worthy successor to his father while trying to escape his shadow. The cast includes Jakob Oftebro, Peter Andersson and Electra Hallman. The series streams on Netflix and has an 89% Rotten Tomatoes rating.