The Bridge returned to British television over the weekend, but the season started off very different than originally planned.

According to Digital Spy, the departure of Kim Bodnia caused a rewrite of the first four episodes of the series. His sudden departure was announced after work had begun on season three.

Hans Rosenfeldt, the creator of the series, spoke about the actor’s departure from the series, and he made it clear that it was Bodnia’s decision to leave The Bridge.

He said:

“The plot is the same, the crime story is the same,” said Rosenfeldt. “Martin’s part in the investigation and his personal strand – that was what we had to rewrite. It forced us to think, what is The Bridge without Martin? What is the DNA of The Bridge if he’s not in it? It actually brought more energy to it, because we had to think outside the box. It was kind of a blessing in disguise.”

Are you a fan of The Bridge? Do you think Bodnia’s departure helped or hurt the series? Tell us what you think.