Network: NBC
Episodes: 20 (half-hour)
Seasons: Two
TV show dates: July 10, 2014 — July 26, 2015
Series status: Cancelled
Performers include: Greg Poehler, Josephine Bornebusch, Lena Olin, Claes Månsson, Christopher Wagelin, Per Svensson, Patrick Duffy, and Illeana Douglas.
TV show description:
Based on events in the life of Greg Poehler, this comedy TV show revolves around Bruce Evans (Poehler) and Emma Wiik (Josephine Bornebusch), seemingly the perfect couple. He’s a successful money manager to the stars in New York. He lives with Emma, the sweet woman from Sweden whom he loves and adores. A rare combination of intelligent, funny, kind and beautiful, Emma believes she has finally found her true soul mate in Bruce.
After being with him a year, she makes the life-changing decision to move back to her native Stockholm to accept a prestigious banking job. She’s surprised and thrilled that he agrees to move with her to begin a new life together.
With no job, friends or any real clue about what he is getting himself into, Bruce is quick to face many unique challenges and culture clashes. The most notable one is how to win over Emma’s strange and very Swedish family.
They move in with her parents — Viveka (Lena Olin) and Birger (Claes Månsson). Viveka is a therapist who dearly loves her family but has difficulty showing it — especially to Emma. She also takes an instant dislike Bruce. Birger is a retired sea captain and is a typical Swede — tall, kind and silent. He doesn’t speak much English which only adds to the communication barriers.
Emma’s younger brother is Gustav (Christopher Wagelin), a 28-year old mega-slacker who can do no wrong in his mother’s eyes. Birger’s younger brother is Bengt (Per Svensson), an American-adoring rockabilly type who seems to live his life through Hollywood movies.
Bruce’s parents are Wayne (Patrick Duffy) and Nancy (Illeana Douglas). Wayne is conservative by nature and resides in a small Midwestern town. Nancy wants nothing but the best for her son, but can’t comprehend his decision to leave his happy life in New York.
Episode #20 — Sexy Dancing/Bröllopet
After watching a viral video online, Emma wants to have the wedding party dance into the church, but a problem arises in rehearsal. Gustav introduces his girlfriend to the family. Guest stars: Rachel Mohlin, Per Svensson, Amy Poehler, and Aubrey Plaza.
First aired: June 3, 2015 (in Sweden).
What do you think? Do you like the Welcome to Sweden TV show? Do you think it should have been cancelled or renewed for a third season?
Seeing this show for the first time on Hulu and love it coming from a Swedish MN family saw some of the same dynamics. I hope they bring it back would like to see what happens next.
Great show. There should be a series that shows Americans that it is possible and desirable to settle in Europe.
I just found it and love it! Please bring it back.
Please bring this show back…and give it more hype, so people know about it!
What a shame this was terrifically funny. Bring it back.
I really enjoyed this show. It was unique and I think it really captured cultural differences in a funny and intelligent ay. I wish it would come back for another season.
I really like the show I hate to see it taken off the air. Yet every show I like is taken off. I have waited years to see a dual cultured show that is something our tv programming needs.
Please make it possible for us (my family) to see the last six episodes of Welcome to Sweden. If you won’t air it on TV, how about making it available online or on a DVD we can purchase? We really love this show and the ending was abrupt. We want to feel more closure with these characters that we love and to feel as if we could follow them into the future in our imaginations. There is too much unfinished business for that. It seems like we’ve been removed from Sweden before we really got to feel at home there… Read more »
This was my absolute favorite show in years.I’m an immigrant from Austria who was dragged to the U.S. when I was 4. My husband came as a foreign student from India at the age of 18.He was teaching Physics from the first week to earn his way.He got 3 Masters Degrees and married me 42 years ago but both of us still related to the show completely. I was hoping this show would run for years.At the very least,I’d hoped I could find the show recordings for sale.I had them saved on my Comcast unit but we moved to another… Read more »
I love this show, its so funny, sometimes it has me roaring with laughter. We need a little of that in this day and age.
I think this is a very original, clever and funny show. Having visited Sweden several times, I think the writing was terrific and such a cast of characters! The difference between cultures and language are dealt with in a very realistic manner, and the humor is terrific. I am very disappointed to hear it will not be renewed. The plot could get even more hilarious if they carried this couple through having a family. Working mother, government sponsored childcare, mandatory maternity/paternity—it would have been a “never miss” in our household.
Not a very good show, but I loved all the Swedish aspects of it.