Netflix‘s most exciting crime thriller series recently came back with new episodes, and the dark show rewrites the rules of the genre in its 2026 return. Netflix has a wide range of TV shows, but many of its most interesting releases are crime series. Be it through Netflix Original series or licensed content, the streaming service is the perfect choice for genre fans.
In 2026, Netflix is seeing many of its popular shows return with new seasons, be it a year later or after a multi-year wait, they are coming back and delivering exhilarating experiences. Some of those shows include The Night Agent, Running Point, The Lincoln Lawyer, Bridgerton, and more. On the topic of crime thriller series, Netflix’s best genre show has returned.
Before getting into the show, it is important to note that every good crime thriller series usually adheres to certain genre rules. For instance, there are shows with brilliant investigators who are troubled individuals, others with a cop duo who are polar opposites, and many of them have villains/killers who are multiple steps ahead.
With all of this in mind, The Chestnut Man is Netflix’s best crime thriller series, and the show has returned with a new six-episode season that is excellent, but it does shockingly break one of the biggest rules of the genre. Titled The Chestnut Man: Hide and Seek, season 2 of the Danish series was released on May 7.
The Chestnut Man: Hide And Seek Features A Shocking Death
Warning: This article contains spoilers from The Chestnut Man: Hide and Seek.Given how The Chestnut Man season 1 debuted on Netflix on September 29, 2021, it has been a long wait for season 2 of the Nordic police procedural. Still, the five-year wait was worth it, as the new season brings back the gloomy tone of the show’s debut and enhances it with even more angst between its characters, who are burdened by years of events that viewers were not able to see, as they happened off-screen. Mark Hess and Naia Thulin, like the first time around, are the beating hearts of the show.
The Chestnut Man: Hide and Seek is the perfect sequel to one of Netflix’s most enticing crime thrillers, deepening the bond between Hess and Thulin.
That is why The Chestnut Man: Hide and Seek is so shocking. After her co-lead turn in season 1 and half of the detective series’ sophomore year, Thulin is surprisingly killed in episode 3. The investigator is shot by Ditte Kølster’s ex-husband, Peter Hougard, as he kidnaps her and commits a mass shooting at the Agency for Family Law. Shot in the stomach, it initially seems like she might make it, but Thulin then falls to the ground and dies, with Hess later confirming what happened by looking at her lifeless body. It is a heavy moment.
Netflix’s Returning Crime Thriller Series Breaks The Rules Of “Buddy Cop” Crime Thriller Series
From the start, The Chestnut Man has followed the rules of buddy cop series. Hess was a talented and experienced investigator who did not want to do the work he was assigned, as it felt beneath him, back in season 1. Thulin emerged as his polar opposite, being a proactive and energetic investigator who was keen on getting her last case solved before moving to a quieter department to be more at home with her daughter, Le. Throughout season 1, the characters connected, with a hint of romance at the end of the season and Hess changing completely.
In The Chestnut Man: Hide and Seek, that relationship deepened, but Thulin’s untimely demise cut short the most exciting element of the Netflix thriller series and buddy cop shows, which is the dynamic and chemistry between its leads. There is no other character to bounce off Hess the same way after Thulin is done, and the viewer can easily feel the show dive deeper into despair, grief, and just utter darkness. It is rare that one of the main duo of characters dies in buddy cop shows, so The Chestnut Man season 2 breaks the genre’s rules.
- Release Date
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September 29, 2021
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Kasper Barfoed, Mikkel Serup
- Writers
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Dorthe Warnø Høgh, Christoffer Örnfelt, Søren Sveistrup, Mikkel Serup, David Sandreuter
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Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
Mark Hess
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Danica Ćurčić
Naia Thulin