There’s nothing quite like spending a chilly weekend indoors with snacks, blankets, and a gripping series to binge. The only problem? Actually finding something worth your time. It’s all too common to scroll endlessly through Netflix, only to land on a show that turns out to be average at best—and by then, your snacks are gone and your evening is wasted.
That’s not the case with one of Netflix’s latest true crime additions. Viewers are raving about a new series that’s quickly becoming a must-watch for fans of the genre. Netflix has long leaned into true crime, and this chilling Swedish drama is the latest proof that the platform knows exactly what its audience wants.
Many subscribers aren’t just enjoying it—they’re calling it one of the best series they’ve ever seen.
Why Viewers Are Binge-Watching This Swedish Crime Drama
The Breakthrough follows the painstaking 16-year investigation into the Linköping double murder that remained unsolved until groundbreaking DNA genealogy technology finally identified the killer in 2020.
Credit: Pexels
Adapted from the non-fiction book of the same name, The Breakthrough is a Swedish crime drama that revisits one of Europe’s most haunting murder investigations. The four-part series chronicles the long, agonizing hunt for the perpetrator behind a brutal double murder committed in 2004 in the city of Linköping.
What initially appeared to be a straightforward case soon turned into a nightmare for investigators. Despite strong evidence, the investigation stalled and remained unsolved for 16 years. As the series unfolds, viewers watch forensic science slowly evolve and finally catch up with the clues. The tension mounts as a new generation of DNA technology opens the door to a last-chance push for justice.
The Breakthrough made an immediate impact after its release, quickly climbing into Netflix’s Top 10 in January 2025 and racking up 29 million views in its first half. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 60% “tomatometer” score and a 73% audience “popcornmeter,” with an overall rating of 7.2. Critics have praised the show for handling its difficult subject matter and source material with restraint and empathy.
For viewers who love thoughtful true crime, this series hits a sweet spot. Reviewers have described it as “the best Scandi noir in years,” combining tight storytelling, emotional depth, and a grounded, realistic tone.
The True Story Behind the Linköping Double Murder
Detective Inspector Jan Staaf led Sweden’s second-largest criminal investigation for over a decade, refusing to give up on his promise to the victims’ families until new forensic methods brought justice to the case.
Credit: Pexels
On the morning of October 19, 2004, 8-year-old Mohammed Ammouri was walking to school in Linköping, Sweden. In a nearby park, a man wearing a disguise attacked him with a butterfly knife. When Anna-Lena Svensson, a 56-year-old passerby, tried to intervene and protect the child, the attacker turned on her as well, stabbing her repeatedly. Both victims died at the scene in broad daylight.
The shock of the crime echoed across Sweden. The investigation quickly became the country’s second-largest ever, surpassed only by the probe into the assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986.
Police recovered crucial pieces of evidence, including a bloodstained beanie hat and the murder weapon itself. Yet even with:
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7,000 interviews
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13,000 tips
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5,000 DNA samples
no suspect could be identified. The victims had no connection to one another, and no clear link to the killer emerged. Mohammed came from an immigrant family, while Anna-Lena worked for an educational company and had an adult daughter. To investigators, the crimes appeared disturbingly random.
Over time, leads dried up. The case was eventually considered cold, hanging over the quiet university city of Linköping for more than a decade and a half.
Detective Inspector Jan Staaf (portrayed as John Sundin in the series) led the investigation throughout those years. His refusal to give up—and his commitment to the victims’ families—becomes one of the emotional anchors of both the real story and the dramatization. In 2020, a breakthrough in DNA technology finally gave him a way forward.
How Forensic Genetic Genealogy Cracked the Case
In 2020, genealogist Peter Sjölund (appearing under the name Per Skogkvist in the series) introduced Swedish authorities to an emerging investigative tool: forensic genetic genealogy. This technique merges crime scene DNA profiles with family-tree research to identify relatives of an unknown suspect.
Investigators uploaded the offender’s DNA profile into genealogy databases such as GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA. These databases are populated by individuals who voluntarily submit their genetic data for ancestry or heritage analysis. By comparing hundreds of thousands of genetic markers, investigators can locate distant relatives of the unknown suspect and then build out family trees from those matches.
This case became the first in Europe to be solved using genetic genealogy. The method had already gained attention in the United States after it helped identify the Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, in April 2018. In that instance, detectives used relatives’ DNA profiles in public databases to build family trees and narrow down the suspect pool.
For Sweden to use similar methods, legislation had to change. In January 2019, the Swedish government allowed police controlled access to commercial genealogy databases in serious cases. With this legal framework in place, Sjölund began his work on the Linköping murders.
He painstakingly traced the genetic line back roughly 200 years, using church records, death notices, and genealogical archives. Within just five weeks, he mapped a family tree that led investigators to two brothers as likely candidates.
The Arrest and Confession of Daniel Nyqvist
On June 9, 2020, police arrested 37-year-old Daniel Nyqvist (renamed David Nilsson in The Breakthrough) at his parents’ home. He had been living a quiet, isolated life in Linköping since the murders. Investigators obtained a DNA sample from Nyqvist, which matched the crime scene evidence with complete certainty.
During his first interrogation, Nyqvist confessed to killing both Mohammed and Anna-Lena.
He told investigators that he had experienced an overwhelming urge to kill two people—an intrusive compulsion he claimed he could not understand or control. He described persistent, obsessive thoughts about murder and said that he selected his victims randomly. At the time of the crime, he was just 21 years old.
Psychiatric evaluations concluded that Nyqvist suffered from a serious mental disorder when the murders were committed. He had previously been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in 2011 and had long struggled socially and emotionally. Those who knew of him described him as an unemployed loner who rarely left the house and spent much of his time playing computer games.
Nyqvist’s defense team chose not to appeal. In October 2020, he was sentenced to indefinite psychiatric care at the Regional Clinic in Vadstena.
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What Makes The Breakthrough Different From Other True Crime Shows
Director Lisa Siwe, known for her work on the acclaimed Swedish series The Bridge, brings the same moody, suspenseful atmosphere to The Breakthrough. The show is grounded in the 2021 book by journalist Anna Bodin and genealogist Peter Sjölund, both of whom were directly connected to the real case.
Rather than centering the killer, the series intentionally keeps its focus on:
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The victims and their families
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The investigators and their personal sacrifices
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The painful weight of time as the years pass without answers
On The Breakthrough, Lisa Siwe focuses on victims and investigators and their stories rather than glorifying the criminal. The series avoids exploitative tactics common in true crime entertainment. Time takes centre stage in The Breakthrough, showing how years of waiting affected everyone involved.
Actor Peter Eggers delivers a standout performance as the lead detective, whose fixation on solving the case slowly erodes his family life. The series illustrates how unsolved crimes are not just puzzles to be cracked, but long-term emotional wounds for entire communities.
The opening scenes that depict the murders are incredibly hard to watch, yet they are portrayed with care and restraint. There is no sensationalized gore; instead, the emphasis falls on the human cost—grief, fear, and the fractured lives left behind. With each of the four episodes running just 30 to 40 minutes, the series stays tightly focused and emotionally intense without unnecessary filler.
The Emotional Impact on the Victims’ Families
For 16 years, the families of Mohammed Ammouri and Anna-Lena Svensson lived with unbearable uncertainty. Detective Sundin had assured them that the killer would be caught quickly. But as days turned into years and then into decades, those promises felt increasingly hollow.
The unresolved case became a heavy psychological burden, not just for the families but for the city of Linköping itself. The Breakthrough captures this long-term trauma—how everyday life continues on the surface while grief and fear sit just below it, unresolved. When the truth finally emerges, the relief is intertwined with the pain of everything that has been lost.
The Controversy Around Genetic Genealogy Databases
The Linköping case also highlights a major ethical debate: how far should authorities go in using genetic data to solve crimes?
While the use of tracing someone using DNA databases has brought breakthroughs in forensic science, there are some privacy concerns attached. Swedish authorities initially deemed the technique illegal after the Linköping case. The Data Protection Authority determined that searching commercial genealogy databases violated privacy laws. When people submit DNA to ancestry websites, they typically do not expect it to be used in criminal investigations. The technique accesses genetic information from individuals who never consented to have their DNA information searched by law enforcement. Genetic data can reveal sensitive information about physical traits, ethnic background, and disease susceptibility. A government inquiry later proposed changing legislation in 2025 to permit the method under strict circumstances. In Germany, this type of DNA analysis remains explicitly illegal. Most European countries keep individuals automatically opted-out in accordance with GDPR regulations.
DNA sequence is heritable, meaning that one person’s genetic data can violate the privacy of entire families and future generations. Research indicates that genetic databases covering just 2% of a target population can provide third-cousin matches for nearly anyone. The Golden State Killer investigation involved covert searches of private DNA databases despite privacy policies stating law enforcement needed lawful requests. Critics argue this creates a contentious issue where innocent people become involuntary participants in criminal investigations. Proponents of using DNA databases in legal settings state that it removes violent criminals from society justifies careful use of these tools.
The Legacy of The Breakthrough in True Crime Television
The Breakthrough shows that true crime doesn’t need to be sensational or exploitative to be compelling. Its relatively short format proves that a series can deliver a powerful emotional punch without stretching a story beyond its natural limits.
The show has sparked conversations about:
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How advances in technology are transforming criminal investigations
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The ethical trade-offs of using genetic genealogy
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The resilience of investigators who refuse to give up on cold cases
Above all, it underscores the promises made to victims’ families—and the immense personal cost paid by those who work for years, sometimes decades, to keep those promises alive.
