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Arts & Culture

MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! Wallander: Sidetracked

In the bucolic but brutal seaside town of Ystad, Sweden, Inspector Kurt Wallander has been solving heinous crimes for his entire middle-aged career. In his first recurring television role, Kenneth Branagh ("Valkyrie," "Henry V") brings the scruffy Swedish sleuth to life in “Wallander,” based on the international best-sellers by Henning Mankell. Shown: John McEnery as Lars Magnusson and Kenneth Branagh as Kurt Wallander.
©Left Bank Pictures 2009; BBC for MASTERPIECE
In the bucolic but brutal seaside town of Ystad, Sweden, Inspector Kurt Wallander has been solving heinous crimes for his entire middle-aged career. In his first recurring television role, Kenneth Branagh ("Valkyrie," "Henry V") brings the scruffy Swedish sleuth to life in “Wallander,” based on the international best-sellers by Henning Mankell. Shown: John McEnery as Lars Magnusson and Kenneth Branagh as Kurt Wallander.

Airs Thursday, October 8 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

Henning Mankell Interview

In a rare interview, the Wallander author opens up about his early influences and what makes Wallander tick.

As Swedish inspector Kurt Wallander (Kenneth Branagh) watches helplessly, a young girl stands trembling in a rapeseed field, about to do herself great harm. Wallander's work gets under his skin, and this case is no exception. What evil would drive a girl to such desperation? Wallander is soon distracted from this question by a string of grisly murders. A former minister of justice, an art dealer, a wife-beating thug and a playboy have all been scalped. The haunting memory of the girl in the field drives restless Wallander towards the dark secrets and cover up at the center of the story in this adaptation based on the work of international bestseller Henning Mankell.

Watch a preview.