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Season 1 – The Breakthrough

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – The Breakthrough 2025 Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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60% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
When a double homicide goes unsolved for 16 years, a detective teams up with a genealogist to catch the killer before it becomes a cold case.
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The Breakthrough — Season 1

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Craig Mathieson The Age (Australia) A thoughtful riposte to the genre’s excesses. In telling the story behind a seemingly random 2004 double murder in the southern city of Linkoping, it values humanism over gore. Rated: 3.5/5 Jan 23, 2025 Full Review Joel Keller Decider Despite the fact that the show’s running time might over-compress the show’s narrative, The Breakthrough is still an interesting look at a murder that became the second biggest investigation in Sweden’s history. Jan 7, 2025 Full Review Jonathon Wilson Ready Steady Cut The Breakthrough isn’t rip-roaring television, but it is something deeply worthwhile if you allow it to tell its story in its own way. Rated: 3.5/5 Jan 7, 2025 Full Review Archi Sengupta LeisureByte.com The Breakthrough, on Netflix, could've been something memorable but ends up being sluggish and without anything interesting. Rated: 2/5 Jan 7, 2025 Full Review Pramit Chatterjee Digital Mafia Talkies The Breakthrough (...) uses the undeniable banality of crime-solving as an excuse to do nothing rather than a tool to tell its tale of grit and determination in an interesting way. Rated: 1/5 Jan 7, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (24) audience reviews
Arya S This true-crime story is told in refreshingly linear, no-fuss style, focusing on the commitment, professionalism and dedication of the lead investigator, and years later, an expert geneologist to solve what became Sweden's second-largest criminal investigation. We see the toll this kind of commitment takes on personal relationships, and also the respect and compassion shown the grieving families. Disregard those complaining of the slow pace since the entire series is only 4 parts and concludes in about the same time as current 3-hour movies in theaters. Definitely worth a watch for true-crime fans. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/10/25 Full Review Carter E The story and the crime are less interesting than almost any episode of ANY generic true crime show out there. Even the science of how the dna is narrowed is unclear, suggesting the writers missed the only compelling piece of this bland narrative. Respectfully to the real victims, they never wanted the audience to watch this. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/25 Full Review Audience Member engaging and enjoyable. Quality acting and a nod to pre-AI human ingenuity and perseverance. Not too long - no serious commitment required. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/25 Full Review Laura M I can't understand how people have disliked this series. I binge watched it and was gripped by every episode. The story is told beautifully through some great acting. I think they could have easily added an extra episode to expand more on the genealogy technology but overall I thought it was a thoughtful telling of the tragic deaths of two people. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/29/25 Full Review Rod B Murder mystery that is true. Unable to shake free the detective plows forth. A worthy series. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/26/25 Full Review Bjorn d Sad story told in a low key and real way. Illustrates that not every thing makes sense and pure persuasive in the end will pay off. A lot of humanity. Limited drama or fireworks compared to a Hollywood story - a plus for me. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/24/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Breakthrough — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Jan 7, 2025 The Unthinkable After a double murder sends shock waves through a quiet Swedish town, lead detective John promises the grieving families that he will find the killer. Details Episode 2 Aired Jan 7, 2025 Leave No Stone Unturned As weeks turn into years without answers and his home life slowly falls apart, a desperate John turns to an unlikely ally to help crack the case. Details Episode 3 Aired Jan 7, 2025 Family Tree John and Per's investigative efforts are obstructed by their clashing personalities; a prying journalist adds to the pressure. Details Episode 4 Aired Jan 7, 2025 With everyone nearing the ends of their ropes, a revelation from an unexpected source leads to a breakthrough in the case. Details

Season Info

Network
Netflix
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Swedish
Release Date
Jan 7, 2025
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