High on top of the globe, a secluded town in the Arctic Circle called Fortitude has never had a violent crime there until now.

Fortitude is a one-hour episodic TV series worth watching for the chills, intrigue, and amazing performances.

Why Go To The Middle Of Nowhere For A Murder?

While most major cities find solving homicides practically routine, this show begins with the small town dealing with their first official murder investigation. The population isn’t very large (around 700 people) and there are only a handful of police officers (only four) who are not trained in this sort of crime.

This close knit community puts up their guard when an outside inspector shows up to investigate. Little do they know at the time, it is going to get a whole lot more complicated to keep all their secrets in check. Of course, it doesn’t help that because of the polar bears roaming around the area, everyone is always armed.

Everyone Is A Suspect Or Hiding Something

Fortitude is more of a psychological thriller rather than a straightforward crime procedural. The motivations of everyone involved adds extra layers as new information reveals itself.

Governor Hildur Odegard (Sofie Gråbøl from The Killing) lures investors to the town with the idea of building a hotel built the glacier. This potential new income will solve many of the town’s major financial issues. However, Charlie Stoddart (Christopher Eccleston from Doctor Who) discovers something in his research that would stop the hotel from happening.

Photographer, Henry Tyson (Michael Gambon from the Harry Potter series) knows way more than he is letting on about the agenda of the local sheriff (Richard Dormer from Game of Thrones). This makes things extra difficult for Detective Chief Inspector (Stanley Tucci from The Hunger Games) as he tries to solve the murder.

The Cold Beauty Of The Town

While the fictional town resides in the Arctic Circle, the filming took place in Iceland’s eastern Fjardabyggd region. Both Game of Thrones and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty have filmed scenes in the same area so there were able to handle another television show.

“The Arctic-setting is important because the tone is there’s something nasty going on but it’s not ordinary criminal activity.” Executive Producer, Patrick Spence explains.

The picturesque setting has gorgeous glaciers as the backdrop. There are two new characters to the town so you get to appreciate some of the beauty through their eyes that the other characters take for granted. While at the same time, feel overwhelmingly alone when you look out for miles and see nothing, but snow.

And Now A Warning…

There are a couple of things to know before settling into a series such as this. The story moves at a glacial pace (pun intended). This is not necessarily a bad thing because you have time to take in all the nuances of the plot and characters. The series answers all your questions by the end of the first season before beginning a new story for Season Two. It will take a bit of patience, but it is worth the wait.

Another warning is needed about the gore and gross out moments that come with some of the attacks (by humans and polar bears). The moments are appropriate to the story and not done for the sake of being gross. Yet, you should prepare yourself for moments of needing to look away from the screen. It is also not the best thing to watch right before bed or while eating a meal. Fair warning.

Find Your Way To ‘Fortitude’

Come for the actors and stay for the intrigue and murder. Not the best recruiting statement, but true nonetheless. Fortitude is a great creepy series that chills you to your bone and worth checking out.

If you would like to watch, there are two seasons available, with a total of 22 episodes. They are on DVD/Blu-ray and currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Let us know in the comments if you think you could survive living in this town.