Who Is the Ultimate Kurt Wallander? Every Version of the Nordic Noir Sleuth, Ranked

A new Kurt Wallander is coming to the screen in the upcoming Swedish-language TV series Wallander, and it might rank as the most faithful adaptation of Henning Mankell’s novels yet, if star Gustaf Skarsgård has anything to say about it.

At this year’s Seriencamp festival in Germany, Wallander producer Glenn Lund said Skarsgård (son of Stellan and brother of Alexander and Bill) “knows the material so much better than the directors” and “[had] opinions that would go in the complete opposite of the network,” per Deadline.

Lund added, “He is really protecting the character, but you have to find the balance because you can’t go all in on what he wants. He understood that as well, and you could tell him, but we had very big arguments, too, for months. … He’s very ambitious and smart and is always able to see the big picture. We’ve worked hard together in shaping this new Wallander to something we are very proud of.”

(And Wallander diehards might know that Skarsgård already played the character once, in the 2007 TV movie Pyramiden.)

With devotion and knowledge at that level, will Skarsgård’s Wallander be fans’ and critics’ favorite depiction to date? How will he compare to his predecessors in the role? As we await news on U.S. availability for Skarsgård’s series, we’ve done our own detective work and found what Wallander devotees say about the onscreen depictions so far. Based on consensuses, here’s how we’d rank ’em…