“VIEWERS SAID THEY’D WATCH ONE EPISODE — 5 HOURS LATER, THEY WERE STILL UP.” Netflix’s Dark Nordic Thriller The Chestnut Man Returns After 5 Years And Fans Are Already Calling It The Most Addictive Crime Drama Of 2026 As The Creepy 100%-Rated Series Explodes Back Into The Charts With Twists People Say They “Didn’t Recover From”
Back in 2021, Netflix had a major hit with Nordic crime drama The Chestnut Man. The six-part drama was popular with fans and critics alike, managing to achieve a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite this, the show didn’t end up being picked up for a second season until 2024. After two years in production, the Danish-language show returned to Netflix on Thursday, and it’s already shooting up the streamer’s charts, claiming the fifth spot.
The synopsis for the returning show reads: “Two years after catching the Chestnut Man and reuniting the Hartungs, Thulin and Hess are reluctantly working together again. The two haven’t spoken since Hess broke up with Thulin and left Denmark six months after the Hartung case. Their new investigation? A single mother and divorcee, Zara Solak (Ellaha Lack), has gone missing after riding the bus home one night.
“The detectives discover threatening texts comprised of sinister nursery rhymes from an unknown sender on Zara’s phone. She can try and hide, say the messages’ anonymous writer, but she’ll be found no matter what. When investigators trace the origin of the texts, they realise that whoever’s responsible for Zara’s disappearance may be the same person involved in the cold case of Marie Holst’s (Gråbøl) daughter, a teen who went missing several years ago.”
It concludes: “As Thulin and Hess continue to investigate, they discover multiple people in Copenhagen are being drawn into this lethal game of hide and seek. Can the ex-lovers set aside their rocky history to catch this new killer before they strike again?”
What have fans made to The Chestnut Man’s return?
Viewers have been loving the show since it returned, with one saying: “The Chestnut Man had me completely hooked like every episode ended in a way that made it impossible to stop watching the dark atmosphere, the tension, the creepy symbolism exactly the kind of thriller I love 1000/10.”
A second commented: “Absolutely binged The Chestnut Man, what a great show,” and a third posted: “There’s a lot of stunning dramas to watch at the moment. The second series of The Chestnut Man is as good as the first series. Hess is a great character.”
A four added: “Recommendation: The Chestnut Man, follow-up, on Netflix, pure enjoyment. The fact that I figured out the ending in the fourth episode didn’t spoil the suspense.”
In Decider, Joel Keller wrote: “The Chestnut Man: Hide And Seek is as creepy as the original season of The Chestnut Man, with the case at hand enhanced by the now-established personal and professional relationship between Naia and Mark.”
Who stars in The Chestnut Man?
The series sees Danica Curcic (The Bridge) and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard (The Count of Monte Cristo) return in their roles as Naia Thulin and Mark Hess, an officer with the Copenhagen Police Force and a member of Interpol, respectively.
Joining the cast this time around are Sofie Gråbøl (Fortitude), Katinka Lærke Petersen (Loving Adults), Özlem Saglanmak (Second Victims) and Ester Birch Beck (The Shadow in My Eye).
