From a Literary Genre to a Television Genre. The Circulation of “Finnish weird”

Abstract

This article examines Finnish weird, a television genre that was established to promote Finnish television series abroad. Originally a literary genre blurring the boundaries of sci-fi, fantasy and realism, the concept of Finnish weird was adopted by the television industry in 2018, when a number of series were branded as “Finnish weird” at an international industry event. In both production and reception Finnish weird was mainly characterised by a comparison to Nordic noir. However, the genre failed to replicate the success of Swedish and Danish crime drama and soon vanished from the industrial discourses. This article analyses the genre as cultural practices by examining the circulation of Finnish weird. Through investigating the origin of the concept, the practice of branding diverse television series as Finnish weird and the generic discourses defining Finnish weird in relation to Nordic noir, the text shows how the literary genre was appropriated and redefined for television.

Keywords

• genre
• circulation
• nordic noir
• television industry
• brand