Borgen season 1

Maybe the most realistic political tv show that I've come to yet - allowing that 'realistic' remains a relative term when we're talking about television (and, also, that my whole knowledge of the Danish system of government has been gathered from watching the show itself).

Initially, the more personal elements of the human drama were less compelling than the political, but over the season, the two increasingly come together, as the dramatic logic of the narrative aligns with the theme of the increasing toll taken by the positions of power and influence held by all of the principals, and especially on Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg (who reminds me of someone I know - an apt person at that), as the demands of her office successively strip every single source of support and comfort from her, both internal and external. Nyborg herself is a terrific central figure - smart, idealistic, decisive and tough, and (in one of the show's strengths) not above the political calculation that requires her to put aside her scruples at regular intervals.

Also, even though he's an unlikeable character, I enjoy the appearances of Michael Laugesen aka the Danish Hugh Grant.