UK: Viaplay UK in March 2026 - The Stroke, Double Stakes, Heroes, Paradis City
March 2026 Highlights
*Hi-res images to download at the bottom of the page
Please get in touch with requests for screeners and interview opportunities.
Viaplay is available in the UK as an Amazon Prime Video Channels add on.
Premieres & Exclusives
The Stroke (Udar) Series 1 – Comedy Drama Series
Monday 9 March
Acclaimed new Polish comedy drama series The Stroke, lauded by Newsweek as ‘shockingly excellent, original, devastatingly sad, and…incredibly cheerful’ now gets its exclusive UK premiere on Viaplay in March.
Jacek (Jacek Poniedziałek) is a flamboyant foodie, Warsaw bon vivant and gay man, who hosts his own hugely popular TV food show and lives life to the full. But a sudden stroke stops him in his tracks and leaves him with tough questions to face, the biggest being… how do you fulfil your dreams after they’ve already come true?
Surrounded by a cast of eccentric friends and harbouring self-destructive tendencies, his life unfolds in this sharply observed comedy drama, that playfully satirises Poland’s artistic elite – those who see Warsaw as “the only real Polish city.”
This unique and original series is the brainchild of playwright and screenwriter Paweł Demirski, whose inimitable lead defies modern-day burnout culture as a wildly passionate figure who truly believes that the best is yet to come in this must see, hugely entertaining new series.
(Comedy drama, 8 x 35 mins)
Polish with English subtitles
Double Stakes – Gritty Ukrainian Crime Drama Series
Exclusive UK Premiere
Monday 16 March
The stakes are high in brand-new gritty Ukrainian crime thriller Double Stakes, that see its UK premiere on Viaplay this month and heads to Netflix in the Ukraine. Double Stakes follows a soldier (Vlad Nikitiuk), who after being discharged from the front, challenges the circles of crime and corrupt officials in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.
On the very first day of his return from the frontline, Igor Shvedov sees his older brother, the only person dear to him, killed before his eyes. Unexpectedly, he learns that his brother was an influential criminal mastermind and starts suspecting that the people in his circle are not at all who they appear to be. To find his brother’s killer, he joins the police and begins his own war against organised crime, bent cops and corruption.
The battle wages on but Igor – a modern-day hero – will keep on fighting to do what’s right, whatever the cost.
(Drama, 8 x 50 mins approx. episodes)
Ukrainian with English subtitles
Paradis City Season 1– Futuristic Swedish Crime Series
Exclusive UK Premiere
Saturday 7 March
“Brutal Swedish action of international class… intense chases and crashes… does not skimp on quality” - MovieZine
Take a trip to Paradis City for a gripping, futuristic thriller with pulse-pounding action, deep political intrigue and a powerhouse cast. This high-risk rescue mission blends gripping drama with cinematic intensity and arrives on Viaplay this March.
In a near-future Sweden, the country’s most volatile districts have been sealed off, governed by their own laws. When the Minister of the Interior is kidnapped in the largest area, Paradis City, SÄPO agent Fredrika (Julia Ragnarsson (Midsommar, Blinded, End of Summer, The Bridge) makes a deal with former MMA fighter Emir (Alexander Abdallah, Thunder in My Heart, Snabba Cash), who faces life in prison. He must infiltrate Paradis City and find the Minister of the Interior, or he may never see his daughter again.
But as Emir and Fredrika navigate a treacherous underworld of warring factions, corrupt politicians, and deep conspiracies, their rescue mission turns into a desperate fight for survival. With time running out and powerful forces closing in, they uncover a truth that threatens not just their own lives - but the future of the entire country.
Adapted from Jens Lapidus' bestselling novel Paradis City, the series is helmed by acclaimed directors Alain Darborg (The Åre Murders) and Fenar Ahmad (Darkland) and co-stars Louise Peterhoff (Limbo, Midsommar), and Sverrir Gudnason (Borg vs McEnroe, The Girl in the Spider’s Web).
(Drama, 6 x 42 mins approx. episodes)
Swedish with English subtitles
Heroes – Comedy Drama Feature
Exclusive UK Premiere
Thursday 26 March
New Ukrainian feature Heroes, based on the play Le Vent Des Peupliers by Gerald Sibleiras, which acclaimed British playwright Tom Stoppard adapted for the UK stage, now makes its UK debut exclusively on Viaplay this month.
Full of raucous humour and bittersweet repartee, this Ukrainian feature introduces us to three elderly war veterans living in a retirement home in the countryside. Life is anything but quiet for these friends, as they shoot the breeze, navigate friendship and share wild stories from their misspent past. Spending their days entertaining each other with jokes and pranks they’re also hatching their ultimate plan…to escape the home and be free again.
Heroes transforms the stage play’s exploration of life, aging and human connection into a cinematic experience that resonates universally.
(Comedy Drama Film, 105 mins)
Ukrainian with English subtitles
March 2026 line-up
7 March
Paradis City Season 1– Futuristic Swedish Crime Series
This gripping, futuristic thriller is full of action, danger and conspiracy. In a near future Sweden, the country’s most volatile districts have been sealed off, and are now governed by their own laws. When the Minister of the Interior is abducted in the largest of zone – Paradis City – Swedish Security Police agent Fredrika enlists Emir, a former MMA fighter facing life in prison. His mission: infiltrate the city, locate the minister and earn a final chance to see his daughter.
(Drama, 6 x 42 mins approx. episodes)
Swedish with English subtitles
9 March
The Stroke (Udar) Series 1 (Episodes 1 – 4) – Polish Comedy Drama Series
This poignant and darkly comedic series follows Jacek, a flamboyant foodie, Warsaw bon vivant and gay man, who hosts his own hugely popular TV food show and lives life to the full. But a sudden stroke stops him in his tracks and leaves him tough questions to face, the biggest being… how you fulfil your dreams after they’ve already come true?
(Comedy drama, 8 x 35 mins)
Polish with English subtitles
16 March
Double Stakes – Ukrainian Crime Drama Series
The stakes are high in this gritty new Ukrainian crime thriller. Igor Shvedov is a former frontline soldier who, when his brother is murdered in front of him, makes it his mission to find his killers and tackle organised crime and corruption.
(Drama, 8 x 50 mins approx. episodes)
Ukrainian with English subtitles
The Stroke (Udar) Series 1 (Episodes 5 – 8) – Polish Comedy Drama Series
26 March
Heroes - Ukrainian Feature Film
Full of raucous humour and bittersweet repartee, this new Ukrainian feature film, based on the play Le Vent Des Peupliers by Gerald Sibleiras introduces us to three elderly veterans who are living their remaining years in a retirement home, entertaining themselves with jokes and pranks and hatching a plan to escape.
Ukrainian with English subtitles
Screeners and talent interviews are available upon request.
Viaplay is available in the UK as an Amazon Prime Video Channels add on
AVAILABLE TO BINGE NOW ON VIAPLAY
1. Scenes After a Marriage – This powerful drama from acclaimed screenwriter Veronica Zacco (The Bridge, Top Dog), captures the heartbreak, humour and unpredictability of relationships in a uniquely immersive format. A separated couple played by Ardalan Esmaili (Lockerbie with Colin Firth, The Helicopter Heist) and Eva Röse (Maria Wern, Honour, The Postcard Killings), meet regularly at a café as they drop of the children to stay with the other, can they save their struggling relationship. Clip
2. Seasons – Entertaining Polish comedy-drama feature sees an egocentric actor, Marcin, face the unexpected breakup of his long-term relationship. The plot revolves around stage performances at a provincial theatre, where the husband and wife deal with their relationship drama on and off the stage. Trailer
3. Stayer – This gripping drama follows an aging rock musician forced to confront his greatest challenge when the mother of his child dies tragically – now he must balance fatherhood, fame and the haunting choices of his past. (Trailer)
4. Vanguard – A real-life Succession story - Vanguard charts the rise of Jan Stenbeck (Jakob Oftebro), the visionary who revolutionised Nordic TV, built a media empire, and discovered that power always comes at a price. (Trailer)
5. A Life’s Worth – This riveting, landmark drama series follows young soldiers thrown into Bosnia's brutal conflict in 1993, as they navigate the treacherous line between duty and humanity and explore the resilience and bonds that form in the face of conflict. (Trailer)
6. Murdering Love – Four gripping real-life stories reveal how seemingly perfect romances spiral into obsession, betrayal and murder. From the sweeping forests of Härjedalen and the quiet towns of Värmland, to Skåne’s windswept coast and the idyllic Åland Islands – each case exposes how devotion can twist into destruction. (Trailer)
7. The Beach Hotel – Camilla Läckberg’s hit Swedish drama The Beach Hotel returns with more secrets, scandal and suspense. The much-loved mystery series dives deeper into danger in its gripping fourth outing, as the seaside sanctuary faces fresh turmoil and long-buried truths resurface. (Trailer)
8. Mafia – Hit Nordic Noir epic inspired by actual events, this sweeping crime thriller charts Sweden’s 1990s shift from peace to violent gang wars through the rise of criminal mastermind and his dangerous entanglement with lone cop (Katia Winter, Sleepy Hollow, Dexter). Their manipulative alliance – each convinced they hold the upper hand – spirals toward devastating consequences. (Trailer) (6 episodes)
Viaplay’s UK content offering focuses on the Nordic region’s high-quality and psychologically penetrating series and films, from atmospheric and suspenseful crime dramas and provocative and stylish young adult series to award-winning dramas and riveting documentaries. Subscribers will have immediate access to thousands of hours of premium Nordic and European content
Press contact:
Deb Shenholds at Aim Publicity
debbie@aimpublicity.com 020 8292 2818 /07836 672 871