Streaming series review - The Shift

The Shift (Dag & nat) ** (out of 5) This subtitled Danish hospital drama offers some interesting contrasts with our domestic fare. Ella (Sofie Grabol) stars as the chief midwife for the highest-rated maternity ward in the city. She’s single, in her 40s and besieged by problems on all fronts. The worst of them is the money guy who consistently ignores her pleas and arguments to add staff for the sake of her overburdened crew and their patients. Several of the midwives and aides present an assortment of personal and professional issues to manage. She’s boinking a married doctor on the down-low, and constantly worried about her public facility that serves all low-income patients losing colleagues to upscale private hospitals and clinics who can pay more while working them less.

Over eight 45-minute episodes we get to know quite a few regulars’ evolving story arcs along with the steady flow of new patients every day through about 10 months of scripted time. There’s little humor and considerable dramatic tension with the variety of delivery complications that arise, as well as the relationships among the staff. As to the series’ tone, it’s less turgid than our medical soap operas; less sexy and glamorous than Grey’s Anatomy. Nurse Jackie might be the closest analog. Grabol, who was excellent in three seasons of The Killing (Forbrydelsen) as the lead police detective, reminds me of Edie Falco’s character – minus the drug addiction. She’s first-rate at her job, but emotionally stunted with everyone except the patients, while regularly having to scramble for solutions to whatever crisis occurs.

My concern was that limiting a series to one specialized ward, rather than the full spectrum of medical challenges that most domestic dramas thrive on, would wear thin. Thankfully, the deliveries had more diversity of surrounding problems than expected, keeping the episodes from seeming repetitive. That worked for one season, but may be hard to maintain for a long run. Creator/head writer Lone Scherfig and her five credited fellow scribes deserve a nod for whipping up an engaging variety of scenarios. A second season is in the works, so all who enjoy this set will hope they can sustain that level of creativity.

Here's where opinions may differ. A number of the deliveries are shown in gory detail that some will find riveting, while others may be grossed out. None of it seemed gratuitous. No nudity in the deliveries or the linen closet trysts. The moderate attractiveness of the overall cast provides more realism and less hype around their romances than many of ours thrive on. That tenor was reinforced by reflecting real-world healthcare hassles – especially the underfunded and understaffed conditions many providers face everywhere. Although the number of episodes was suitable for the material covered, some of the personal interactions were frustrating to watch. Conflicts dragged on needlessly from the failure to say something obvious in the moment. That grew a bit annoying. Perhaps it’s part of the Danish ethos to play feelings closer to the vest. Or maybe I’m aging out of empathy for such emotional struggles. Your mileage may vary.

(The Shift (Dag & nat), mostly in Danish with subtitles, streams on MHz Choice as of 1/16/24)