| Whiskey on the Rocks | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Satire |
| Created by | Henrik Jansson-Schweizer |
| Written by | Jonas Jonasson Henrik Jansson-Schweizer |
| Directed by | Bjorn Stein |
| Starring |
|
| Original language | Swedish |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Henrik Jansson-Schweizer Patrick Nebout Magnus Bimberg Anna Croneman Sonja Hermele Nanna Mailand-Mercado Peter Zell |
| Producer | Jan Marnell |
| Production company |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | SVT1 (Sweden) Hulu (United States) Disney+ (United Kingdom) |
Whiskey on the Rocks is a Swedish satirical television based on a story by Jonas Jonasson and written by Henrik Jansson-Schweizer inspired by real life event during the Cold War. From Sveriges Television, it broadcasts internationally on Hulu and Disney+ from 22 January 2025.
Premise
Based on a real life incident in which Soviet submarine S-363 became beached on Swedish soil during the Cold War.
Cast
- Rolf Lassgård as Thorbjörn Fälldin
- Elsa Saisio as Aleksandra Kosygina
- Anders Mossling as Ola Ullsten
- Niklas Engdahl as Börje Lagerkrantz
- Filip Berg as Håkan Martinsson
- Adam Lundgren as Captain Hammerberg
- Stasys Jakštas as Leonid Brezhnev
- Mark Noble as Ronald Reagan
Production
Development
In 2020, production company Dramacorp began developing Cold War comedy drama series Whiskey On The Rocks based on a real-life 1981 incident. Initially conceived as a thriller, it developed into a comedy drama with the input of writer Jonas Jonasson. The series is directed by Björn Stein and produced by Henrik Jansson-Schweizer and Patrick Nebout with Magnus Bimberg’s Humanoids. A series order from Swedish public broadcaster Sveriges Television came in September 2022.
For Stein, the six-part series is not partisan, saying that "Swedes, Russians, Americans − there are idiots everywhere. We don’t have a political standpoint with this. It’s more like men with power abuse it repeatedly, and diplomacy is the way to go. That’s what we’re communicating". Some crew members were initially not told that the series was a comedy, with Stein saying the mentality and the approach was to be "the same as for a traditional spy thriller. By using this visual language, we can slide from the funny bits to the thrilling bits without changing costume, so to speak".
The cast includes Rolf Lassgård, Elsa Saisio, Anders Mossling, Niklas Engdahl, Filip Berg and Adam Lundgren, as well as Stasys Jakštas as Leonid Brezhnev and Mark Noble as Ronald Reagan.
Filming took place in Sweden and Lithuania in 2023.
Release
The series had a Swedish premiere at the 35th Stockholm International Film Festival in 2024. It began airing on SVT1 in Sweden in December 2024. The series is available in the United States on Hulu and in the United Kingdom on streaming service Disney+ from 22 January 2025.
References
- ^ Whittock, Jesse (28 December 2024). "'The Leopard' Will Pounce And 'The Seduction' Begins: Eight Hot European TV Dramas To Watch In 2025". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- Ramachandran, Naman (2 November 2020). "Sweden's Dramacorp Raises 'Whiskey On The Rocks' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- "Björn Stein • Director of Whiskey on the Rocks". Cineuropa.org. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- Goodfellow, Melanie; Whittock, Jesse (5 September 2022). "Sweden's SVT Orders 'Whiskey On The Rocks'; Netflix Women Pitch Contest Winners; Keshet International Hire; 'Gogglebox' Wales; Red Arrow Mipcom Scripted — Global Briefs". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- Clarke, Stewart (20 January 2025). "Jonas Jonasson Lifts The Lid On Disney+ Original 'Whiskey On The Rocks'; Ronald Reagan & Leonid Brezhnev Face Off In Swedish Cold-War Submarine Satire". Deaine Hollywood.
- "Whiskey on the Rocks coming to Disney+". Advanced Television. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- "Sweden's SVT, Disney+ dive into Cold War submarine satire Whiskey On the Rocks". c21media. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- "SWEDISH COLD WAR POLITICAL SATIRE WHISKEY ON THE ROCKS PREMIERES JANUARY 22 EXCLUSIVELY ON DISNEY+". Disney.co.uk. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.