Black Sands (TV series)

Black Sands (Icelandic: Svörtu Sandar) is an Icelandic crime-drama television series created by Aldís Amah Hamilton, Andri Óttarsson, and Ragnar Jónsson.^[1] It is directed by Baldvin Zophoníasson.^[2] The show premiered on Stöð 2 on 25 December 2021.

Black Sands
Svörtu Sandar
Genre	Crime Drama
Created by	Aldís Amah Hamilton Ragnar Jónsson
Written by	Baldvin Zophoníasson Ragnar Jónsson Aldís Amah Hamilton
Directed by	Baldvin Zophoníasson
Starring	Aldís Amah Hamilton Steinunn Ólína Þorsteinsdóttir
Country of origin	Iceland
Original languages	Icelandic English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producers	Andri Óttarsson Andri Sveinsson Baldvin Zophoníasson Heiðar Már Guðjónsson
Producers	Andri Ómarsson Arnbjörg Hafliðadóttir Hörður Rúnarsson
Production company	Glassdriver
Original release
Network	Stöð 2
Release	25 December 2021 (2021-12-25)

Synopsis

The series focuses on Aníta Elínardóttir, a thirty-year-old policewoman who takes a job in her childhood home, the only position she can get after being forced to resign in Reykjavík. She has not been to the village in fourteen years, and in the meantime, it has become a tourist trap, surrounded by black sand. Worst of all, she has to move in with her mother, Elín, with whom she has a broken relationship due to a difficult past.

When Aníta arrives in town, the body of a young woman is found on the sandy beach. She seems to have fallen from the overhanging cliff. An investigation begins, led by police chief Ragnar, village doctor Salómon, and the local police team. Nothing criminal seems to have taken place, until a friend of the deceased is found later that night, battered and covered in blood.

As the investigation dwindles, Aníta ends up at the centre of a fiery love triangle that complicates things for her. It turns out that the local police have not been properly carrying out investigations, and there are possible links with other cases. A showdown with her mother is inevitable. Aníta gets sucked into the search for a potential mass murderer, and the showdown turns into a nightmare.^[3][4]

Cast and characters

Season 1

• Aldís Amah Hamilton as Aníta Elínardóttir
• Þór Tulinius as Ragnar, chief police inspector
• Steinunn Ólína Þorsteinsdóttir as Elín, Aníta's estranged mother
• Ævar Þór Benediktsson as Gústi, detective and Aníta's former lover
• Kolbeinn Arnbjörnsson as Salómon Túlinius, local doctor and Aníta's boyfriend
• Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir as Fríða Melsteð, local cop, later Aníta's girlfriend
• Aron Már Ólafsson as Tómas, local cop
• Dan Cade as Stephen Mayer, widower of the murder victim

Season 2

• Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir as Helena, Tómas's grandmother
• Aðalbjörg Emma Hafsteinsdóttir as Jonna, Gústi's daughter
• Edda Guðnadóttir as Dísa, Jonna's lesbian friend
• Pálína Rós Ingadóttir as Abbý, Jonna's friend
• Pálmi Gestsson as Davíð, Salómon's father
• Mímir Bjarki Pálmason as young Davíð

Episodes

Series 1 (2021)

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Black Beach"	Baldvin Zophoníasson	Aldís Amah Hamilton Ragnar Jónsson Baldvin Zophoníasson Andri Óttarsson	25 December 2021 (2021-12-25)
2	"The Journey Is the Destiny"	Baldvin Zophoníasson	Aldís Amah Hamilton Ragnar Jónsson Baldvin Zophoníasson Andri Óttarsson	26 December 2021 (2021-12-26)
3	"Insomnia"	Baldvin Zophoníasson	Aldís Amah Hamilton Ragnar Jónsson Baldvin Zophoníasson Andri Óttarsson	2 January 2022 (2022-01-02)
4	"You're Not Here"	Baldvin Zophoníasson	Aldís Amah Hamilton Ragnar Jónsson Baldvin Zophoníasson Andri Óttarsson	9 January 2022 (2022-01-09)
5	"Salt in the Wounds"	Baldvin Zophoníasson	Aldís Amah Hamilton Ragnar Jónsson Baldvin Zophoníasson Andri Óttarsson	16 January 2022 (2022-01-16)
6	"The Curtain Comes Down"	Baldvin Zophoníasson	Aldís Amah Hamilton Ragnar Jónsson Baldvin Zophoníasson Andri Óttarsson	23 January 2022 (2022-01-23)
7	"A Little Blond Boy"	Baldvin Zophoníasson	Aldís Amah Hamilton Ragnar Jónsson Baldvin Zophoníasson Andri Óttarsson	30 January 2022 (2022-01-30)
8	"A Lovers Night"	Baldvin Zophoníasson	Aldís Amah Hamilton Ragnar Jónsson Baldvin Zophoníasson Andri Óttarsson	6 February 2022 (2022-02-06)