The New Force (Swedish: Skiftet, lit. 'The Shift') is a Swedish drama series created by Patrik Ehrnst and Rojda Sekersöz. Set in 1958, it follows a trio of Sweden's first female police officers (Josefin Asplund, Agnes Rase, Malin Persson) as they patrol in Klara, Stockholm. The series was filmed in Norrköping, and produced by Cecilia Forsberg Becker from Art & Bob. It was the first Swedish period drama produced for Netflix.
The lead roles were played by Josefin Asplund, Agnes Rase, and Malin Persson. The New Force premiered on Netflix on 3 October 2025 and received mixed to negative reviews from critics.
Contents
Cast
Agnes Rase as Siv Morell: female constable with ambitions of becoming a detective
Josefin Asplund as Carin Eriksson: female constable with a strong protective instinct for women; left home to flee her abusive father
Malin Persson as Ingrid Gustafsson: female constable who hides her Jewish heritage
Christopher Wagelin as Johan Reimer: constable assigned patrol with Carin
Hannes Fohlin as Oscar Thornberg: police detective who forms a connection with Siv
Rasmus Luthander as Arne Grahn: Carin's upper-class boyfriend
Jimmy Lindström as Wallin: constable assigned patrol with Ingrid
Cilla Thorell as Jenny Berg: an established police sister in the Klara precinct; oversees the female officers
Pablo Leiva Wenger as Rossi: constable assigned patrol with Siv
Peter Eriksson as Gunnar Svärd: district chief of the Klara precinct; initiated the female constable experiment in hopes of earning a promotion
Dominik Henzel as Carl Gustaf Fischer: police detective; works with Oscar and disapproves of women in the police
Leonard Terfelt as Jack Hellman: brothel owner
Production
Netflix announced the series on 18 March 2024, providing the Swedish title and stating it would be set in 1958, following the first female police officers in Sweden. They also announced that Rojda Sekersöz, who directed Young Royals, would be directing the series. By August of that year, additional details were provided, including the release date, cast, and crew. It was announced that Josefin Asplund, Agnes Rase, and Malin Persson would be playing the lead roles. The New Force was the first Swedish period drama created for Netflix.
The New Force was based on real events; the first class of women was admitted to the Swedish Police Academy in 1957 and they began joining patrols the following year. The series was created by Patrik Ehrnst and Sekersöz. Sekersöz served as conceptual director the series as a whole, and co-directed the series with Julia Lindström. Ehrnst, Antonia Pyk and Elin Randin wrote the script, while the story was developed by Ehrnst, Randin, and Per Gavatin.
The series was filmed in Norrköping, and produced by Cecilia Forsberg Becker from Art & Bob.
Release
It premiered on Netflix on 3 October 2025.
Reception
The film earned an average rating of 2.8/5 on the Swedish review aggregator site Kritiker. Thomas Engström gave The New Force 4/6 stars in Svenska Dagbladet. Karolina Fjellborg gave it a mixed review in Aftonbladet. She criticized the unsubtle handling of the subject matter and flat male characters, but praised the performances, costume design, and cinematography. She concluded that, overall, the series was "clichéd but worth watching." The aesthetics and hip-hop soundtrack were both praised by Mattias Bergqvist in Expressen. Although he gave the series a mixed review overall, he commended the lead actresses for "capturing the characters' friendship, willpower, and ambition."
Fredrik Sahlin was more critical in Dagens Nyheter, writing that "with friends like [the series], feminism needs no enemies." Ingvill Dybfest Dahl also gave it a generally negative review in NRK. She said it was "audiovisual interesting journey" with good acting, but concluded that the caricatured villains and dramatic flatness resulted in an "uneven mess."