I don't understand all the terrible reviews of the more recent episodes of Beck.
We can all agree that Mikael Persbrandt's departure as Gunvald left a vacuum that no one could fill. The fact that Martin Beck himself has given up center stage is also a disappointing, though realistic development. Luckily, Peter Haber has been given some powerful scenes.
Still, I would argue that Beck continues to be a very solid crime show-one of the better ones on tv. The supporting team are as good as ever and both Kristofer Hivju as Steiner and Jennie Silfverhjelm as Alex have created believable, complex characters in a relatively short period of time. I find Alex to be an especially intriguing character. How several reviewers have criticized the quality of the acting is beyond me. These people are pros. There are dozens of crime shows out there which require no more than that the performers look good and have qualified stunt doubles.
The shows continue to be exceptionally well filmed and produced. Considering how long the show has been on, the plots remain remarkably fresh and there are still moments of welcome low key humor. This is entirely in keeping with the brilliant series of books the show is (VERY loosely) based on.
On a final note, the show gets credit for presenting us with Klas Fredén, one of the slimiest characters in the history of television!