"Tschugger" (both a dialect and light swear word for "policemen" in the rural Swiss canton of Valais) worked great for Swiss audiences and it will probably work great internationally - even if some local nuances and in-jokes regarding Valais (where the entire series was filmed on location) will get lost in translation.
Great actors (some of them are laymen, not even professional actors!), great overarching and fast-paced plot with many sudden twists and turns.
Regular moviegoers will spot lots of influences from (cop) movies and TV series like...
- Fargo (not just because there is plenty of snow in both the Fargo and Tschugger settings, probably the most direct association)
- Super Troopers (as well as earlier cop movies/series such as Starsky & Hutch, Miami Vice or Beverly Hills Cop)
- Braunschlag (2012, Austrian TV series)
- Headhunters (2011, the very good Norwegian thriller) or
- Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse (but "Tschugger" isn't nearly as dark and somber as the Crimson Rivers sequel and has more comedic elements).
The only major downside in my opinion? Season two (both seasons only feature five episodes each) goes a bit overboard towards the action-packed finale compared to all the earlier episodes - but that's only a minor minus overall.
Give Tschugger a try, it truly deserves a broader international audience and distribution.
Certainly the best and funniest Swiss TV series in years, if not decades, in my opinion.
You can begin to imagine how much work went into the series when you search for a web-only series called "Tschutter" (notice the similar spelling) online. Many of the people behind "Tschugger" (including the director) already were involved in this low-budget soccer/football comedy series as childhood friends, even portraying the same screen characters. However, there is no plot connection between the two series (other than the physical setting and filming location in the canton of Valais).
Rating: 9/10 (one point deduction for the over-the-top finale in Season 2).
My review above covers the first two seasons. Seasons 3 and 4 (with 4 being the final season, confirmed) of "Tschugger" will be released by late 2024.
PS: Update as of late 2024. I have also watched seasons 3 and 4 (the final season 4 was even released in cinemas in Switzerland, thanks to the series' overall success) now.
The finale in season 4 is once again (way) over the top. The entire last season features almost too many slapstick elements for my personal taste. I would rate season 3 and 4 as 8+ out of 10, a tiny bit inferior compared to the first two seasons overall. Some novelties are repeated almost too often, their initial charm has somewhat worn off since season 1. The heavy and continued focus on two new gadgets (namely old-school PC floppy disks and futuristic electric cars) is almost too frequent to resolve open plot strings and drive the story forward.
But the cheeky as well as the dark humor (sassy kids and small dogs live a dangerous life in "Tschugger", no spoilers) and the fast pacing presented with retro-style vibes are still there, fortunately. All of these elements contributed heavily to the series' immediate success in the first season.
I can only reiterate what I wrote for seasons 1 and 2 earlier. The best Swiss TV series in ages, especially considering that some of the actors involved are laymen!
