After his breakthrough with "Fast Cash" 20 years ago, former lawyer Jens Lapidus has become one of the most widely read portrayers of - fictional - Swedish crime. But despite decades of American lawyer series on TV, there has been a lack of a Swedish legal drama, says Lapidus, who came up with the original idea for "The Dogs."
Lawyers work in such a morally interesting environment. So I felt this had to be told at some point.
Driven but tormented
"The Dogs" is about a firm run by star lawyers Kalle (Björn Bengtsson) and Sasha (Arvin Kananian) – incredibly driven in the courtroom, but tormented by their private demons outside.
Lapidus believes that a lawyer drama is a good forum for telling something bigger about Sweden today. All social issues appear as cases in the courtroom.
This season, gang violence is in focus quite a lot. But also MeToo and the gender system. So there is a very good breeding ground in a series like this for talking about big issues, but in a pretty concrete, human way, I would say.
The process in Swedish courts is quite modest compared to dramatic American trials. Lapidus says that they have tried to turn up the tension, but everything in "The Dogs" is authentic.
There's nothing that happens in the series that couldn't happen in real life. Most of it has happened to me. So it's very authentic.
Tiktok lawyer
For example, one of the young lawyers at the firm is advertising himself on TikTok. A sign of the times, according to Lapidus, who says there has been a fierce battle for assignments between lawyers, with devastating consequences.
You've brought in a lot of semi-serious, or even frivolous people who see this as an opportunity to get ahead. And I think that's interesting to portray.
But “The Dogs”, where does the series name come from?
A core theme in this series is the issue of loyalty, and the dog is man's most loyal animal.
Sometimes lawyers have been referred to as the state's loyal dogs.
It's not something that lawyers are usually called in Sweden, but there is a similarity in loyalty. The lawyer's primary duty is to show fidelity and loyalty to the client.
"The Dogs" premieres on SVT Play on February 20th and comes to SVT1 two days later.
He is 51 years old. Had a breakthrough with his debut novel "Snabba cash", 2006, which grew into a trilogy and was adapted into a film. He has written six books in the "Top dog" series, as well as children's books about Dillstaligan. He was also behind the TV series "Advokaten" on Viaplay and has been an expert on TV4.
Lapidus was a lawyer for many years, but quit in 2016 and has since become a full-time writer.
