Parents' Guide to

The Investigation

By Martin Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Compelling Danish true crime drama sticks to the facts.

TV Max Drama 2021
The Investigation Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • The Investigation TV Show: Chief inspector Jens Møller Jensen (Søren Malling) holds a press conference
  • The Investigation TV Show: Volunteers search the water for clues
  • The Investigation TV Show: Prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen (Pilou Asbæk) works with Jensen

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What's the Story?

THE INVESTIGATION follows the Copenhagen Police Department and their chief inspector, Jens Møller Jensen (Søren Malling), as they investigate a unique and unsettling crime. A homemade submarine is reported missing with two people inside -- its owner and a journalist who had come to interview him. When the submarine sinks, the owner is rescued but the journalist remains missing. The chief inspector arrests the owner for murder, suspecting he killed the journalist and sunk the vessel to bury her, but as he continues to uncover details of the incident, things get stranger and stranger.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

True crime documentaries and series tend to rely on fantastical stories that seem fictional even though they're taken from real life. There's an incredible true story at the center of The Investigation too, but the series treats it differently than most. Rather than make the disappearance and possible murder of a woman the story's hook, the series hews very closely to the chief inspector's process as he uncovers facts and pieces together what happened. The drama is subtle and patient, if sometimes dry, but there is something extremely powerful about not framing a woman's murder as pure entertainment. In that sense, it really is the compelling story of an investigation rather than the story of a lurid crime.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the crime. What do we know about the mystery at the center of The Investigation? Why does the chief inspector suspect foul play? How does our understanding of the crime change over the course of the series?

  • How would you describe the Copenhagen police process? What steps do they take to determine the truth? Why is it important to get everything right? How does the chief inspector deal with his mistakes? How does he adapt to new information?

  • How does the chief inspector's job overlap with his personal life? Are there similarities in how he approaches police work and his role as a husband and father? What sacrifices does he make for the job?

TV Details

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