Netflix Reveals Cast Details for Swedish Comedy Series ‘Anxious People’

In October 2019, it was announced that “Anxious People,” the novel by bestseller author Fredrik Backman, will become a Swedish Netflix original series. The series will be produced by FLX, the production company behind Quicksand, and the newly released Love & Anarchy.

Production has recently started, and today Netflix has announced the cast. Alfred Svensson (The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, Sunny Side) will play the lead role as Jack and his dad, Jim, is played by Dan Ekborg. The rest of the ensemble consists of Leif Andrée, Sascha Zacharias, Carla Sehn, Petrina Solange, Marika Lagercrantz, Anna Granath, Per Andersson, Sofia Ledarp, Shima Niavarani, Lottie Ejebrant, and Vera Herngren.

Anxious People is an unreasonably riotous comedy about a hostage drama during an open house. A failed bank robber locks himself in with an over-enthusiastic real estate agent, two bitter IKEA-addicts, a pregnant woman, a suicidal multi-millionaire, and a damn rabbit. In the end, the robber gives up and lets everyone go, but when the police storm the apartment it is...empty.

In a series of dysfunctional testimonies afterward, the witnesses all tell their version of what really happened, whereupon a classic puzzle mystery develops around the questions: How did the robber manage to escape? Why is everyone so angry? And: What is WRONG with people these days?

Directed by Felix Herngren, the screenplay for the series is written by Camilla Ahlgren (head writer) and Alex Haridi. Anna Carlsten is the producer with Fatima Varhos and Pontus Edgren from FLX, Fredrik Backman, Neda Backman, and Tor Jonasson, from Salomonsson Agency as executive producers.

Fredrik Backman made his literary debut in 2012 with the global sensation A Man Called Ove. Wickedly funny, touching, and wise, his novels are odysseys of the ordinary man and woman, and stunningly moving tales of everyday courage. To date, Fredrik Backman has written six highly acclaimed novels, two heartfelt novellas about life and love, and one non-fiction book about parenthood. His books have sold more than 13 million copies in 46 countries and the film adaptation of A Man Called Ove was nominated for two Academy Awards. Anxious People became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller.

FLX is one of Scandinavia’s fastest-growing production companies in TV drama, feature films, and commercials. Drama series released in 2019 include “Quicksand”, the first Swedish original series for Netflix, finance thriller “Blinded”, “Bonus Family season 3”, “The Simple Heist season 2”, and “Sunny Side season 6”. Releases in 2020 include the features “Jönssonligan” directed by Tomas Alfredson, '’Bert’s diary”, directed by Michael Lindgren, and Netflix Original series “Love and Anarchy” created by Lisa Langseth. “Day by day”, the feature film directed by Felix Herngren, will be released in 2021. FLX is owned by SF studios, Felix Herngren and Pontus Edgren.