“Mafia” – TV Series Review

The crime drama “Mafia” (originally “Maffia”) from Sweden is a bit atypical in its focus. Covering a period from 1991-1999, it’s mainly about Yugoslavian gangs in Sweden smuggling tax-dodging cigarettes for unimaginable profits. The timing is key, since there were Serbian and Croatian factions in conflict over not only turf and profits, but the beginnings and continuation of the war between the two back home. Both involved sides relied heavily on their cut of the multi-millions of smuggling revenue to fund the fighting.

The main character is Croatian Jakov (Peshang Rad) who is the shrewdest member of either gang, trying to maximize profits while minimizing violence and risks. The other two leaders are his “brother from another mother” Goran (Nemanja Stojanovic) who is more impulsive, and Drago (Cedomir Djordjevic) who is a reckless bully. The other two have more physicality and charisma than Jakov (think of Tim Roth vs. Jeff Fahey and Vinnie Jones), making them the ones others will follow, and whom Jakov always has to wheedle into patiently pursuing a wiser course of action. He’s the only one who sees the big picture and understands how to fly under the radar and play the long game.

They butt heads with a larger gang headed by the utterly ruthless Serbian Zlatko (Miodrag Stojanovic, who looks like James Carville in a perpetually foul mood). The maneuvers and shifting alliances among them and others make for a lot of dramatic tension and periodic violence. Those relations are further complicated by the involvement of the cops, headed by Gunn (Katia Winter) whose cooperation with Jakov as the lesser evil of the lot is tenuous, at best. Is she using him to limit the smuggling and body count, or is he using her to unseat the others? Or both? Will she wind up appreciating his relatively low-key approach to the racket or jailing him?

The six 45-minute episodes each cover different years in the decade, as events in Sweden and back home unfold. There are a lot of moving pieces to follow and several compelling side relationships keeping the tenor more human and less geopolitical. I frequently complain that such seasons and miniseries from The Continent run 8-10 episodes when six would be sufficient. This one proves my point, as there’s little fat in the package that lesser producers might have milked for more running (and commercial-selling) time. Performances are excellent all around. The pace and scope of action are above average for such fare. I’m not exactly thrilled with aspects of how the season ends, but the product was engaging enough to make me hope for further developments in the lives of the surviving players.

“Mafia,” in Swedish and Serbo-Croatian with English subtitles, streams on ViaPlay starting June 19, 2025.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars