Word from PBS World Headquarters is that the newest series of Wallander now has a September 2012 broadcast transmission date set. The greatness that is Sir Kenneth Branagh will return as Kurt Wallander for another three installments of Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell’s classic detective series. Written by Peter Harness, who is known to PBS and BBC audiences for the “Case Histories” series starring Jason Isaacs, the three new installments will be “Dogs of Riga”, “Before the Frost” and “An Event in Autumn”.

What will I possibly do between now and September?

Not to worry. Besides plenty of PBS Masterpiece Mystery! brilliance between now and then if you are in the States, BBC4 has recently transmitted the latest in a consistently getting longer line of Nordic noir thrillers called The Bridge if you need a bit of DVD viewing options.

The Bridge features a pair of Swedish and Danish detectives who investigate the discovery of a woman’s body exactly halfway across the Oresund bridge, which links their countries. Saga Norén, the socially awkward female Swedish police officer is paired with Martin Rohde, a laid-back Danish cop, on the trail of a killer who believes his actions are defensible for social reasons. For fans of Wallander, The Killing and the Danish political drama, Borgen, this is a great way to ‘bridge’ the gap between now and September.

In a bit of an interesting twist on the re-make front, Kudos, the independent production company behind shows such as Life On Mars, Ashes to Ashes, The Hour and Spooks, is giving The Bridge a UK makeover in the not-too-distant future. While not a huge fan of remakes, I’m thinking that, given Kudos’ track record, this will be one worth checking out.