Be on the Cutting Edge: Sadly, it’s a little too late to be completely on the cutting edge for Borgen. All of Europe as well as many resourceful Americans have already discovered the show. But the trio of lead actors—Sidse Babett Knudsen, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Pilou Asbæk—are on the verge of breaking out in the U.S. in a big way. Sørensen—who starred as the antagonist in Pitch Perfect 2 and had a very popular one-episode arc on Game of Thrones last season—is already on her way to being that rare American household name featuring a Scandanavian “O.” The fact that her roles in those two popular properties were such a far cry from her performance as the impassioned Borgen reporter Katrine Fønsmark means the talented Sørensen will likely break even wider next year when she stars in Martin Scorsese’s new HBO series Vinyl. HBO has also snapped up Asbæk for a juicy new role in Season 6 of Game of Thrones. Though there’s no way to guarantee this, he’s got the charisma and the opportunity to become the newest fan favorite. And not to leave the prime minister herself out of it, HBO has also grabbed Borgen’s leading lady, Sidse Babett Knudsen, for its upcoming sci-fi Western Westworld. The casting directors at HBO have obviously been watching Borgen. Shouldn’t you?

The Political Show We Need: As we head into a presidential election our political landscape has, thanks in large part to Donald Trump, turned into even more of a three-ring circus than usual. But even if our political debates are going to be overshadowed by petty infighting and soap operas that have nothing to do with the issues, that doesn’t mean you have to leave your political brain at the door. Sure, Borgen has its share of personal drama; the show opens with a scandalous death. But the brilliant angle of this show—which goes through several election cycles—is that because we don’t have associations with the Danish political parties, we’re able to hear debates on issues of immigration, health care, environmental concerns, and women’s rights without having a predetermined side to root for.

This makes Borgen even more successful than America’s most famous political series, West Wing, where it’s hard not to root for the home team—be they Republican or Democrat. But Denmark has a multi-party system, and instead of finding a clear corollary between our divisive two-party approach, you have to navigate a cabinet made up of the Social Democrats, the Danish People’s Party, the Liberals, the Moderates, the Conservative People’s Party, the Green Party, etc. If all that sounds confusing, don’t worry. You can just focus on the personalities (the prime minister is Moderate) and the issues, which, despite the European location, are pretty universal. It’s also compelling in this age of Hillary Clinton to see a woman at the top of the heap. Selina Myer on Veep is fun, but prime minister Birgitte Nyborg is formidable, and the parallels there are fascinating.