Multi-hyphenate artist Axel Åhman is expanding his impressive creative footprint into the international television landscape. The writer, comedian, musician, and actor is set to star in the upcoming dark comedy series “Body in the Closet,” which is being produced for Warner Bros. International Television Production Finland.
The project brings together a formidable creative team from the Nordic region, blending sharp theatrical satire, supernatural elements, and biting humor centered around themes of egocentrism and toxic relationships.
In the series, Åhman will portray Staffan, an audience services employee working at a prominent urban theatre. Described as a country boy who has successfully found his way into a major big-city cultural institution, Staffan knows the venue’s history completely by heart. However, his quiet dedication to his workplace is complicated by a strong crush on a colleague named Betty. Unfortunately for Staffan, his attempts to approach her are defined by being painfully clumsy and entirely tactless.
This awkward pursuit ultimately sets off a chain of events leading to an unexpected and bizarre turning point: his accidental death by chainsaw. Yet, death proves not to be the end for Staffan. He returns to haunt Betty throughout the duration of the series, lingering as a supernatural presence that continually disrupts her life.
Speaking about his involvement with the project, Åhman expressed enthusiasm for stepping into a uniquely morbid role and exploring a genre less frequently touched upon in Nordic television.
“I found it funny to play a murder victim. I like it when characters meet an unexpected end, and when writers dare to go darker,” Åhman told Variety. “Comedy is at its funniest when it dances on the borderline of darkness. We don’t see much dark comedy in the Nordics. When I got the chance to participate, I just had to tag along and see where it headed. It’s also a nice challenge to play someone else’s script. I have mainly played characters from my own writing.”
Best known across the region as a member of the massively popular comedy group KAJ, Åhman brings a versatile background in writing and performance to the production. Mia Oikarinen, producer for Warner Bros. International Television Production Finland, noted that his distinct skill set makes him an ideal fit for the tone of the show.
“His comic timing and background in writing make him a particularly strong fit for Staffan and for the series’ darkly comic tone,” Oikarinen said. “He was very happy that we thought of him for the role — and amused that we immediately pictured him as Staffan.”
Behind the camera, the series is directed by Elin Grönblom, who also co-wrote the script alongside Josefin Sonck. Sonck is additionally set to star in the lead role of Betty. Grönblom and Sonck are already recognized in the industry for their previous collaborative work, including the project “Bloodsuckers.”
Grönblom emphasized that the creative freedom offered by dark comedy and genre-bending storytelling was a primary draw for the production.
“I like the genre because it allows you to play and have fun. Horror, or in this case, dark comedy with some killing, is also a welcome form of escapism. We like to see characters do things that we ourselves don’t dare to do, and probably shouldn’t,” Grönblom said.
Echoing these sentiments, Sonck pointed out the inherent narrative relationship between comedy and horror, noting that the series avoids falling strictly into a traditional horror-comedy box. Instead, it focuses heavily on character-driven desperation.
“Both rely on surprise and playing with the audience’s expectations. But this isn’t a ‘horror comedy.’ It’s more about one person’s increasingly desperate life situation, told through dark humor and supernatural elements,” Sonck explained.
“Body in the Closet” is scheduled to begin filming next autumn. Svenska YLE, the Swedish-language division of Finland’s public broadcaster YLE, has already boarded the project as a broadcasting partner.
The narrative draws heavily from the cultural backdrop of Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority, a community shared by the creators, though they emphasize that the underlying themes are universally recognizable.
“Josefin and I are both drawn to dark humor. It allows us to take a serious topic — in this case, egocentrism and the relationship between a narcissistic parent and child — and show its absurdity through humor,” Grönblom noted. “When you can laugh, perhaps uncomfortably, you can also shine a light on something serious from another angle. [The show] is set in a visually realistic world: the gray Helsinki autumn. But we exaggerate the characters and the action to create a fast-paced, humorous tone.”
Grönblom added that the theatre world serves as a fitting backdrop for exploring vanity and self-absorption. “We belong to this minority as well, but it’s a world that can be recognized anywhere. Especially the theatre world with its prejudiced, grandiose characters. Since the theme of the series is egocentrism, what better stage to put them on?”
The production team shares a strong conviction regarding the project’s cross-border appeal, maintaining that the narrative holds robust international potential.
“All our characters are driven by their own egos and needs, and often fail to see others around them. We laugh at the increasingly absurd situations these horrible people put each other through,” Oikarinen observed. She further reflected on the cultural timing of the series, suggesting that audiences currently find solace in dark satire. “Sometimes we need to laugh at them to cope with what’s happening around us, especially in this increasingly egocentric — and frankly quite frightening — world.”
Sonck underscored that the show successfully weaves together multiple distinct narrative layers, combining timely themes with fast-paced storytelling and eccentric character dynamics.
“Our series explores self-absorption, the quest for validation, and our attempts to control how we present ourselves to the world. The theater becomes a symbolic setting for these themes. But it’s also a place where secrets are brought into the spotlight,” Sonck concluded, pointing to a cast of quirky personalities who act out impulses most people keep hidden.
