Review of Idévärlden (2017)
Seen in 2017.
One idea per episode, illustrated by cartoonist Max Gustafson, with one proponent and two opponents: Wage slavery, negative thinking, the decline of (Swedish) profit-seeking education according to Dick Harrison, the supposedly Christian roots of the welfare state, the sustainability of capitalism, structural racism, the medicalization of mild depression, and the dangers of nationalism.
An intellectual talk show, harking back to 1960s state television. The gradual hand-drawn illustrations add some visual interest, a mode of presentation I associate with the After Skool project and its 2016 Youtube channel.
In a few of the episodes of the first season (education, racism, nationalism) the debate is good enough to sustain interest. Gustafson does a lot to help carry the rest.
The original host, Eric Schüldt, burned out making this and was replaced by the less passionate Daniel Sjölin for the second season. By this point even Gustafsson’s illustrations were losing their charm, being more obviously planned ahead and merely copied on the drawing board.