Kenneth Branagh stars as Kurt Wallander and also served as the executive producer for the series. Other actors include Jeany Spark as Linda Wallander, Sarah Smart as Anne-Britt Hoglund, Tom Beard as Svedberg, Tom Hiddleston as Martinsson, Richard McCabe as Nyberg, Sadie Shimmin as Lisa Holgersson and David Warner as Povel Wallander. Nicholas Hoult, star of the film About a Boy, makes an appearance as Stefan Fredman in Sidetracked.

Sidetracked will start off the series on Sunday, May 10th at 9:00 PM. Firewall will follow on Sunday, May 17th with One Step Behind finishing up on Sunday, May 31st. Viewers should check their local stations for exact times. The PBS web site will have the films available for online viewing between May 11 - June 7, 2009.

The series will be released on DVD on June 2 and is available for pre-order in the US at Amazon.com and in Canada at Amazon.ca. This 2 disc set contains all three films as well as several extras, including the Who is Kurt Wallander? documentary that aired on the BBC and an interview with Henning Mankell and Kenneth Branagh.

View the trailer for Wallander Series 1 on PBS

Kenneth Branagh's version of Wallander has been well liked by both audiences and critics in Europe. The series has received favorable reviews in leading newspapers and recently it was presented with the Best Drama prize at the 2009 Bafta TV Avards.

Wallander wins at the 2009 Bafta TV Avards

The success of the BBC Wallander series has all but guaranteed further films will be made. It is hoped that series 2 could begin as early as this summer.