‘You won’t see what’s coming next — I can’t stop watching’: fans are hooked on a new Nordic Prime Video show that will keep you up at night

Prime Video is a master at releasing the sleeper hit. In the last year alone, shows like Ballard, The Girlfriend and Malice have all been underestimated before rocketing to the streamer's top 10 charts – and there's another hidden gem I'd bet a month's salary that you haven't seen.

Introducing Vaka, or if you're streaming it from an English-speaking territory, Wake. Think the Nordic Noir vibes of shows such as The Killing and Trapped, but with an entirely new post-COVID pandemic twist.

Set in Stockholm, Sweden, a nation is pushed to the brink by an insomniac epidemic that won't let anyone sleep... ever. What's causing it? They don't know. Can it be fixed? They can't say.

Sweden's Prime Minister is trying to steer the country through the chaos, putting his son at risk in the process. We also follow perspectives of civilians caught up in the crossfire, including a nurse trying to save her infected partner.

You can stream all six episodes now whether they're dubbed or with subtitles, and trust me when I say you won't be able to sleep either after watching.

Why you need to stream Vaka on Prime Video this winter

Vaka - Officiell Trailer | Prime Video Sverige - YouTube

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Sure, I might be biased because I've just come back from Norway and Vaka was advertised on every tram and train in Oslo, but the Prime Video show has quietly entered the global top 10 even without my knowledge.

It's easy to see why. There's nothing more terrifying than something that could genuinely affect you in real life, and lack of collective sleep seems like something that could happen to us all in years to come.

I know how I am without a good night's sleep, and they're a rarity as it is. The thought of trying to function on a day-to-day basis without any sleep at all... well, that's a horror movie, pure and simple.

It's not just me who's been taken with Vaka either. As one IMDB review puts it, "It's a very well-developed story. You won't see what happens next, or who is good or bad. The suspense is always high... I can't stop watching."

Another fan on YouTube says, "Excellent mini-series, highly recommended," with a third weighs in, "A truly exciting and captivating series! Really well done! Be warned, it gets quite oppressive at times, but that atmosphere is simply part of the genre."

If you can hack it, you can binge all six episodes in one day... though that's basically fast-tracking you to permanently awake status. There's just as many political stakes here as there are personal ones, and that's exactly how I like my drama.

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