Skating around secrets: New hockey drama ‘Beartown’ premieres on HBO

If you like hockey, Swedish backdrops, shocking twists and inspiring stories about small communities, then you’re in luck. The five-part series “Beartown” takes all of these qualities and turns them into a new series that is set to premiere Monday, Feb. 22, on HBO. It isn’t every day you see a hockey drama hit the mainstream, and this one is certainly a far cry from the Mighty Ducks movie franchise. As Beartown, a small community in Sweden, prepares for its junior ice hockey team to win in the Swedish national semifinals, it is clear that, for all intents and purposes, this particular group of teenage boys is the forest town’s last beacon of hope. Hockey is no joke in Beartown, as is proven by the events to come — beware: some sensitive/potentially triggering event details to follow. The intense pressure of the impending game has been weighing heavy on one of the team’s star players, Kevin (new actor Oliver Dufåker), and at a party he sexually assaults 15-year-old Maya Andersson (Miriam Ingrid, “Day Trip,” 2020). As she tries to heal from the trauma caused by the crime, the series turns from an intense hockey showdown to a domino-effect, he-said-she-said drama. The event’s turmoil leaves no resident untouched and Beartown, known for its reputation as a hockey town, is left to deal with the ripples of the act of violence. Meanwhile, Benji (budding actor Otto Fahlgren), a sensitive, troubled character who lost his father when he was young, is used to getting himself into trouble. While Kevin’s entitlement goes so far as to have the charges against him dropped, his friendship with Benji goes through major changes as Benji learns the truth of what happened that fateful night with Maya. Maya is an artistic and ambitious young girl who does not care for hockey, despite her father’s position as the team’s general manager. Unfortunately, she’s up against Kevin’s glowing reputation and the community’s love for him, putting her at a loss with her case. How she handles this struggle remains to be seen, though footage from the trailer shows her fixing a rifle on a perceived off-screen threat.