MHz Choice Exhumes Acorn TV’s ‘The Man Who Died’
'The Man Who Died' gets a new lease on life over on MHZ Choice.
Although PBS is treated by the entertainment trades as a weird afterthought that no one considers a competitor, those who recognize public media’s value are quick to imitate whatever local stations are doing. BritBox, for example, has taken to putting gritty dark mysteries on Thursdays, in the same slot Mystery! aired for two decades. With the end of Grantchester as the “PBS Summer of Mysteries” foundational series, the British-focused streamer has multiple brand-new mystery series that look like they’ll arrive in June and July. Meanwhile, Acorn TV looked at the success of Walter Presents on PBS Passport and started picking up foreign-language thrillers like The Bureau and The Sommerdahl Murders.
But what works for PBS doesn’t always work for niche streaming services. Acorn TV hasn’t fully given up on foreign-language mysteries, but the ones that failed to find an audience have moved house. Such is the case for The Man Who Died, based on the best-selling book by Antti Tuomainen. A Finnish series that never broke out on Acorn when it was initially released in 2024, Acorn TV didn’t bother to bring over the subsequent Season 2, despite the show being a hit overseas. (Much like what happened with Hulu and Das Boot.)
However, Acorn TV relinquishing the rights has given the show a new chance to make a second first impression on a streaming service that’s a far better fit: MHz Choice. Not only has the foreign-language-focused streaming service scooped up Season 1 from where it languished unwatched on Acorn, but it has also taken the rights to the never-streamed-in-the-States Season 2, which it will debut in 2027.
Here’s the Season 1 synopsis:
After returning from Tokyo, mushroom entrepreneur Jaakko learns that he is slowly dying from a mysterious poison and sets out to find the person responsible. Jaakko was a successful businessman in the world of mushroom farming. Maybe a little too successful: a trip to the doctor revealed he’d been fatally poisoned, and it was no accident. Who would want to kill such an easy-going guy? Turns out, it was a surprisingly long list, with his wife at the top.
And here’s the Season 2 synopsis:
Season 2 starts with Jaakko in a hospital bed with a mysterious scar on his chest. All the medical team experimenting on him are willing to say is that he’s in Tokyo. An experimental transplant saved his life, but no one can say for how long. Being revived was not cheap: both Jaakko and his benefactor are now in debt to the man who owns the mushroom business (amongst other things) in Japan. He wants double Jaakko’s next harvest at half the price. If that kills the business, that’s Jaakko’s problem.
Jussi Vatanen (Koskinen) stars as Jaakko Kaunismaa, with Sara Soulié (Puzzle Box) as Sanni; plus Matti Onnismaa (Helsinki Crimes), Elias Westerberg (Bad Apples), Kari Hietalahti (The Last to Disappear), Antti Virmavirta (Next of Kin), Satu Tuuli Karhu (Syke), Janne Reinikainen (Boardertown), Eiji Mihara (Giri/Haji), Jari Virman (Arctic Circle), and small-screen newcomer Matvei German.
(MHz CHoice)
Brendan Foley (Sherlock & Daughter) penned all episodes of both seasons along with Markku Flink; director Samuli Valkama helmed both seasons. Executive producers include Johanna Enäsuo, Chris Law, and Marko Röhr.
The Man Who Died Season 1 will port over from Acorn TV to MHz Choice on Tuesday, December 1, 2026. Season 2 is expected to follow in 2027.
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