The Playlist (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series follows aspiring entrepreneur Daniel Ek, who sees an opportunity amid the conflict between music industry heavyweights and music piracy. He builds a free and legal music streaming service with business partner Martin Lorentzon, a service that would revolutionize the global music industry while facing unforeseen challenges. The cast includes Edvin Endre as Daniel Ek, Christian Hillborg as Martin Lorentzon, Joel Lützow as first employee Andreas Ehn, Gizem Erdogan as lawyer Petra Hansson, Ulf Stenberg as Sony Music executive Per Sundin, and Janice Kamya Kavander as aspiring musician Bobbi Thomasson.

Reader's Guide

The Playlist is significant as a dramatized exploration of the birth of Spotify, a company that transformed how music is consumed worldwide. The series received positive reviews, with critics praising its writing, directing, and cast performances, particularly the storytelling from six different perspectives. On Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of six critics' reviews were positive. Some critics found the multiple-perspective structure engaging, while others noted repetitiveness. The series was compared unfavorably to The Social Network by one critic, who felt it lacked that film's electric thrill. The production involved filming in Stockholm, Croatia, and Lithuania, with post-production in November 2021 and wrapping in August 2022.

Did You Know?

• The first trailer was released on YouTube on 13 September 2022.
• Principal photography took place in Stockholm, Sweden in June 2021.
• The series consists of six 45-minute episodes.