Bruce Evans (Greg Poehler) and Emma Wiik (Josephine Bornebusch, Swedish hit drama "Solsidan") seem to be the perfect couple. He is a successful money manager to the stars, living his life in New York with Emma, the sweet woman from Sweden whom he loves and adores. A rare combination of intelligent, funny, kind and beautiful, Emma believes she has finally found her true soul mate. So when she makes the life-changing decision to move back to her native Stockholm to accept a prestigious banking job after being with Bruce for a year, she is surprised and thrilled that he agrees to move with her to begin a new life together.
Moving halfway around the world with a new love is a huge step. With no job, friends or real clue about what he is getting himself into, Bruce is quick to face the many unique challenges and culture clashes that living in a foreign land presents. The most notable one is how to win over Emma's strange and very Swedish family, starting with her parents, Viveka (Lena Olin, "Chocolat") and Birger (Claes Månsson), whom they move in with. Viveka, who is a therapist, dearly loves her family but has difficulty showing it, especially to Emma, and much to Bruce's dismay, she harbors a dislike for him from day one. Birger, a retired sea captain, is a typical Swede - tall, kind and silent. Since his spoken English isn't very sharp, it only adds to the communication barriers.
Emma's younger brother, Gustav (Christopher Wagelin), is a 28-year old mega-slacker who, for some reason, can do no wrong in his mother's eyes. Bengt (Per Svensson), Birger's younger brother, is an American-adoring rockabilly type who seems to live his life through Hollywood movies.
As for Bruce's family, his dad, Wayne (Patrick Duffy, "Dallas"), is conservative by nature and resides in a small Midwestern town. Like Wayne, Bruce's adoring mother, Nancy (Illeana Douglas, "Grace of My Heart"), wants nothing but the best for her son, but has no understanding whatsoever of his decision to leave his happy life in New York.
Amy Poehler, Aubrey Plaza, Will Ferrell and Gene Simmons make guest appearances as themselves in this offbeat single-camera comedy predominately shot on location in Stockholm.
"Welcome to Sweden" is based on events in the life of Greg Poehler, who serves as executive producer along with Amy Poehler, Pontus Edgren, Carrie Stein and Frederik Arefalk. It is a co-production of eOne, TV4, FLX and Syskon.
