What's new and what's changed?

It's been nine years since the original run of Borgen, a drama about the machinations of Danish politics that found a cult audience across the globe. This new group of episodes was presented in its native Denmark as the show's fourth season, but Netflix (which now co-produces the series) has given them the subtitle Power and Glory to emphasize that they're fresh installments.

Even viewers who start watching here should get hooked: Birgitte Nyborg, who is now the Danish foreign minister, gets pulled into a shady affair involving oil drilling in Greenland. As she attempts to do what's best for the country (and the climate), she must fend off both political pressure and the many people who want the project to further their selfish interests.

Like the original, Borgen: Power and Glory is presented in Danish, with English subtitles.

Who's involved?

• Sidse Babett Knudsen is back as Birgitte, whose inteillgience and passion make the daily doings of national government feel like high drama.
• Birgitte Hjort Sørensen also returns as journalist Katrine Fønsmark, who is now the head of news at a major Danish TV network. But can she help reverse the fortunes of an outlet that is losing relevance?
• Mikkel Boe Følsgaard is Asger, an ambassador to Greenland who quickly sees how much corruption is running through the oil deal. He also has a complicated attraction to a Greenland official that might compromise him.
• Søren Mallin and Lisbeth Wulff are back, respectively, as journalists Torbin and Pia, and they're still digging deeply into the government's every move.
• Peter Mygind returns as Birgitte's old political adversary Michael Laugesen, only this time they find surprising ways to cooperate. 
• Series creator Adam Price is still at the helm of this new season.

Why (and to whom) do we recommend it?

Borgen fans will breathe easily about 10 minutes into Power and Glory, when Birgitte manages to school her new assistant on the least irritiating way to talk to her, make several idealistic statements about her role in fighting climate change, and look with barely disguised irritation at a smug political wonk who knocks over his coffee during a meeting. This is the show at its best: rapid-fire, deeply thoughtful, and driven by characters who have too much to accomplish to worry about being nice all the time.

And the specifics of this season's major arc are especially juicy. The Greenland oil project delivers oligarchs, affairs, double crosses, and (equally gripping on this show) lots of bad policy. There are also plenty of characters from Russia, China, and the United States to offer a global scope, and the frequent trips to Greenland provide some gorgeous scenery. Anyone who likes richly textured political intrigue should quickly devour it all.

Pairs well with

• The original run of Borgen, of course, which is also available on Netflix.
• Good Girls Revolt, a Prime Video series about life at a socially ambitious magazine.
• The Chair, Netflix's series about a woman (played by Sandra Oh) trying to take over a failing English department in a large university.