Marie Kondo Cleans Your Home, Swedish Death Cleaner Scrubs Your Soul
By Kristin Myers on April 8, 2022 at 12:30 PM EDT
The Swedish Death Cleaner isn’t exactly a name that will spark joy.
Marie Kondo’s Netflix show, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” was a 2019 series that helped people declutter their homes and find items that “sparked joy.” The Swedish Death Cleaner has a similar premise, except it’s geared towards people who are about to die.
The Swedish Death Cleaner Allows People To ‘Prepare For Death While We Enjoy Life’
The upcoming Peacock unscripted series is called “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning,” best on the best-selling book of the same name by Margareta Magnusson.
The Hollywood Reporter got the scoop on the new series, which will star a “Swedish Death Cleaner” who has yet to be cast. The Swedish Death Cleaner is said to help people who “are at a major crossroads … organize and demystify [their] homes, lives, and relationships,” thereby “allowing us to prepare for death while we enjoy life.”
The New York Times has previously described the book the show is based on as “a primer on how to winnow your belongings before you die, so you don’t burden your family.”
The Executive VP of unscripted content at NBCUniversal Television & Streaming, Rod Aissa, said, “In this series, viewers will be taken on an honest and emotional journey as they watch everyday people conquer their worst fears and discover who they really are on the inside.”
Aissa added, “We hope our compassionate and dynamic series sparks conversation within each household and breaks the stigma around mortality and the tough reality of letting things go.”
The Swedish Death Cleaner Series Is Brought To You By The Creators Of ‘Queer Eye’
Believe it or not, the idea for the project came from Scout Productions, which is the creator of “Queer Eye” and Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions.
Co-founder and executive producer at Scout Productions, David Collins, said, “Queer Eye reshaped the way we look at life, and The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning will transform the way we look at death.”
Amy Poehler, who will also narrate each episode, added, “Swedish Death Cleaning reminds us to focus on what is truly important, and we couldn’t find a better team to take this journey with than Peacock and the incredible Scout Team.”
The show’s Swedish Death Cleaner will reportedly “turn each home upside down as they uncover and undo decades of collecting. With their distinctly Swedish sensibility, they liberate each person from the clutter in their lives and allow them to pass on treasured mementos — and the deeply personal stories behind them — to their family, friends, or neighbors. Along the way, viewers will go on a journey with each individual as they recall who they once were, discover who they should be, and navigate how they want to be remembered.”
It remains to be seen how fans will feel about this newest series, but end-of-life television series has been on the rise lately. Shows like “This Is Us” and “Human Resources” are two such shows that have spoken about end-of-life planning.
