Mennen tullen

Though created in a form of a serious murder-mystery it is in fact a dark comedy with occasional absurd elements, technology and conventions (including a deus ex machina).

The reason as to why the real events of each show are taped and stored at the broadcasting center is never revealed and most characters appear oblivious to the fact.

One of the two stars of Z-Salamapartio (Z-Lightning Squad), a cop-show taking place in the 1970s (though jokingly filmed in a 60s black and white to emphasize the slow development of technology in Finland) and the main protagonist and narrator of the story.

Mats's partner, the cool-guy who loves to read the men's magazine Urkki and has a flair for cheap colognes.

Berner decides to help Mats solve the murder mystery when his partner Dieter is kidnapped during his retirement party.

He also has a tendency to utter nonsensical one-liners (at the beginning of a chase scene he says Eine Kleine Nachtmusik), like Dieter he constantly speaks German yet others are able to understand him without difficulty and even talk back with their own mother tongue (Finnish or English).

A psychic cop from the 90s style cop-show Pimeyden Tyyny (The Pillow of Darkness) commercials of which ran on Studio Julmahuvi though no full episodes were ever made.

The TV executive with an anti-subway agenda who kidnapped Emmanuelle and set a trap for Raoul and Mats in order to cause an accident and shut down the building of the subway.

At end of their last case he forced Emmanuelle's kidnapper, Kalervo Friman (a TV-executive with an anti-subway agenda ), to drink an entire one liter bottle of Mennen-brand cologne while Mats himself was hallucinating from the fumes.

After his disfigurement he only received supporting parts on the cop shows and began a murder spree in order to get his revenge.

The Mennen tullen logo from the fourth episode