Suggested, but never stated, as being autistic, she is portrayed as completely oblivious to social norms, but a brilliant and devoted police investigator.
In the first two series, she develops an unlikely friendship with Danish cop Martin Rohde (played by Kim Bodnia), who is in many ways her complete opposite.
In the third series she has another Danish detective, Henrik Sabroe (played by Thure Lindhardt), as her partner, who understands her complex nature and accepts her for who she is.
"[2] Saga Norén was initially created to be a counterpart to the Danish character Martin Rohde, himself intended to be the opposite of the standard lead male detective in the crime genre.
[4] It has since been partially written into the series, when Henrik remarks on the possibility of Saga having a condition of some kind whilst talking to an imagined vision of his missing wife.
Saga Norén's other defining traits are a strict adherence to rules, in her case the code of conduct for police officers, and a great level of devotion to her job and everything surrounding it.
The first episode of the series establishes that she has a basic knowledge of forensic pathology, personally examining a murder victim and correctly identifying the cause of death.
Her strong belief in following rules is also presented straight away in the series, when she files a report against Martin for having let an ambulance pass through a crime scene.
Saga is shown to be more likely to be comfortable around the people she trusts greatly, such as her boss Hans Petterson (whom she allows to hug her provided he asks first) and partner Henrik Sabroe, however when around someone who she deems to be an "outsider", or someone who she perceives to be a threat, she visibly retreats away from them, most notably in her encounters with her mother Louise.
Instead, her closest relations are platonic: her sympathetic and supportive boss Hans Pettersson and eventually Martin Rohde, whom Saga refers to as her only friend in the series two finale.
While this initially consists of casual sex, it grows deeper and more emotional when he begins to seek her company in order to cope with his insomnia and loneliness, and in turn allowing her to stay at his house with him and providing her with emotional support when her beloved boss Hans dies, her manipulative mother returns to her life and her new boss proves less understanding, which makes her work harder.
The fourth and final series focus on Saga's realization that she is falling in love with Henrik, but with the issue of children at risk of coming between them: while Henrik, whose key backstory involves the disappearance of his wife and daughters, considers being a father as a central part of his identity, Saga explicitly does not want to have children.
Despite having few close relationships, Saga is generally liked and accepted by her colleagues, such as her team in series one and the Malmö pathologist, a recurring character.