That's got to be 'The Killing'. Wait, no, that’s set in a city. But how about 'Modus'? It's Swedish and has a psychologist as the lead, not a detective, but she gets involved in solving crimes and it’s beautiful to watch. It’s quiet, slow, like melancholic kind of beauty.

uhh there's this show i saw, was Scandinavian but can't remember the name... it had like, a woman detective? or maybe she was a doctor? or none? i dunno, but she was the main character for sure.

Your description has me thinking perhaps 'Jordskott'. It's Swedish, fits the eerie beauty you mentioned and a strong female lead grappling with personal demons. It leans more into the mythical and is suspenseful, might not be as humorous as you recalled, though. Worth revisiting as it gets too little love.

You might be thinking about 'Fortitude.' It's a British show but set in a fictional Arctic Norwegian town. Eerie, beautiful landscapes, complex characters, ticks your boxes of stark cinematography and it's quite unsettling. Not the main lead, but a strong female character is integral. If it’s not 'Fortitude', try 'Maria Wern', Swedish series, exactly what you described but it’s more drama, less dark humor.

A female detective in a sad town? Bet her biggest mystery is finding where the fun's at LOL

Hey, this reminds me of 'Dicte'! It’s a Danish series with a gutsy female reporter who often ends up acting like a detective. Though a reporter, not an actual detective, she does get in the middle of police investigations. Really cool show, a tad underrated imo.

Sounds a lot like the series 'Bron/Broen' (The Bridge) but that's not in a small town... there's 'Trapped' set in Iceland too but again not led by a woman. It could be one of those lesser-known ones. Wish I could be more helpful!