Kansas City has gotten a bit … tidier in the past year. 

Proof is in the first eight episodes of the new Peacock series The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, filmed in the city and now available for viewing on the streaming platform. Based on the best-selling book by Swedish artist Margareta Magnusson, it highlights the practice of döstädning – translation: death cleaning, or ridding your home of items that have accumulated during your life so loved ones don’t have to do it when you die. 

A death-cleaning team visits and assists eight Kansas City households in the series’ first season. 

The Library is partnering with the city in ensuring that the production engages and enriches the full community. That includes a related recommended reading list, focusing on home reorganization and simplification, put together by our librarians. 

The series was created by Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation star Amy Poehler and the team behind Netflix’ Queer Eye. Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions is co-producer, and she narrates each episode.