Whether you’re after deft contemporary drama, high-concept sci-fi, grand historical adventure or a pulse-pounding disaster movie, you’ll find something great among our Norwegian offerings.
Beforeigners
This high-concept series features immigrants not from another country, but from another time, as flashes of light herald the sudden arrival of people from the deep past. Some 13,000 people from the prehistoric past, the early medieval period and the 19th century, are thrust into the modern world and integrate as best they can. In the case of former Viking shield-maiden Alfhildr Enginnsdóttir (Krista Kosonen, also at SBS On Demand in clever comedy and dark drama ), that means becoming the first “Beforeigner” police officer and teaming up with modern Oslo cop Lars Haaland (Nicolai Cleve Broch, also in Norwegian action adventure ) to investigate the murder of a young woman (and, in the second series, a series of deaths that suggest Jack The Ripper has travelled through time). This is a smart, ambitious, high-concept drama that should find favour with sci-fi fans from every epoch.
Furia
Taking us from rural Norway to the mean streets of Berlin, this taut thriller explores the world of radical right-wing extremism. After the death of his wife, elite cop Asgeir (Pål Sverre Hagen, who also appears in Norwegian high-finance drama series ) decamps to the countryside to raise his daughter in relative peace. But after a racially motivated murder, he finds himself teamed up with Ragna (Ine Marie Wilmann), an investigator who has crafted a far-right online persona “Furia” to infiltrate terrorist spaces. The pair soon find themselves mired in an international conspiracy to destabilise Europe with a series of coordinated terrorist attacks. Taking its cues from real-world right-wing terror campaigns, Furia is an unblinking look at the toxic underbelly of European nationalism.
Norwegian-ish
Norway’s multicultural side gets a look-in in this eight-part dramedy that follows three young women with connections to four diverse cultures as they navigate the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life in 21st century Oslo. Doctor Helin (Selda Hekiz) tries to be a dutiful daughter to her Turkish parents but finds that they’re becoming more liberal in their views than she is. Indian bar owner Amrit (Ravdeep Singh Bajwa) strives to find a balance between modern Norwegian life and the traditions of the diaspora. And Iranian-born Fariba (Nasrin Khusrawi) bristles at being treated like an outsider after living in Norway for 30 years. This is a sharp, defiantly modern series that eschews the “perfect immigrant” archetype to explore more complex and timely themes, giving us a keen insight into contemporary Norway.
Catch and Release
Set in Norway’s far northern reaches, up near the Arctic Circle, Catch and Release is a classic small-town murder mystery with a Norwegian twist. After the local doctor is found floating in a river, small-town sheriff Kaare (Espen Mauno) and rookie deputy Filippa (Mathilde Sofie Henriksen), who comprise the sum total of local law enforcement, must determine who the killer is. The key suspect is teen tearaway Mira (Cora Karlberg), seen fleeing the murder site gun in hand, but that’s too obvious for smart viewers – and for retired officer Irja (Anitta Suikkari), who is terminally ill but decides to make this her final case. As the investigation proceeds the secrets hidden in their little community are dragged into the light, and soon the good doctor isn’t the only body cooling in the primordial wilderness…
Explore the new ‘The Only Way Is Norway’ collection , with other titles including the adventures of a farmer’s son who sets out to save a princess in and the sequel, ; the survival challenges of ; and crime drama series .
