Easter is Norway’s biggest Christian holiday, with the entire country shutting down from Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday – when it’s not already shut down anyway due to other circumstances, that is. Shops and offices are closed, and folks enjoy their week off from work by curling up next to their fireplaces at home with some chocolate and an orange and reading the latest crime novels from popular writers – Jo Nesbø, Gunnar Staalesen, Unni Lindell, etc. – published to coincide with the holiday. The tradition started back in 1923, when a pair of enterprising authors advertised their new crime novel by printing the title as a headline on the front page of the Aftenposten, Norway’s national newspaper. Readers were convinced that the headline was real (not fake) news, and the PR stunt worked as the book became a phenomenon. Thus began the uniquely Norwegian tradition of Påskekrim, which literally means “Easter Crime”! MHz Choice invites you to get your own Påskekrim on this weekend with our classic selection of dark, delectable Norsk Noir…
Twin
DRAMA – CRIME | NORWAY | NORWEGIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Editor’s note: TWIN was named “One of the 50 Shows You Need to Watch” by The New York Times
All episodes of this hugely popular series are now streaming on MHz Choice! Kristofer Hivju (Beck, Game of Thrones) stars as twin brothers who couldn’t be more different: Erik is a broke surfer bum whose failures are abundantly on display, while his identical sibling Adam leads a seemingly successful life as a businessman, husband and father. The brothers’ distant and tense relationship boils over when Erik seeks out Adam for the first time in 15 years – and a fight ensues. It ends abruptly when Adam is accidentally killed by his wife, Ingrid (Rebekka Nystabakk) as she attempts to break it up. To avoid getting arrested for the murder and to save his brother’s family, Erik assumes Adam’s identity. It soon turns out that the biggest challenge is not avoiding getting caught, it’s pretending to be someone you’re not. This taut, eight-part thriller was co-created by Hivju along with Kristoffer Metcalfe, who also directed four of the eight episodes. The series is set against the majestic backdrop of Norway’s Lofoten Islands and features an ethereal score by Martin Horntveth, lead instrumentalist of the experimental jazz band Jaga Jazzist.
Aber Bergen
DRAMA | NORWAY | NORWEGIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Divorced Norwegian defense attorneys Erik Aber (Odd-Magnus Williamson) and Elea Bergen (Ellen Dorrit Petersen) balance their personal relationship with their professional partnership in this entertaining, unorthodox legal drama, set and filmed in Bergen. (Yes, there’s a murder mystery to unravel as well!) Principal writer for the first season is Gjermund Eriksen, best known as the creator, writer and producer for both seasons of international award-winner Mammon!
Mammon
DRAMA | NORWAY | NORWEGIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Winner of the International Emmy® Award for Best Drama Series of 2017, Mammon Season 2 begins with a bang as a popular and controversial commentator and journalist with Norway’s biggest newspaper is brutally murdered – a clear-cut attack on freedom of speech. Who would kill a journalist, and why? Meanwhile, a leaked interview tape fuels the flames of an already volatile fight between the country’s prime minister and his finance minister – one year ahead of elections. Hard-nosed reporter Peter Verås (played by Jon Øigarden) teams up with the murdered journalist’s widow to get to the bottom of the mystery, aided once again by his long-suffering editor, Frank Mathiesen (Nils Ole Oftebro). Trond Espen Seim (Varg Veum) joins the cast as the Norwegian PM.
Kieler Street
DRAMA – CRIME | NORWAY | NORWEGIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Kieler Street is a fresh and uniquely characterful drama-thriller that deconstructs what it really means to be a “normal” person. Criminal or not, most of us are capable of doing extreme things in our pursuit of a peaceful existence – but just how far are we willing to go? In this acclaimed Norwegian drama, former criminal Jonas has started a new life in Slusvik, Scandinavia’s most peaceful little town. He has it all: a happy family, a great job and the quiet life he always wanted. But when Geir, Jonas’ AA sponsor, cracks his cover, the facade starts falling apart and Jonas realizes he’s not the only one in Slusvik with a secret.
Varg Veum
MYSTERY | NORWAY | NORWEGIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
Trond Espen Seim stars as Norwegian private eye Varg Veum, an investigator in the style of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe and Ross Macdonald’s Lew Archer. Based on the international best-selling novels by Gunnar Staalesen, this modern noir series is distinguished by dark humor, insightful characterization and unremitting suspense. Bjørn Floberg co-stars as Varg’s best friend and nemesis, Hamre
Acquitted
DRAMA | NORWAY | NORWEGIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | TV-14
In this hugely popular Norwegian drama, a businessman returns to his hometown 20 years after being acquitted of his high school sweetheart’s murder – but that’s just the beginning of the story. Two decades after being acquitted of Karine Hansteen’s murder, Aksel Borgen is now a successful businessman living with his wife and teenage son in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Their blissful life is shattered one night when Aksel receives a phone call from his hometown of Lifjord, in Norway. Solar Tech, the family-run energy firm that is the economic lifeblood of the entire region, faces bankruptcy, and Aksel is their last hope. Unfortunately for all involved, the CEO of Solar Tech is none other than Eva Hansteen – Karine’s mother! Can Aksel face up to his terrible past, and can Eva come to terms with the man she holds responsible for her daughter’s death – all for the survival of the community?
This series is available to stream within the U.S. only.
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