'Norsemen' To 'Furia': These Are Some Must-Watch Norwegian Shows On OTT

It used to be that good quality Scandinavian TV shows could only be found in Sweden and Denmark. Norway somehow failed to live up to expectations. This is no longer true. The hit shows Skam, the HBO thriller Beforeigners, and the Viking comedy Norsemen may be familiar to our non-Norwegian readers. So, what prompted the showrunners in Norway to step up their game?

According to media scholar Vilde Schanke Sundet of the University of Oslo, streaming is posing a threat. "Back in the day, the Norwegian National Broadcaster NRK could broadcast just much anything and still get viewers." These shows after getting on the global streaming sites have attracted a huge fan base.

8 Must-Watch Norwegian Shows On OTT

Mr Good: Cop or Crook?

When Norway's top detective is suspected of drug trafficking, investigators must decide if he is a good officer or a huge criminal in this gripping docuseries. Erik Jensen, Norway's best cop, has been charged with illicit drug trafficking, startling the country as investigators and journalists put together the scope of his crimes. Watch on Netflix.

Norsemen

Political competition, social change, and inventions upend the culture and way of life of residents of an 8th-century Viking town. Norsemen is a satire on historic Viking life set in the village of Norheim around 790 A.D. with a twist: the protagonists may appear to be brutal pillagers, but the plot revolves around very current issues. Norsemen is a Norwegian comedy television series set in the year 790 and follows a group of Vikings who live in the village of Norheim. It first aired on NRK1 in Norway in October 2016 under the title Vikingane (The Vikings). Via film is producing it for NRK. Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen wrote and directed the ">series. Watch on Netflix.

Wisting

William Wisting, a homicide detective, is dealing with two of the most difficult cases of his career. His investigation into a serial killer collides with his journalist daughter's news article, placing her at severe risk. Watch on Netflix.

Skam

The story of young teenagers and students at Oslo's Hartvig Nissens upper secondary school, their problems, scandals, and day-to-day life. Each season is narrated from the perspective of a new character. Watch on Netflix.

Beforeigners

Beforeigners is HBO Nordic's first original series from Norway, and it follows two people who inexplicably come to Oslo. They are the first of many people from the past who have sought refuge in the present. The community has changed dramatically in the last seven years. Watch on HBO Max.

Blinded

Crime drama from Denmark. When Louise Bergstein receives a phone call from an old family friend, she investigates a cold case involving many killings that occurred many years ago. Watch on Amazon Prime Video

Acquitted

After being acquitted of murdering his lover when he was 18, businessman Aksel returns to his Norwegian hometown 20 years later to save a crucial company from bankruptcy. However, his history follows him there. In the first season, Aksel Nilsen (Nicolai Cleve Broch) was prosecuted 20 years ago for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Karine Hansteen, who was 18 at the time. Although he was initially convicted of the crime, he was eventually acquitted after witness testimony from his childhood buddy Tonje Sandvik (Synnve Macody Lund) proved to be pivotal. He flees his native town of Lifjord, Norway, after being labelled, and pursues a job in Asia. As a successful businessman, he resides in Kuala Lumpur with his wife Angeline and kid. Watch on BBC. 

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Furia

Furia is set against the backdrop of two of Europe's most illustrious capital cities, Oslo and Berlin, as well as rural western Norway, and follows their efforts to bring down a horrific far-right terror cell and heal the anguish that drives them. Asgeir and Ragna become caught in a web of radical right-wing organisations and their supporters, bringing them on a journey from Norway's fjords to Berlin preparing for Germany's election. Watch on HBO Max.

The views expressed are the author's own.