This has the right mix of ingredients. I don't really like comedy where people try to crack jokes every second. On the other hand I don't like shows that get too doom and gloom.
This series strikes a pretty good balance I think. It has elements of Nordic noire and even some hints of horror movies. Yet there is also comedy. More the subtle kind. Not where people are making obvious jokes but more about the absurdity of a lot of the situations the main characters get themselves into.
I would say this is a pretty good example of Norwegian humor, which can often be both sardonic, self deprecating and surreal.
The punchline "No One Dies in Skarnes" comes from the fact that one of the main characters runs a funeral service, but is in deep financial trouble because seemingly nobody ever dies in Skarnes. A kind of reflection of the fact that Skarnes is a small idyllic Norwegian town without any serious crimes, accidents etc.
Then all this gets turned on its head with the first apparent death in a long time. It reminds me a little bit about Pulp fiction in how main characters discuss very mundane things in the midst of a rather extreme situation.
Once you get what is going on there isn't really a lot of surprising twists. But the series isn't lesser for that reason in my opinion. The fun watching is often simply in seeing how the characters will deal with the utterly bizarre situations they find themselves in.
This series strikes a pretty good balance I think. It has elements of Nordic noire and even some hints of horror movies. Yet there is also comedy. More the subtle kind. Not where people are making obvious jokes but more about the absurdity of a lot of the situations the main characters get themselves into.
I would say this is a pretty good example of Norwegian humor, which can often be both sardonic, self deprecating and surreal.
The punchline "No One Dies in Skarnes" comes from the fact that one of the main characters runs a funeral service, but is in deep financial trouble because seemingly nobody ever dies in Skarnes. A kind of reflection of the fact that Skarnes is a small idyllic Norwegian town without any serious crimes, accidents etc.
Then all this gets turned on its head with the first apparent death in a long time. It reminds me a little bit about Pulp fiction in how main characters discuss very mundane things in the midst of a rather extreme situation.
Once you get what is going on there isn't really a lot of surprising twists. But the series isn't lesser for that reason in my opinion. The fun watching is often simply in seeing how the characters will deal with the utterly bizarre situations they find themselves in.