Why a little known streaming service put its faith in Lilyhammer, a decidedly average show about the Norwegian adventures of a mafia boss

When you think of Steven Van Zandt’s acting work, your mind will automatically flick to The Sopranos. A vast, swaggering monument of a show, The Sopranos quite rightly holds the reputation of playing a pivotal role in the history of television. But let us also not forget that – 10 years ago this week – Van Zandt followed The Sopranos with another show. And it was a show which was every bit as important a milestone in TV’s evolution. That’s right, let us all wish a happy anniversary to Lilyhammer.

You remember Lilyhammer. It was a Norwegian show about the messy misadventures of a mafia underboss living in the witness protection programme 100 miles north of Oslo. It ran for three seasons and Bruce Springsteen had a cameo in the final episode. If we are being completely honest, it wasn’t particularly good. But, when it debuted in 2012, it was the very first Netflix original series. And what better way to mark its 10th anniversary than rewatching it to see how Netflix has changed over the years? There isn’t any. So we did it. Here are our learnings.

Continue reading…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Breaking the silence on diversity has put cricket on hopeful ground | Ebony Rainford-Brent

The game is looking strong after a traumatic year but there remains…

Vivianne Miedema scores spectacular volley as Arsenal beat Spurs in WSL

Tottenham’s winless streak stretched to seven Women’s Super League matches after a…

BBC staff to publish damning report on planned merger of news channels

Exclusive: internal concerns raised over effect of proposals as broadcaster seeks to…

Foreign Office accused of ignoring Sudan atrocity warnings

Exclusive: Charities and civil groups say FO pursued an over-optimistic agenda of…