Lilyhammer (2012-2014)

This series was something different for me than the usual Scandinavian crime series, which I like to watch. In Lilyhammer the seriousness is supplanted by simple, sometimes stupid humor, a bit of action and now and then some tension. When I look at the biography of the protagonist (Steven Van Zandt - Wiki), I expected a completely different character. That Van Zandt is quite a special person, but I thought he fit well in this series. And he had quite a few tasks on his plate in the making of this series, right down to directing.
Season 1: Captivating because it's new. Very good jokes to quite rude. Very nice.
Season 2: This just didn't get to the level of season 1, but was still quite enjoyable.
Season 3: In this season the fun wears off a bit and the whole thing starts to get pretty boring. The appearances Torgier Lien got were just a bit too much for me. This didn't really fit into this series.

Translated from Dutch · View original

In Lilyhammer we follow the disgraced Mafioso Frank 'The Fixer' Tagliano (Steve van Zandt, bandmate of Bruce Springsteen) who, through The Witness Protection Program, builds a new life in Lillehammer, Norway under the name Giovanni 'Johnny' Henriksen. He soon lapses into his old profession because a fox loses his hair but not his tricks, but at the same time he quickly becomes very popular in Lillehammer. Lilyhammer should not be compared with The Sopranos because that is an unfair comparison because they only have two commonalities Mafia and Steve van Zandt. Lilyhammer is a series about immigration and integration with a mafia sauce. He is so good and so nice because with a wink it takes a serious look at the current immigration problems that Western Europe has to contend with by showing it through the eyes of a mafioso. The Green-Left-minded do-gooders that the bureaucracy is full of is heavily mocked because they are often just as rotten and corrupt as the Mafia, but mainly because Tagliano/Henriksen's persuasiveness often works better at solving problems and promoting integration than that. of the Goat Wool Socks Mafia. For example, when a bunch of annoying loiterers get on the train or later when an immigrant refuses to shake hands with women. Tagliano/Henriksen solves it his way! Not subtle, but effective and with immediate results. The first season in particular is incredibly strong because of that culture clash. In seasons 2 and 3 it faded into the background and that's why it just became a comedy mafia series.

Translated from Dutch · View original