The 8x50’ series For Life is produced by NENT Group’s Monster Scripted for NRK. “We first answered a call from NRK who wanted to commission a procedural, which they hadn’t done in a while, and we decided to bring something totally fresh to the format, said the company’s CEO Håkon Briseid to nordicfilmandtvnews.com.

Creator Gjermund S. Eriksen (Mammon) came up with the idea, together with writer Helena Nielsen (Lilyhammer, Black Widows). Co-writers are Anne Elvedal (Twin, Hotel Cæsar), Hege Ulstein (Aber Bergen), and newcomers Ingar Johnsrud, Anders Borgesen and Anders Løvlie.

Year 2040. Top police woman Victoria Woll in her early 60's is sitting in jail, sentenced for life. Through each episode set nowadays but told in flashback, we see how the sharp detective Victoria is working on different cases with her team, we get to know the complex female cop, and her family - including her son and love interest. Slowly, the mystery around why she ended up in jail will be revealed.

According to Briseid, Gjermund S. Eriksen came up with the idea of creating a vessel for the plot, entirely told in flashbacks, while watching How I Met Your Mother with his kids.

“The non-linear structure and time-jumps creates a lot of freedom for the audience who gets the satisfaction of having closed episodes (with a different crime solved in each episode) and being able to watch the series whenever they want,” he says.

NRK’s exec producer Marianne Furevold-Boland of SKAM fame, concurs with Briseid: “The fact that the show is set both in the present and the future is both intriguing and engaging, and it’s been particularly exciting for us at NRK to try to make a feelgood police show while still maintaining the suspense in each case.”

Briseid says For Life will also innovate by adding warmth and humour to the thriller elements. “When it’s scary it’s very scary, but there are also warm relationships between the characters,” he notes. The executive producer also claims the series will have a strong returnable and remake potential.

For Life’s top creative team includes concept director Pål Jackman (State of Happiness); episodic directors Bård Breien (Struggle for Life, Next Summer), Camilla Strøm-Henriksen (Phoenix, Hotel Cæsar) and Pia Lykke, cinematographer Lars Vestergaard (Eyewitness, Pros and Cons) and production designer Merete Bostrøm (Valkyrien, State of Happiness).

In her first major role in a TV drama is Tone Mostraum (Eyewitness) as Victoria Woll. Other cast members include Iselin Shumba (Kielergata), Ingar Helge Gimle (Norsemen), Judy Karanja (Valkyrien), Mattis Herman Nyquist (Nobel) and Bjarte Hjelmeland (Home Ground, Mammon).

The series is produced by Catherine Klem of Monster Scripted for NRK, with co-financing from SVT, DR, Yle and RÚV, and support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Filming just started in Oslo and will continue in August. Delivery is set for early 2020.