Norwegian TV drama is alive and kicking. After the success of the satirical TV series Dag on TV2, NRK is targeting a similar adult audience with the 6x58' series 'Koselig med peis' (Norwegian Cozy) produced by Tordenfilm. Writer/director Thomas Seeberg Torjussen (photo, Sons) acted as the showrunner of this character-driven TV drama that will start airing on NRK1 on January 3 at 21.30.
Norwegian Cozy focuses on the broken and dysfunctional Broch-Hansen family. The central character is the 36 year-old Georg (Anders Baasmo Christiansen) who has just split from his partner and goes back to live with his father Frank (Stein Winge). His younger brother Terje (Anders Danielsen Lie from Reprise) creates Internet happenings and has distanced himself from his family. His mother Bente (Tone Danielsen) has moved in with another woman. Meanwhile, Georg who will soon become a father has started to write letters to his future child and is searching for another woman to share is life.
Torjussen, who worked three years on the script, went to the US to learn how to become a showrunner and adapt its principles to Nordic television. Inspired by US family dramas like Six Feet Under, he carried his creative vision through and shared the directing credit with Anne Sewitsky (Happy Happy) and established cinematographer Daniel Voldheim.
Producer Kari Moen Kristiansen (one of the three pillars of Tordenfilm with producer Eric Vogel and Torjussen) says Norwegian Cozy's originality is in its playfulness with the characters and use of fantasy and surrealism. But its core subject of family struggles makes it the right candidate for a prime time slot. "NRK gave us their trust and believed in the project from Day One," stressed Kristiansen and Vogel who are already planning another TV series. The NOK33.5 million series Norwegian Cozy was co-financed by YLE and received support from the Norwegian Film Institute and Nordisk Film & TV Fond.