Lilyhammer

Lilyhammer
Lilyhammer poster
Genre	Comedy-drama Crime drama
Created by	Anne Bjørnstad Eilif Skodvin
Written by	Anne Bjørnstad Eilif Skodvin Steven Van Zandt
Directed by	Simen Alsvik Geir Henning Hopland Lisa Marie Gamlem
Starring	Steven Van Zandt Trond Fausa Aurvåg Marian Saastad Ottesen Sven Nordin Kyrre Hellum Anne Krigsvoll
Composer(s)	Frans Bak[1]
Country of origin	Norway
Original language(s)	English Norwegian
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	16 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Steven Van Zandt Lasse Hallberg
Producer(s)	Agnete Thuland Trond Berg-Nilsen
Location(s)	Lillehammer New York
Cinematography	Johan-Fredrik Bødtker Jakob Ingimundarson
Running time	46 minutes
Production company(s)	Rubicon Tv AS Netflix (Season 2)
Distributor	NRK (Norway) Netflix (United States) Red Arrow International
Broadcast
Original channel	NRK1 Netflix
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital 5.1
First shown in	Norway
Original run	25 January 2012 (2012-01-25) – present
External links
SevenOne Lilyhammer Website

Lilyhammer is a Norwegian television series, starring Steven Van Zandt, about a fictional New York gangster, Frank "The Fixer" Tagliano, trying to start a new life in isolated Lillehammer in Norway. The first season premiered on Norwegian NRK1 on 25 January 2012^[2] with a record audience of 998,000 viewers (one fifth of Norway's population),^[3][4] and premiered on Netflix in North America on 6 February 2012, with all eight episodes being available in full for streaming on the service.^[5] Lilyhammer is the first original series by Netflix. The spelling of the series title alludes to Lily — Tagliano's dog — killed in the first episode during an attempt on Tagliano's life, and the way some anglophones pronounce the name of the town.

A second season was commissioned after the success of the first. However, Van Zandt's schedule with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Wrecking Ball Tour delayed production. It was announced in January 2013 that guitarist Tom Morello would replace him for the Australian leg of the tour, so that filming could go ahead.^[6] Filming completed in April 2013, and included shoots both in Norway and New York City. Season two premiered 23 October 2013 on NRK, and 13 December 2013 on Netflix.^[7] In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Van Zandt announced he has signed on for a third season of the show, with filming to begin 3 January 2014.^[8]

Synopsis

Frank "The Fixer" Tagliano (Steven Van Zandt), a former underboss of New York's Italian Mafia, is put in the Witness Protection Program after testifying in a trial in the United States. Intrigued by the town when he saw television images of the 1994 Winter Olympics, Tagliano requests that he be relocated in Lillehammer, Norway. His new identity is Norwegian-American immigrant Giovanni Henriksen.

He soon befriends a teacher named Sigrid and her son, Jonas, whom he spotted on his first train journey to Lillehammer. Their friendship develops and she becomes pregnant after they spend the night together. She learns that she is to have twins. Their relationship progresses throughout the series, but she is soon more and more provoked by his secrets, shady deals and long work hours. Frank/Giovanni is using his old ruthless methods to get ahead in his new life, using blackmail, extortion and violence to get permits for opening his own bar, the Flamingo, while also taking Norwegian classes. Soon, the local police begin to grow suspicious of his activities, as he expands to take over Lillehammer's criminal underworld.

Cast

• Steven Van Zandt as Frank Tagliano / Giovanni "Johnny" Henriksen
• Trond Fausa Aurvåg as Torgeir Lien, Giovanni's friend and business partner
• Marian Saastad Ottesen as Sigrid Haugli, Giovanni's friend and love interest
• Steinar Sagen as Roar Lien, the local taxidriver; Torgeir's brother
• Fridtjov Såheim as the NAV worker Jan Johansen
• Sven Nordin as the lawyer Julius Backe
• Anne Krigsvoll as the chief of police Laila Hovland
• Mikael Aksnes-Pehrson as Sigrid's son Jonas Haugli
• Kyrre Hellum as the police officer Geir "Elvis" Tvedt
  • Øyvind Blomstrøm, bass guitarist in El Cuero and drummer Svein Åge Lillehamre of the Lucky Bullets appeared as backing musicians for (Kyrre Hellum's) Elvis cover-band in multiple episodes.
• Tommy Karlsen Sandum as MC-Arne
• Greg Canestrari as Jerry Delucci
• Tim Ahern as Robert Grasso
• Beate Eriksen as Arne's mother
• Jay Benedict as Agent Becker
• Ingrid Olava appeared as herself, playing the piano at the Flamingo at the end of the first season finale.
• Paul Kaye as Duncan Hammer (season 2)^[9]
• Tony Sirico as Frank's brother, Father of a church. (season 2)
• Pål Espen Kilstad as Trond (season 2)
• Erik Madsen (season 2)
• Amy Beth Hayes (season 2)
• Jakob Oftebro as swimming instructor (season 2)
• Amit Shah as Packard Bell call center employee (later hacker for Frank) (season 2)^[10]
• Alan Ford as a British Gangster, claiming to be from Scotland Yard (season 2)
• Tony Pitts as Duncan's brother (season 2)
• Richard Skog as Odjobb, Frank's bodyguard (season 2)
• Silje Torp as Mette Hansen (season 2)
• Maureen van Zandt as Ange, friend of Frank in New York (season 2)

Production

The first series was shot on location during 2011, with post-production finishing in November and originally intended to be aired on NRK on 1 January 2012. Due to a conflict between NRK and the producers about product placements, which were illegal under Norwegian law at the time of production, the Norwegian broadcast was put on hold. After a three-week delay, the series premiered in Norway on 25 January 2012. The series was commissioned by NRK from Norwegian Rubicon TV AS in association with Netflix and German-owned distributor Red Arrow International.^[2]

The second series was filmed on location both in Norway and New York City during the first four months of 2013.

Episodes

Reception

Lilyhammer has received mixed reviews from critics, currently holding a 62/100 rating on Metacritic.^[11]

Broadcast

Lilyhammer premiered in Norway on 25 January 2012. On 6 February 2012 the show began streaming on Netflix in Canada and the US. From 11 September 2012 it was transmitted on BBC Four in the UK.^[12][13][14] The series was bought by several other broadcasting companies, including SVT^[15] in Sweden (for transmission in autumn 2012), and companies in Germany, Belgium, Australia, Denmark and France.^[16] The series has been sold to over 130 countries worldwide.^[17]

References

External links

• Lilyhammer on Netflix
• Lilyhammer at the Internet Movie Database