# Lilyhammer (2012)

> A former New York mobster testifies against his boss and is relocated to the small Norwegian town of Lillehammer, where he tries to build a new life while his old world keeps catching up.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/38725

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 24
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, comedy, drama
- Created by: Anne Bjørnstad, Eilif Skodvin
- Network: Netflix, NRK1
- Cast: Steven Van Zandt, Paul Kaye, Nils Jørgen Kaalstad, Sven Nordin, Steinar Sagen, Trond Fausa Aurvåg, Marian Saastad Ottesen, Anne Krigsvoll
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1958961/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: sardonic, breezy, tense, comedic

## What critics say

Audiences warmly enjoyed the fish-out-of-water crime comedy, with the first season rated most highly and later seasons cooling somewhat.

## Synopsis

Lilyhammer (2012-2014) is a Norwegian-American crime comedy series created by Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin, co-produced for Netflix and NRK1. Steven Van Zandt stars as Frank Tagliano, a New York mob fixer who testifies against his boss and enters witness protection in Lillehammer, a small Norwegian town he insists on calling Lilyhammer. Frank wants a quiet new life, but his old habits, his bravado and his criminal instincts keep pulling him into local trouble. Supporting characters include police officer Jonas Haugli (Mikael Aksnes-Pehrson), Laila Hovland (Anne Krigsvoll), and Sven Nordin as Julius Backe, whose lives collide with Frank's. Across three seasons of eight episodes each, the show plays out as a serialized comedy where each episode mixes petty criminal schemes with cultural clashes between an American gangster and reserved Scandinavian townsfolk. The tone is breezy and sardonic, with moments of genuine menace, and it sits in the vein of The Sopranos and Fargo, with mobster humor set against a snowbound, provincial backdrop. Its mix of fish out of water comedy and crime drama makes it a sharp, accessible watch for viewers who enjoy outsider comedies with a dangerous edge.

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