# Borgen (2010)

> A idealistic Danish political leader wins a landslide election and must decide how far she will go to wield her new influence.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/38784

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 30
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Adam Price, Camilla Hammerich
- Network: DR1
- Cast: Sidse Babett Knudsen, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Mikael Birkkjær, Lars Knutzon, Søren Malling, Benedikte Hansen, Lars Mikkelsen, Emil Poulsen
- TMDB rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1526318/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: none
- Tone: sober, intense, intimate, tense, wry

## What critics say

Viewers broadly acclaim Borgen as a sharp, intelligent political drama whose morally complicated heroine and realistic depiction of coalition politics set it apart.

## Synopsis

Borgen (2010-2013) is a Danish national-television political drama series created by Adam Price and Camilla Hammerich for DR1. Sidse Babett Knudsen plays Birgitte Nyborg, a forty-year-old party leader whose idealism wins her party a landslide, and who must then decide how to use the new seats and how far to bend her principles to gain influence. Birgitte Hjort Sørensen plays Katrine Fønsmark, a journalist whose relationship with Birgitte is tested by the pressures of the press, while Søren Malling plays Torben Friis, a seasoned operator whose loyalties shift with the political tide. Across three seasons of ten episodes each, the series is a serialized political saga built from coalition negotiations, backroom deals, press conferences, and the constant friction between private conscience and public duty. Its tone is sober, intelligent, and intimate, with a restless, handheld immediacy that keeps the corridors of Christiansborg palace feeling tense and lived in. Fans of The West Wing, House of Cards, and The Killing will find resonance in its blend of ethical dilemma, institutional realism, and a female protagonist navigating a male-dominated world of power.

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