# Matador (1978)

> In the fictional Danish town of Korsbæk between 1929 and 1947, a rivalry between a banker and a self-made social climber drives a sweeping family saga through the Depression and the German occupation.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/4178

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 24
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Lise Nørgaard, Erik Balling
- Network: DR1
- Cast: Jørgen Buckhøj, Ghita Nørby, Holger Juul Hansen, Malene Schwartz, Jesper Langberg, Helle Virkner, Buster Larsen, Lily Broberg
- TMDB rating: 9.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077051/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: warm, melodramatic, humorous, nostalgic, wistful

## What critics say

Viewers and commentators regard Matador as one of the most beloved and culturally important Danish television dramas, praised for its warm melodrama and humour.

## Synopsis

Matador (1978-1982) is a Danish national-television period family saga created by Lise Nørgaard and Erik Balling for DR1. Set in the fictional provincial town of Korsbæk, it follows a bitter rivalry between established banker Hans Christian Varnæs (Holger Juul Hansen) and social climber Mads Skjern (Jørgen Buckhøj), a self-made entrepreneur who arrives in town as the series opens. The engine of the show is the ongoing contest for local standing, played out through business deals, marriages, household pressures and class resentments among the bourgeoisie and working-class families who orbit them. Ghita Nørby plays Ingeborg Skjern and Malene Schwartz plays Maude Varnæs, anchoring the domestic side of the feud. Across four seasons of twenty-four hour-long episodes, the drama moves from the Great Depression into the years of Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark. The tone blends melodrama with a warm, wry Danish humour and a deep sense of community. Its portrayal of a turbulent Denmark has made it part of the national self-understanding. Fans of Downton Abbey and Buddenbrooks will find resonance in its multigenerational class drama and provincial ambition.

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