# Borderliner (2017)

> A Norwegian detective covers up a murder to protect his family, only to be drawn into a dangerous web of lies when his partner starts asking questions.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/63807

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama
- Created by: Alexander Opsal, Megan Gallagher
- Network: Netflix, TV 2 Direkte
- Cast: Tobias Santelmann, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Eivind Sander, Benjamin Helstad, Arnhild Litleré, Frode Winther
- TMDB rating: 6.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7468900/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, bleak, claustrophobic, morally heavy

## What critics say

Critics generally find the Nordic noir atmosphere and Tobias Santelmann's lead performance strong, though the plot is seen as familiar.

## Synopsis

Borderliner is a Norwegian crime drama series created by Alexander Opsal and Megan Gallagher for Netflix and TV 2. Police detective Nikolai covers up a murder to protect his family, but when his co-investigator Anniken begins to suspect foul play, he becomes trapped in a dangerous game on the job. The engine of the series is the slow tightening of a lie, as each step to hide the truth pulls Nikolai deeper into compromise with colleagues who have their own stakes. Told across a single eight-episode season of roughly forty-five minutes each, it is a serialized limited series rather than a case-of-the-week procedural. Its Norwegian setting gives the story a cold, rain-soaked atmosphere, and its tone is tense, morally heavy and claustrophobic. Fans of The Killing, The Bridge and Occupied will find resonance in its Scandinavian crime texture and its portrait of a good man rationalizing his way into corruption. The mood stays grim and watchful, with little relief, as guilt and fear press on every scene and every choice carries a cost for the people around him.

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