Matador

Matador is a Danish TV series produced and shown between 1978 and 1982. It is set in the fictional Danish town of Korsbæk between 1929 and 1947. It follows the lives of a range of characters from across the social spectrum, focusing specifically on the rivalry between the families of two businessmen: The banker Hans Christian Varnæs, an established local worthy, and social climber Mads Skjern, who arrives in town as the series opens. The name Matador was taken from the localised edition of the boardgame Monopoly, also the series' tentative English title. In addition, in contemporary Danish a "matador" is often used to describe a business tycoon, in the series referring to the character of Mads Skjern and his craftiness as a self-made entrepreneur. Directed by famed Danish film maker Erik Balling, Matador was the idea of author Lise Nørgaard who wrote the bulk of the episodes alongside Karen Smith, Jens Louis Petersen and Paul Hammerich. The series is one of the most well-known and popular examples of Danish television and represents the peak of longtime development of Danish TV drama by the public service channel Danmarks Radio. The series has become part of the modern self-understanding of Danes, partly because of its successful mix of melodrama and a distinct warm Danish humour in the depiction of characters, which were portrayed by a wide range of the most popular Danish actors at the time; but also not least because of its accurate portrayal of a turbulent Denmark from around the start of the Great Depression and through Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark in World War II.

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.

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

• Downton Abbeyfamily saga scale, class rivalry between business families, melodramatic warmth across generations
• Buddenbrooksmultigenerational family saga with social ambition and historical upheaval
• The Crownperiod family drama spanning decades with wartime occupation backdrop

Created by

Lise Nørgaard, Erik Balling

Release Date

1978-11-11

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

9.3 / 10 (31)

What is Matador about?

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.

What is Matador like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Matador as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is Matador violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Matador as mild.

What did critics think of Matador?

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

Which shows are like Matador?

Shows with a similar feel include Downton Abbey, Buddenbrooks, and The Crown.

How long is Matador?

Matador: 4 seasons, 24 episodes.

Is Matador still running?

No, Matador has ended.