Wisting (TV series)

Wisting is a Norwegian police procedural television series, broadcast by Viaplay and TV3 starring Sven Nordin as William Wisting, a senior police detective in Larvik, Thea Green Lundberg as his daughter, crime journalist Line Wisting, and (until the third season) Carrie-Anne Moss as visiting FBI Special Agent Maggie Griffin.

Production

The first series of ten episodes is based on two novels by Jørn Lier Horst, The Caveman (2013) and The Hunting Dogs (2012). Horst is a best-selling author in Norway, and his books have been translated into more than thirty languages. Filming started in January 2018 on a 150-day schedule. The adaptations were written by Trygve Allister Diesen and Kathrine Valen Zeiner. Diesen also directed episodes along with Katarina Launing. The show's first series had a budget of NOK 110 million (€11.4 million). This sum incorporated a €1 million grant from Creative Europe as well as a grant of NOK 26.05 million (€2.7 million) from the Norwegian Film Institute. This makes the show the most expensive drama ever produced in Norway.

The Scandinavian broadcast of the first series commenced in April 2019. In the US, the series was launched on December 18, 2019 via the Sundance Now streaming service. In the United Kingdom the series was acquired by BBC Four from Banijay Rights and commenced broadcasting on December 28, 2019, with two episodes being shown back-to-back each week for five weeks. The first series was issued on DVD and Blu-ray on April 27, 2021.

In late 2020 Wisting was renewed for a second series of eight episodes. For transmission, these were split into two four episode runs, sometimes referred to as Seasons 2 and 3. However some international broadcasters list both as Season 2. This series is based upon the novels The Inner Darkness (2019) and The Night Man (2009), broadcast in Scandinavia from December 26, 2021 and April 2022 respectively. Nordin, Ouadal, Berge and Lundberg reprise their roles across all eight episodes, with Moss providing off-screen voice in the first four episodes and returning in full for the second four. The series was broadcast on BBC4 in the UK from October 15, 2022 and Australia via SBS on Demand from February 24 and June 23, 2022 respectively.

Two further series were confirmed in 2023, with the third production/fourth broadcast series being an original story inspired by Horst's characters, and the fourth production/fifth broadcast to be based on Horst's novel Sak 1569 (A Question of Guilt). The fourth series started broadcasting in Norway on March 24, 2024 and in the UK on April 13, 2024. Season 5 followed on September 24 of that year.

Reception

The Nordic press viewed the series favourably. Stavanger Aftenblad commented that it was "intricate and riveting", Jyllands-Posten called it "a sure winner" and Aftenposten praised its "nonstop momentum".

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Dorothy Rabinowitz found the series "seamlessly woven" and "superbly layered".

Writing in The Guardian, Euan Ferguson described the series as "... the best Nord-noir ever. Since the last one. What did Scandinavian film-makers think they were ever doing, 80 years of existential angst and Death playing nihilist chess, before remembering: we have crime. Coal. Snow. Blood. Fire. Cheekbones. Let’s do that."

Cast

Credits:

Sven Nordin as William Wisting; Larvik police lead investigator
Carrie-Anne Moss as Maggie Griffin; FBI Special Agent, seconded to William's team (Seasons 1—3)
Thea Green Lundberg as Line Wisting: William's daughter, Verdens Gang journalist
Jonas Strand Gravli/Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen as Thomas Wisting; William's son and Line's twin brother
Mads Ousdal as Nils Hammer; police senior detective
Lars Berge as Benjamin Fjeld; police detective
Irina Eidsvold Tøien as Andrea Vetti; police chief (Season 1)
Maria Bock as Agnes Kiil; police chief (Season 2—present)
Evelyn Rasmussen Osazuwa as Veronica Rambøl; Agnes's assistant, who joins William's team (Season 2―present)
Kjersti Sandal as Torunn Borg; William's deputy and temporary lead investigator (Seasons 1—2)
Mads Sjøgård Pettersen as Tommy Kvanter; Line's ex-boyfriend
Mariann Hole as Sissel; Nils's wife, a former drug addict
Cato Skimten Storengen as Ruben Borg; Torunn's husband, Atle's father (Seasons 1—3)
Heidi Goldmann as Bjørg Karin; policewoman (Seasons 1—3)

Season 1

Richie Campbell as John Bantham: FBI Special Agent, seconded to William's team, has one-night stand with Line
Ulrikke Hansen Døvigen as Christine Thiis: police prosecutor
Gard B. Eidsvold as Frank Robekk: retired police detective, Ellen's uncle
Fridtjov Såheim as Philip Henden: lawyer; represents Vidar and, later, William
Christoffer Staib as Vidar Haglund: convicted murderer, released after serving sentence
Daniel Frikstad as Joachim Andresen: Dagbladet news reporter
Ellen Dorrit Petersen as Hanne Kaupang: Linnea's over-protective mother
Thea Sofie Loch Næss as Linnea Kaupang: wannabe model, Internet blogger
Lasse Vermeli as Erik: VG photographer
Jon Øigarden as Terje Nordbo: Chief Inspector, Independent Office for Police Conduct; investigates police role in Cecilia's case
Amy Black Ndiaye as Maren: police detective
Henrik Plau as Fredrik: Line's associate at VG
Lars Bonnevie Hjort as Morten By: VG senior investigative journalist
Lars Sørbø as Knut Frost: VG editor, Line's boss
Sarah Francesca Brænne as Synnøve Brunvall: Line's school friend
Kari Onstad Winge as Annie Nyhus: one of Viggo's correspondents
Nils Jørgen Kaalstad as Magnus Kaupang: Linnea's father, construction worker
Vidar Sandem as Fred Iversen: Viggo's contemporary, relocated to Denmark
Helge Sveen as Finn Haber: former police crime scene investigator
Sigurd Myhre as Danny Flom: photographer, Cecilia's ex-boyfriend
Ola Otnes as Ole Linge p.k.a. Robert Godwin: American serial killer, posing as Viggo's contemporary
Dagny Backer Johnsen as Cecilia Linde: model, murdered by Vidar
Kirsti Eline Torhaug as Madelen Torell: Swedish woman, Jonas's ex-girlfriend
Trond Høvik as Torgeir Roxrud: Jonas's friend
Helene Angell as Isabell: Linnea's school friend
Anders Rogg as Kåre: dockworker, Jonas's former friend
Jakob Fort as Lars Petter Myhre: Linnea's fellow student

Season 2 (2A)/ 3 (2B)

Kyrre Hellum as Adrian Stiller: National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos) agent; hunts Tom
Hallvard Holmen as Idar Semmelmann: Oslo Vice squad, leads search for "The Other"
Odin Waage as Tom Kerr: convicted killer, assisted by an accomplice ("The Other")
Eindride Eidsvold as Claes Thancke ("The Other", Theo Dermann): Tom's lawyer, serial killer
Rudy Claes as Nina Gullow: television producer, Line's new boss
Ingeborg Raustøl as Suzanne Bjerke: asylum centre co-ordinator, Jens' ex-wife, Ingrid's best friend
Sagal Saleh as Hanan: asylum centre resident, Layla's friend
Adam Mamadou Bizokunda as Sammy Kibo: asylum centre resident, ex-child soldier
Kjærsti Odden Skjeldal as Mona Mellberg: Tom's girlfriend, claims he's innocent
Edvald Bang-Johansen as Atle Borg: Torunn's son
Hedda Styrmoe Silberg as Jeanette: Mona's daughter
Anderz Eide as Fredrik Molander: prison guard, Tom's liaison officer
Gaute Boris Skjegstad as Floyd Thue: Red Cross worker, visited Tom in prison
Stig Henrik Hoff as Johannes Norum: father of Tarjei (Tom's victim), welder
Oddgeir Thune as Cato Dalen: neo-Nazi farmer, Tommy's friend
Knut M. Damm as Peder Salomonsen: shopkeeper
Luke Elliot as Alek Begi: America ex-soldier, deserter, drug and human trafficking mastermind
Marika Vesce as Sunniva: Sissel's daughter, Sissel wants to regain custody
Karine Dybvik as Frida Kvastmo: uniformed policewoman
Assad Siddique as Hussain
Louise Tofte Røiri as Melina: Cato's live-in girlfriend
Martin Furulund as Johan Eskedal: farmer, Islamophobe
Serhat Yildirim as Khaled Athari a.k.a. Noor Alem: former asylum centre resident, Sammy's friend, drug courier, later lives in Karlstad, Sweden
Jesper Malm as Lennart Melander: Karlstad police inspector, liaises with William's team
Eeman Hashmi as Layla Hassimi: 14-year-old asylum centre resident, drug courier, decapitated with her head left on a pole
Herman Karlsen as Marvin: Johan's older son
Haakon Karlsen as Erlend: Johan's younger son

Season 4 (3A) / 5 (3B)

Rupert Evans as Andrew Greenwood, Clifford's father
Andrea Bræin Hovig as Mai Greenwood, Clifford's mother
Svein Sturla Hungnes as Olav Engdahl
Smylie Bradwell as Clifford Greenwood
Teddie Allen as Charlotte Greenwood
Ellen Bendu as Rebekka Skjevik
Emil Johnsen Vavik as Lukas
Harald Ottesen Nødtvedt as Joakim Backer
Shana Mathai as Rosa Garcia Backer
Morten Svartveit as Stein Kvammen
Shelley Conn as Harriet Dunn
Ingjerd Egeberg as Kate Ulstrup
Kristian Repshus as Daniel Momrak
Ada Aure Albæk as Tone Vaterland
Kristian Repshus as Daniel Momrak
Lea Meyer as Agnete Kronborg
William Gundersen as Peder Kronborg
Øyvind Brandtzæg as Terje Kronorg
Kikki Stormo as Mona Kronborg
Jan Sælid as Bjørn Momrak
Arthur Berning as Sivert
Arnt Egil Andreassen as Christian Bohrmann
Aleksander Varadian as Jarle Gulliksen
Pekka Stang as Lennart Hök
Cathrine Frost Andersen as Prison Andersen
Nina Andreassen as Esther Momrak
Olivija Eva Viliüné as Greta Valotka
Arjan Nilsen as Erik Olsen
Arvid Ones as Finn Haber: William's former colleague (n.b.: previously portrayed by Helge Sveen)
Even Stormoen as Rune Kolseth
Sebastian DeMots as David Kolseth