Næturvaktin

I'm a fan of Scandinavia. I have watched quite some Scandinavian TV series and films and have come to the conclusion they are really experts in making productions who don't feature a lot of explosive and intense action themselves but merely interest by stimulating the watcher his/her deepest and silent emotions. With Iceland being no exclusion.

Næturvaktin brings a mix of drama and comedy to keep the audience at the edge of their seat by making them think and make them create expectations of what might happen to the protagonists next. With a lovely scenario played out by Jón Gnarr Kristinsson as a communist-like supermarket leader with five university degrees and just as good performing deuteragonists like Pétur Jóhann Sigfússon and Jörundur Ragnarsson you can't waste time by checking out this Nordic gem.

The type of humor might not be suitable for everyone. Although, i very much enjoy the office-like and "daily basis" humor more than a whelm of attempts at being funny, issued by more than one Hollywood-made TV-series nowadays.

Don't take my word for it, please go have a look yourself and if this series grabbed your attention, don't mind checking out dagvaktin and fangavaktin. The sequels in the trilogy who are just as good.

If you still can't get enough of Georg and his buddies. You can always watch Mr. Bjarnfredarson the movie.

This comedy about about 2 typically Icelandic characters and their Swedish caricature of a boss(complete with Leninesque hairstyle and nicely portrayed by Jón Gnarr) is the first of its kind to be made on Iceland. It's not the first Icelandic sitcom as such but it's definitely the first funny one and is even awaiting a sequel that's being filmed in a country hotel. It has a sort of embarrassing humor(like Extras but not as painfully embarrassing) and could be enjoyed by all even though some jokes will be lost on non-Icelandic viewers since they often involve cameos by real Icelandic celebrities playing themselves.

Pétur Jóhann Sigfússon does a great interpretation of a pathetic wannabe manager that will probably be stuck in a dead end job for the rest of his life.

Jón Gnarr steals every scene he is in as th evil loudmouth communist boss that has 5 university degrees but still works the night shift at a gas station. Jón should be careful not to be typecast as angry old men though. I liked him better when he was typecast as a nerd.

The star of the show is without a doubt the painfully realistic portrayal of a typical Icelandic youth by Jörundur Ragnarsson. This young man has proved himself to be the next big star in Icelandic cinema.

The young boy who plays Georgs son is also brilliant.

And I am also tremendously great as the young, Swedish hippie in the last episode and have yet to receive a call regarding a spin-off :(

Funny stuff.

This series is the best Iceland has to offer. With decade long comedic background, Jón Gnarr manages to act as the most narcissistic, power hungry character ever to be viewed on television. The series as a whole has the storyline of basic encounters but manages to make those situations extremely hilarious. If anyone is looking for a good laugh, this is the stuff for them.

When this series was shown on British TV last year I liked it so much I found the DVDs for other 2 series online and ordered them It seems a lot of people are quite confused by it as there aren't that many obvious jokes or punchlines and most of the humour comes from the characters themselves and the feeling of uncomfortableness that their interactions can give you. At first I though the character of Georg was far too obvious a comedy character, with his balding head and ginger hair but once the series gets going you see there is more to him than the obvious visual comedy of his appearance. I'd very much recommend finding the other 2 series to watch as well if you enjoyed this series as it only gets better.

When I first saw this on BBC4's Icelandic Season I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't even sure if it was supposed to be a comedy but as the episodes have advanced I have become totally engrossed in it. The characters are brilliant, from Georg the despotic leader to Olafur the hapless and hopeless wannabe famous band manager and the frustrated and angry Daniel. Really good supporting characters are Ylfa who quite obviously fancies Daniel and Georg's son Flemming Geir who Georg also manages to wind up.

I do hope they make more of these shows....It's must see entertainment with a difference!!!