Lilyhammer

Lilyhammer, the story of the New York mobster 'Johnny' taking up witness refuge in Lillehammer, Norway, is a great little gem available on Netflix.

The story is simple and gets going fast: New York mafia guy rats out his 'family' to the FBI and is entered into the witness program. Instead of choosing to go somewhere in the US (or somewhere sunny), he goes to Norway after having fond memories of the 94 Winter Olympics. As you can imagine there's quite a clash of cultures between the entrepreneurial and direct American and the quite, socialist and subdued Norwegian culture. Add some romance, crime and friendships and you've got a great little story.

Don't be fooled by the presence of Steven Van Zandt from Sopranos. This is a satire/comedy made by the Norwegian TV channel NRK and aimed at Norwegians. A lot of the show is about the absurdities of a politically correct Norwegian bureaucracy and Norwegian culture in general. The American as an outsider, becomes the character who does and say the things many Norwegians wish they could do or say. Very funny, particularly if you know anything about Scandinavian culture already. Americans and others will be able to enjoy it anyway, since the show has some good performances from the acting cast and clever script. And of course, the gorgeous Norwegian countryside.

If you find yourself entertained and amused at Lilyhammer, check out the mockumentary 'Troll Hunters' also available on Netflix.

Great all around.

It's a great mini series. Happening in small town with Lovely twist. Writhing is smart and acting even better. Director has done great job and created smart comedy that is fun to watch and enjoy.

From the cast that has lot common with the The Norsemen, you can only expect something much fun to watch. The creators and the cast shown great job.

This mini series although not for everyone, every age group, for sure is not for low art-understanding crowd.

Highly recommend to watch this mini series although I am not a big fan of series unless they really worth watching.

Great production. Everyone did their job in the best possible way.

(I don't know what the last guy was talking about - this show is laugh out loud funny).

The show starts off pretty fast by Frank Tagliano (Steve Van Zandt) who's a New York Mobster, giving up his boss to the FBI. Within the first 20 minutes of the first episode he's relocated to Norway, more specifically, Lillehammer. This is due to the fact that he saw the Winter Olympics in '94 and decided it was a good place to start a new.

From there Frank has to adapt to Norwegian society which is proving to be quite the challenge. Public works officials like the good folk over at NAV aren't very helpful when it comes to adapting. Frank soon realizes that in order for him to succeed in Norway, he's going to have to resort to his old ways.

The show is funny, very funny. There are some things that seem a little thin, for example how fast he learns to understand Norwegian. Though he doesn't seem to understand a hundred percent of the time what people say (like the review before me implied). Other than that I think everyone who plays a part in this show does a great job. There's no reason why this show would deserve anything beneath a 8/10 rating.

And if you think I'm getting paid to say this: No, I'm not. But I thought the show deserved an honest review, and not a biased one. Give it a chance, I didn't think I'd be very funny but now I'm really looking forward to season two.

After some episodes of "Lilyhammer", I really think they have made something original here. Steven Van Zandt is acting like a champ, and carries the show. It's not just a drama, but it also have some funny moments. Van Zandt have some golden comments and bring something Italian-American over to little Norway. Van Zandt as a mobster in ice cold Lillehammer is suitable, and so far this show has surprised me. A lot of good supporting actors here too. Like Fridtjof Såheim and Trond Fausa Aurvaag, both well respected actors in Norway. The level of acting is good overall, with characters that brings the best and worse out of each other. I'm looking forward to the continuation, and I recommend others to see it too.

It's a damn shame that a show so well written is cancelled for a business decision. Suffice it to say, I laughed, I cried and I'd dispense Lilyhammer justice on anyone whose fault it was to take this charming show off the air. Shame!