Krøniken

I have seen the whole of the first series and I think it is a very worthy successor to Matador.

Although fictional , the series gives one an insight into life and the prevalent attitudes in post-war Denmark. It is very realistic with excellent characterization

There are really two stories side by side. One is the coming of television to Denmark and how the various radio manufacturers adapted to it and the other is the development of the characters and the events that transpire in their lives.

A gripping series and I'm just waiting for the second series to be broadcast.

I have seen three of the 2005-2006 series while in Denmark. They are just fantastic! Even though my understanding of rapidly spoken Danish is still "under construction" to some degree, the human emotions, the attention to period details in both costumes and set design, and a top shelf script, make the series a delight even to "udlændinge". I would encourage anyone enjoying great dialog, wonderful acting, and terrific script writing, to try to catch this series. Some of Denmark's best actors are in this series, so fans of Danish film will recognize at least some of the principals. If you have been put off by the spare style of the "Dogme" school of film making, this is much more traditional in its "look".

This is an absolute must see for lovers of top class drama. I have watched the whole series twice now and love every second of it. The acting is first class. In 22 episodes there are about two suspect deliveries in my book. I think the script is brilliant. I speak Danish, so I'm spoiled there, but even translated, the script should be great. It's just such a riveting story. The attention to detail with the sets, clothes and everything else is really well done, but above all, the characters are so real, so human, so tragic and so utterly convincing. This is television at its best. It has been compared to the great series Matador. I say it is even better!

The story revolves around Ida who comes from the country to the city and gets drawn in to the world of the Nielsen family, an upper class family who own a radio and later television factory. But at its heart, it's a story about the Nielsen son, Eric, and his struggles in life getting acceptance and love from his father. There are many sub plots about Danish politics and everyone's lives and loves and the growth of the television industry etc, but it is a great human drama about how we need to love and build our children up not tear them down.

I can't understand anyone thinking the script is bad, unless they are maybe reading bad subtitles. Obviously to get the most out of it, you'll need to be fluent in Danish :), but hopefully there are good subtitles around for this show. I don't think I've ever seen a series that is clearly better than this. If you're into humanist dramas you should track this down! TV doesn't get any better.

Krønikken starts were Matador, the immortal Danish TV classic, ended. While it does not reach Matador's level, it certainly is an important contribution that vividly describes the culture of the Danish society from the postwar period, to the beginning of the modem times.

Unlike Matador, Krønikken, (the Chronicle) takes place in Copenhagen, and not in a province town; therefore its focus is a little narrower, and it has more supporting characters that are only seen in a few episodes. Its primary focus is the capitalistic family, whose patriarch owns the radio, and later, TV factory Bella, but it also has a strong focus on the development of the Danish social democratic party. This is because, that the Social Democrat was the primary architect for the modem Danish welfare state, which was created in this period.

It is a story, but it describes the history of that period better, then mere facts ever could.

If you are interested in the Danish culture, then Krønikken, is a must see.

Mom and I just finished all 22 episodes of this long story. Throughly enjoyed it. Nice story. Really good acting, super attention to detail sets, all the historical look and feel.,nice to watch the years roll by. I even liked the high in the corner camera shots..in the various rooms. We highly recommended this for those who have discovered works from Denmark, Sweden...with the more known NORDIC NOIR list like Borgen, Beck, Dragon, and Wallanders. Enjoy. Our box set got from Amazon.uk with the full 22 episodes plus Danish only bonus material...still hoping for some translations hints on that stuff. User ratings show only a few have discovered this....may have something to do with being Region 2 disks..we just bought a code free machine for like 50 bucks. Whoo Hoo!