Heimebane

Marvelous cast, very well scripted and directed, delivers on every level with a diverse, fascinating cast of characters. There is also the extra bonus of the show being filmed in the magnificent town of Ulsteinvik, Norway The only thing I found a bit tiresome was the predictable adolescent drama of Helena's daughter which was by no means the fault of the actress. Everyone involved did a stellar job. Would love to see a second season!

Not joking either, I watched Norwegian TV drama 'Heimbane' around the same time as the FIFA 2018 World Cup and grew to love the series. Why aren't there more female coaches in football? Thinking about it as a fan of the game, I'm struggling to find any rational explanation?!? Ane Dahl Torp plays Helena Mikkelsen the head coach of newly promoted Varg FC (fictionalized, but most of the action is set among the fjordic landscape of Ulsteinvik in the west of the country) and really makes the part her own (particularly love all the little obsessive 'ticks' and character traits she's built into the role). The football during the series is done pretty well (which certainly makes a welcome change!), but not overdone, most of the attention is on the personal and professional lives of the characters. I wouldn't know a 'known' from an 'unknown' in Norwegian drama, but enjoyed Axel Bøyum's performance as the young football prodigy emerging from the shadow of his father, Emma Bones as Mikkelsen's supportive teenage daughter Camilla, sympathetic in the role, and former professional John Carew as Michael Engersen draws attention to the problems players often face in the twilight of their careers. Finally, Rolf Kristian Larsen gives a solid performance as Eivind, Mikkelsen's embattled boss standing up for her in the chauvinistic boardroom. There's lots going on here and a a few surprises along the way to keeps things interesting. The whole thing could easily have gone pear-shaped, but 'Heimebane' succeeds because it's a drama more about the human condition than 'The Beautiful Game'. Looking forward to another season.

First season was very enjoyable and well written. That in mind I'm going to skip the second season. It looks like that original writer had nothing to do with the second season and reading the reviews and watching the episode scorings, it's safe to assume that this show suffers from the same faith as the Goliath. Luckily the first season was conclusive so there was really no need for the second season.

Hats off to Mr Johan Fasting and actors for the marvelous first season.

Fresh, joyful, exciting, emotional, proud. This one has it all, and set in the beautiful scenery of Norway's mountainous west coast fjords, in the small town of Ulsteinvik, the setting brings it all together. Beautifully!

Ane Dahl Torp delivers a solid, credible and relatable character in "Helena Mikkelsen" through all 10 episodes. While she starts out a bit flat and mysterious, she let's both us, the viewers, and her team mates in on who she really is and what makes her tick. There are many other good characters with great character development through this first season, which makes this show good and relatable, also for those completely uninterested in football.

The show focuses on some topics that have quite recently been in the media, with both "Me-too" relatable content, as well as stereotypes towards women and how they cope in male dominated fields of work. The show takes all of this on head-to-head without ever becoming too politically correct, educating, or in any way trying to preach any one message to the viewer. It also opens a window into the mind of someone struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder, for those of us lucky enough to never have experienced mental illness first hand.

Heimebane made me laugh, cry and stand up and cheer. Objectively it's probably an 8,5 or something, but who ever heard about an objective supporter? As the locals in Ulsteinvik would have said: "Great", or "Steikje bra" 10/10 !

Very well played and a good script!! Many unknown actors, very good main characters. Worth viewing!!