The hit TV show Lilyhammer lost around 130,000 viewers when the second episode of its second season aired on Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) last Wednesday. Only 793,000 people tuned in, down from the 922,000 who watched the season premiere the week before.
The show, starring US actor and musician Steven Van Zandt, has set ratings records in Norway and became an international hit during its first season. The show features cultural collisions between Van Zandt’s character, a gangster from New York, and Norwegians living in the town of Lillehammer.
The second season of what started as a comedy is now dubbed a “comidrama” and features more violence and sex. The drop in ratings indicates that may not be as popular with Norwegian viewers, around a million of whom tuned in every week during the show’s first season.
NRK, Netflix and Rubicon are nonetheless in the final stages of negotiations for a third season. Production will start in January, reports Nordisk Film & TV Fond, if a new contract is agreed.
newsinenglish.no staff
