After 3,000 episodes and nearly 20 years on the air, Norway’s television soap opera Hotel Cæsar is finally about to check out. TV2, Norway’s national commercial television station, announced on Friday that it would not be ordering any new episodes after this season.
The show began in 1998 on TV2, which itself was Norway’s first local venture into nationwide TV financed by commercials. Hotel Cæsar was wildy popular, and a novelty in Norwegian television, but ratings have been sagging for years. The series was moved from TV2’s main channel to its TV2Sumo channel in January.
Viewer counts have not met budgets. “TV2 will continue to air dramas, but like everyone else, has to set priorities,” TV2’s drama chief Christopher Haug told the station’s own webside, TV2.no. He said Hotel Cæsar would be replaced by new drama programs.
“I think this is very sad, that a chapter is closing,” said Anette Hoff, who has played the role of Juni Anker Hansen in the show since the beginning. “At the same time I’ve been very lucky to have had a predictable and permanent job in this business, and been part of creating television history in Norway. So I’m proud and grateful.”
newsinenglish.no staff
