Lilyhammer

I first heard of Lilyhammer through a Howard Stern interview with Steven Van Zandt. Since I was a huge Sopranos fan I immediately became interested in Lilyhammer. The show itself is great and I'm really impressed with Netflix's first original program. One concern is that they would not have enough funding to continue the project. Lilyhammer will never be confused with Soprano's but it has a lot of similarities to all organized crime dramas. Steven and the other actors do a great job, the only issue I have is sometimes it is difficult understand the native actors. While it does add authenticity to the setting it requires you to give your full attention to the screen. Luckily, the show is great and there is no worry of losing interest.

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.

Netflix has scored again with Lilyhammer. This show is primarily a comedy and I find myself laughing out loud during every episode.

Imagine a cross between Al Pacino and Archie Bunker and you have a fair understanding of the main character, Frank Tagliano (Steven Van Zandt)--a mobster who turns state's evidence and goes into the Witness Protection Program in, of all places, Norway. This is a fish-out-of-water story that gives Frank plenty of cultural differences to deal with. He is a guy who leads with his fists inserted into a pacifist environment.

Before he leaves the states, he is warned that if he gets in trouble with the law in Norway, he is on his own. So we know up-front, that this story can go either of two ways. In Lillehammer, Frank deals with an eccentric cast of characters and the viewer never knows which direction the story will take. The series finds humor in the most interesting places.

Much of the humor has an agenda. It takes a playful jab at anti-terrorist paranoia, for example. Bureaucracy is often the target.

The scenery is beautiful. The music is eclectic and very enjoyable. The cast does a good job with the multi-cultural narrative. The dialogue is in both English and Norwegian, but subtitles are used and it is never difficult to understand what is happening.

There are unmistakable reminders of Fargo. And the quirkiness of the locals might remind you of Local Hero (a great film to emulate). Frank's approach to "justice" is reminiscent of Walking Tall or Death Wish or the other vigilante movies.

I am midway through the second season and enjoying the ride very much. I do not recommend the series to anyone squeamish about violence or raw language. For anyone else, I highly recommend Lilyhammer.

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!

(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.