Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole 2026 Tv Show Review
A fantastic shocker series from Norway based on the crime novel THE DEVIL’S SIGN (published in German in 2006 / in Norwegian in 2003 under the title MAREKORS) by Jo Nesbø!
Tobias Santelmann, born in Freiburg im Breisgau, plays Harry Hole (pronounced: Harry Hoole), a man battling his own demons in Oslo. Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman portrays Hole’s suave colleague, Tom Waaler, who shares a disturbingly large number of similarities with Hole, yet is utterly different.
Shocking acts of violence unfold in a sun-drenched Oslo, where police officers, unarmed, are forced to chase after the most brutal gangs. No joke! In Norway, it’s the law that police officers must lock up their weapons and can only use them under strict conditions. It’s no wonder that police officers are driven to despair while gangsters stroll the streets unchallenged. In fact, Oslo has certainly never been portrayed like this before! Bathed in sunshine during a heatwave of the bright Scandinavian summer, you feel the richness of this beautiful city, yet aren’t surprised by its neglect and decay.
In the Harry Hole book series, THE DEVIL’S MARK is already the fifth installment, so the show has some catching up to do at the beginning to explain why Harry Hole is the way he is: a washed-up alcoholic kept alive only by his manic work as a police officer. But the wiry detective has recently met the capable Rakel (Pia Tjelta) and her son Oleg (Maxime Baune Bochud). A happy personal life seems within reach. The way Harry and little Oleg gradually bond is among the most beautiful stories this exceptional series has to tell.
Otherwise, things get very dark! Together with his sports-car-posing colleague Tom, who is also his superior, Harry has to find a suspected serial killer who has all of Oslo on edge. And there’s also the suspicion that Tom Waaler can’t afford the sports car and the fancy apartment on his police salary alone.
This Netflix series is satisfyingly gritty and quite graphic. It’s not for the faint of heart, but precisely for that reason, this new Harry Hole series doesn’t need to hide behind Nordic noir classics like BRON (2011-2018) and FORBRYDELSEN (2007-2012).
Hopefully, Tobias Santelmann will continue in this role if there’s a sequel (after all, there are several more crime novels featuring this character!). Joel Kinnaman has certainly never been seen in a better role. And then there are remarkable guest appearances by exceptional actors like Anders Danielsen Lie, Peter Stormare, and Florence Kasumba, whom you might recognize from BLACK PANTHER and the Göttingen-based TATORT.
A new gem of Nordic noir! Five devil stars in blood red!
