# Norsemen, aka Darkest Sitcom Ever Filmed **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341 "2018-10-22T16:25:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/21 "2020-07-16T18:29:16Z")
A question and a thought. Question: Is it in English? Thought: Uh, I thought this was another Vikings, Kingdom, etc. type show. I had _NO_ idea it was a comedy. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/22 "2020-07-16T19:07:48Z")
Yes, it’s in English. To be more specific, it was filmed in both Norwegian and English (the actors are bilingual, and they filmed every scene twice), but Netflix broadcasts the English version. Yep, as mentioned above, imagine “The Office” but dealing with Vikings instead of paper supply. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2020, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/23 "2020-07-16T19:39:02Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Yes, it’s in English. To be more specific, it was filmed in both Norwegian and English (the actors are bilingual, and they filmed every scene twice), but Netflix broadcasts the English version. Wow, that’s amazing! ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/24 "2020-07-16T19:48:23Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > It’s a prequel, so fingers crossed Froya is back. She is. Aside from them having already aired the Norwegian version with her, she is has a prominent role in the S3 English language trailer[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtHswQWbcCA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtHswQWbcCA) Six more days to wait for one of my favorite shows…sigh ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/25 "2020-07-16T22:42:29Z")
Thanks to this old (zombie) thread, I have watched the first season of this show, and am working on the second. It’s absolutely brilliant. I’m a fan of _The Last Kingdom_, and even more of a fan of the Bernard Cornwell books upon which it’s based. I wouldn’t have thought a serious gently mocking the whole genre would be worth watching, but it is. Very much so. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/26 "2020-07-17T02:42:54Z")
I’m watching the first episode now. Very happy to learn this is a comedy, though I commend them on making it look like it has a Vikings or Kingdom level budget. Impressive visuals. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2020, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/27 "2020-07-18T15:03:21Z")
I was looking for something funny to watch last night, and I noticed I hadn’t watched a couple episodes of season 2. So I started watching from the beginning of s.2 since it’s been awhile, and I saw the heads on pikes scene I described in my post up thread. Only I didn’t remember it quite right— it wasn’t heads, it was whole bodies on pikes! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/28 "2020-07-20T15:00:36Z")
My wife and I have watched four episodes and I really appreciate this being brought up here. [They literally used Departure](https://youtu.be/J_QyIeklha8), which is feature prominently on Vikings, a show I love and am happy to see made fun of. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/29 "2020-07-20T15:09:12Z")
Just finished Season 2. > [@outlierrn](#): > > Season 3 drops on Netflix later this month. It’s a prequel, so fingers crossed Froya is back. Surprising they would do a prequel at this point, since S.2 left off on a very unresolved note. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/30 "2020-07-20T15:36:28Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Surprising they would do a prequel at this point, since S.2 left off on a very unresolved note They killed a lot of people in the first two seasons, a prequel let’s them get more use from the dead characters and the actors that play them. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/31 "2020-07-20T15:44:13Z")
That makes sense. Still, it seems like a season 3 continuation of 2 could have wrapped up the loose ends better, then if they get a S.4 renewal, come back with a prequel then. They could have continued to use Froya in flashbacks, or maybe Froya’s ghost appears to Arvid telling him she can’t get into Valhalla until he avenges her death, or something (ok, there’s a reason why I’m not a comedy writer). ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/32 "2020-07-20T15:44:48Z")
Interesting. I had just finished watching the Starz _Spartacus_ series again (one of the bloodiest things I’ve ever seen in any medium) before I started watching this, so the gore didn’t even register. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > it was filmed in both Norwegian and English (the actors are bilingual, and they filmed every scene twice), but Netflix broadcasts the English version. Though occasionally there will be a scene or just a few lines in a scene that are dubbed, for whatever reason. Probably just corrections or clarification. They do a good job of editing around it, so it’s not super obvious. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/33 "2020-07-20T15:53:27Z")
Yep, that’s how I felt as well. Sounded like it should have been funny, but just wasn’t the sort of humor I find funny. (There’s a sort of cringey and deadpan style of humor that I just don’t much like- stuff like “The Office”, “Arrested Development”, “Seinfeld”, et al… and “Norsemen” fell into that broad category) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/34 "2020-07-20T17:29:04Z")
Glad to hear this is coming back. I found it pretty funny, but it is very dark humor. It helps to have watched Vikings, which its a spoof of. I was very surprised they killed off Froya in the second season, since she was one of the best characters. I’m glad she’ll be coming back in this one. > [@Smid](#): > > I think it’s done (and certainly has some of the actors) from the people who did Lilyhammer… It took me embarrassingly long to realize that Torgeir in Lilyhammer and the uppity slave Rufus in Vikings were both played by Trond Fossa, since the characters are so completely different. He was great in both. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/35 "2020-07-20T18:26:16Z")
I watched the first season quite some time ago. I’ll have to revisit it. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/36 "2020-07-20T20:37:24Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Very happy to learn this is a comedy, though I commend them on making it look like it has a Vikings or Kingdom level budget. They cheated. They film on location at a history center that maintains a period accurate demonstration village. The extras are mostly experienced reenactors. While they do not let accuracy get in the way of a good joke, the backdrop is both cheaper and more accurate than many historical shows. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/37 "2020-07-20T23:21:02Z")
> [@solost](#): > > They could have continued to use Froya in flashbacks, or maybe Froya’s ghost appears to Arvid telling him she can’t get into Valhalla until he avenges her death, or something (ok, there’s a reason why I’m not a comedy writer). A spoiler alert would have been nice. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/38 "2020-07-20T23:25:15Z")
Sorry. But someone had already spoiled it upthread. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/39 "2020-07-21T17:39:06Z")
Gotta say, I was greatly enjoying the dark humor and brutality of the show… until it came to the slaves getting buried alive. That was just disturbingly dark with no real payoff. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341/40 "2020-07-23T22:09:25Z")
Season 3 (or 0) is available on Netflix. If you liked the previous seasons you should like this, but I wouldn’t say there’s all that much new and/or different. No idea if there will be any more seasons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norsemen-aka-darkest-sitcom-ever-filmed/823341.md?page=3)