Outlier (TV series)

Outlier is a Norwegian eight-part television crime drama, which premiered on November 18, 2020 on HBO Nordic. In Australia it was broadcast on SBS-TV's streaming service, On Demand from April 2, 2021. Outlier was created and scripted by Kristine Berg and Arne Berggren. Berg and Berggren co-directed all episodes, assisted by Ken Are Bongo as co-director for three episodes. It was filmed in Troms and Finnmark regions from July 2020 for Shuuto Arctic and distributed by REinvent. Outlier's main protagonist, Maja Angell (Hanne Mathisen Haga) investigates the murder of a young woman, who was found in Maja's fictitious home village, Nerbygd, northern Norway (near actual town, Bardufoss). Nerbygd police chief, Johan (Stein Bjørn) quickly arrests a suspect – case closed. Maja believes police have the wrong man and returns to Nerbygd to determine whether the perpetrator is a serial killer.

Plot
Kautokeino resident Elle finds fellow villager Sofie's mobile phone by the side of the road. Sofie is later found dead in Nerbygd's caravan park. Later, Elle tries to hand the phone to the police but they don't want it. London-based criminal psychologist Maja follows the case online. After local police chief, Johan arrests a suspect, Maja believes he is innocent as his past record is for violent but impulsive crimes; he would not have planned to kidnap a girl, take her to a caravan site, kill her, stage the body and leave the scene clean and tidy. To be so precise suggests to Maja the killer has practiced. Maja suspects an organized serial killer is at work.

She travels to Nerbygd and starts her own investigation. Initially dismissive of Maja's theories, having eventually extracted a 'confession' from the suspect, Nerbygd police consider the case closed. Maja seeks help from her retired journalist father Anders, who directs her to newspaper archivist Dan. The police eventually agree to hand over files of old cases in case the killer is 'experienced' and they have missed his activity in the past through oversight / assuming women had left the country.

From the files, Dan and Maja identify several "soft targets" – loner females with little family support – who disappeared in previous years with no substantial investigation. When one such historical victim, Tina, is found dead, Johan's second-in-charge, Erik hesitantly assists Maja.

Meanwhile Bardufoss resident Trond is North Security's field operative. He installs and checks cameras and alarms across northern Norway, Finland and Sweden. He uses his skills (and installed cameras) to stalk, kidnap and kill victims. Initially, we do not see him attack anyone but watch him viewing private camera footage. He has a wife and child.

Elle does not get on with her father and leaves home. She starts work as one of several young house-keepers at a hotel in the next town.

Twenty years earlier Maja's brother Petter died in a car accident (suicide is mentioned earlier when Maja sits by his grave). At that time, ten-year old Maja had also been molested, but it was not taken seriously and she was told she Was having nightmares. She must then have repressed her memories of that time. When, in the present, Maja displays increasing confusion over the killer's victims and her childhood traumas she is excluded from the investigations.

Elle trails Sofie's work history as a motel maid. Elle follows the trail to Nerbygd, but is dismissed by both Johan and a now distraught Maja. While returning home, Elle is kidnapped by Trond and held in an obscured forest hut. Maja is re-instated to help find Elle. Maja determines Trond is the killer and, with Erik and police, attempts to capture him.

Main cast

 * Hanne Mathisen Haga as Maja Angell: criminal psychologist, PhD candidate, lecturer at a London university, Petter's younger sister, Petter died 20 years earlier when Maja was 10
 * Erik Smith-Meyer as Anders Angell: Kathrine's husband, Petter and Maja's father, retired Nerbygd newspaper editor
 * Stein Bjørn as Johan: Nerbygd police chief, investigates Sofie's death, dismissive of Maja's analyses as too far-fetched
 * Jonas Delerud as Erik: Nerbygd police officer, Johan's second-in-charge, initially sceptical of Maja's ideas
 * Kim-Runar Klodiussen as Dan Robin: Nerbygd newspaper archivist, assists Maja's investigations
 * Eila Ballovara Varsi as Elle Jannok: Kautokeino resident, young woman, raised by father, helps with farm chores, leaves to learn about Sofie's disappearance and murder
 * Marius Lien as Trond Kverntagen: North Security manager, field operative, married to Anna with daughter Lilya

Additional cast

 * Guri Johnson as Kathrine Angell: Maja's mother, unresponsive, possibly demented, nursing home resident
 * Benjamin Noble as Edward: London university psychology professor, Maja's tutor and boyfriend, concerned over her involvement in Sofie's murder case
 * Jørn Bjørn Fuller-Gee as Eivind Salomonsen: Maja's cousin, Petter's contemporary, North Security board member with Rune Mosli
 * Kristine Myhre Tunheim as Anne-Li: Eivind's wife, dislikes Maja, warns him to avoid her
 * Anethe Alfsvaag as Anna: Trond's wife, Lilya's mother
 * Ella Maren Alfsvåg Jørgensen as Lilya: Anna and Trond's daughter
 * Kristian Figenschow as "old police deputy" (Gunnar Enoksen): former Nerbygd police chief, dismissive of Maja's concerns over historical disappearances, such as Tina's
 * Viktor Enoksen as Skorpa: Nerbygd police officer, assists Johan and Erik
 * Trude Øines as Emma: reported her friend, Tina Danielsen, as missing in 2008
 * Johannes Y. Meløe as Roy Eliassen: 27-year-old man, violent, drug-related criminal, suspect in Sofie's murder
 * Anne Katrine Haugen as "Roy's mother": uncooperative with police, talks to Maja
 * Geir Gulbrandsen as "Roy's lawyer" (Jensberg): allows Maja access to Roy
 * Cora Fransisca Karlberg as "maid" Billie: works at Djupelv hotel, inducts Elle
 * Zoe Winther Hansen as "maid" Lilly: works at Djupelv hotel
 * Pernille Sandøy as Sofie: Kautokeino resident, 19-year-old friend of Elle, found dead in Nerbygd caravan
 * Egil Keskitalo as "Elle's father": reindeer herder, strict, work-focussed
 * Anna Karoline Bjelvin as Anine Karlssen: hires North Security, has faulty surveillance camera
 * Ola Karlsen as "jogger": reported as missing near recently burned-down building close to Dividalen
 * Hans Kristian Elvenes as "power plant boss" (Odd Knut Sandbakken): Johan's friend, cuts power in specific regions over time as "stress test" for electricity supply
 * Ingá Ánne Márjá Bongo as Sofie's sister: younger sister, befriends Elle
 * Sara Inga Utsi Bongo as Sofie's mother: uninterested in Sofie's whereabouts
 * Marie Charlotte Thomsen Lund as "nurse": looks after Kathrine at nursing home
 * Espen Olaisen as "IT-expert" (Bjørnar Michaelsen): runs Webconsult which houses North Security's website
 * Marja Kivenmäki as "receptionist Finland": tells Maja that Nerbygd police never asked for CCTV footage
 * Christian Lindholm as "farmer": owns Morholt dairy farm