Rykter

Rykter (English: Rumours) is a Norwegian teen drama television series about the life of Erik Nielsen, who had to move to the fictional island Vesterøy. It was produced by NRK3, which is part of the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

Premise
Rykter revolves around Erik Nielsen who needed to leave Bergen because he beat up one of his football teammates and was caught by the police. He moves to the fictional island Vesterøy to live with his mother where he tries to hide the reason why he had to move before his new friends.

The first season covers the problems Erik faces with integrating into the small community as well as the relationship between Mathias and Sara. Problems arise when Mathias plan for his future doesn't align anymore with the plan of Sara, which leads to Mathias and Sara growing apart while Sara and Erik grow closer together. This leads to multiple problems including Sara's relationship with Thea, her best friend, who tries to take revenge on Erik with Mathias together.

The second season continues seamlessly with the story line. Mathias now tries to befriend Erik and tries to integrate him into his friend group but faces backlash from Felix his best friend. At the end of the season Felix forces Mathias to choose between Erik and him.

The series deals with the influence of rumours ( Norwegian: Rykter ) on mental health and social standing. The impact of the beforementioned social standing is also addressed. Alcohol and drug consumption are also addressed throughout the series.

Main

 * Benjamin Ebbesen as John Erik Nielsen: a new student in Vesterøy who is struggling to adapt to his new life and making new friends, after having to leave Bergen because he beat someone up
 * Teo Tomczuck as Mathias: a student and lifelong resident of Vesterøy who has struggles in his relationship with Sara as well as with his parents because he wants to pursue his dream not follow the plan of his parents and Sara, where he would take over Vesterøy Seafood
 * Alisa Sussmann as Sara: a student and lifelong resident of Vesterøy who wants to study in Bergen to become a doctor but struggles with finding her real dream in life
 * Sissilja Garen as Thea: a student who manages the Snapchat Channel Vesterøy Exposed and is very keen on keeping her social status as a rich child of a lawyer in London but faces difficulties when reality catches up
 * Martin Storebø Koh as Felix: a student and best friend of Mathias who has problems with Mathias and Erik growing closer together and struggles with adapting to the new life situation since Erik moved to Verstr¢y

Recurring

 * Tobias Vassnes as Elias
 * Jon Kennedy Dushime Niyokindi as Nathaniel
 * Negusse Behre as Moses
 * Ole Jakob Sunde as Anders
 * Martin Bøstrand as Alexander
 * Mathea Onarheim Grønnevik as Synnøve
 * Simran Skulberg de Souza as Maira
 * Dorthe Bakken as Katrine-Marie
 * Helene Iversen as Louise
 * Emil Jonasdal Johannessen as Adrian
 * Aymen Said as Mohammed
 * Jessica Johnsen as Ragnhild
 * Juliana Fagertveit Haukedal as Yara
 * Siv Torin Knudsen Petersen as Sigrid
 * Heine Totland as Olav
 * Sigmund Hovind as Christoffer
 * Astrid Bergtun Elnes as Elisabeth
 * Amy Black Ndiaye as Sandra
 * Dominika Natalia Minkacz Sira as Jolanta

Guest

 * Leo Ajkic as the boxing trainer of Sara
 * Kjell Arne Kjærgård as Onkel Eldar
 * Svein Harry Hauge as Jarle Svensson
 * Desta Marie Beeder as Marie
 * Jonas Veland as Andy
 * Marcus Kabelo Møll Mosele as Footballtrainer
 * Andreas Søfteland Milde as wheelchair user
 * Jone Holmelid as Sondre
 * Jessica Johnsen as Ragnhild
 * Krister Wiberg as garbage picker

Double

 * Henrik Åsheim as Mathias in Season 1 Episode 12
 * Henrik Kalgraff as Mathias in Season 1 Episode 13

Production
Rykter is produced by the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK3 in cooperation with Mothership Entertainment AS. After the first seasons success the German public broadcaster NDR joined as co-producer with the goal to distribute the show internationally. The show has been granted a subsidy of 2,750,000 NOK from the Nordisk Film & TV Fond and has a total budget of 18,061,936 NOK.

Location
The series takes place on a fictional island named Vesterøy. The show was filmed in the sea gap in Øygarden in Western Norway west of Bergen, where also some scenes where shot.

Release
The series premiered on September 22, 2022, on NRK TV, the streaming service of NRK, as well as on NRK Super in live television. After the success of the first season the second season premiered on the 24th of February 2023 again on NRK TV and NRK Super. It was premiered in Italian on RaiPlay on July 14, 2023.

Norway
The main audience for Rykter is Norway, where it landed a success. After the release of the first season it achieved high viewership ratings on NRK which lead to the production of a third season. It was well received in Norway and gained some reputation.

International
The series has received international attention even though it is specifically targeted at a Norwegian audience. This has led to its distribution on RaiPlay, the Streaming service of the Italian public broadcaster RAI. It is the first Norwegian program to achieve the top spot ranking on RaiPlay for multiple weeks.