Wisting (TV series)

Wisting is a Norwegian thriller police procedural television series, broadcast by Viaplay and TV3 from April 11, 2019, starring Sven Nordin as the titular William Wisting, a senior police detective in Larvik, Thea Green Lundberg as his daughter and crime journalist Line Wisting and until the third season, Carrie-Anne Moss as visiting FBI Special Agent Maggie Griffin.

Production
The first series of ten episodes is based on two novels by Jørn Lier Horst, The Caveman (2013) and The Hunting Dogs (2012). Horst is a best-selling author in Norway, and his books have been translated into more than thirty languages. Filming started in January 2018 on a 150-day schedule. The adaptations were written by Trygve Allister Diesen and Kathrine Valen Zeiner. Diesen also directed episodes along with Katarina Launing. The show's first series had a budget of NOK 110 million (€11.4 million). This sum incorporated a €1 million grant from Creative Europe as well as a grant of NOK 26.05 million (€2.7 million) from the Norwegian Film Institute. This makes the show the most expensive drama ever produced in Norway.

The Scandinavian broadcast of the first series commenced in April 2019. In the US, the series was launched on December 18, 2019 via the Sundance Now streaming service. In the United Kingdom the series was acquired by BBC Four from Banijay Rights and commenced broadcasting on December 28, 2019, with two episodes being shown back-to-back each week for five weeks. The first series was issued on DVD and Blu-ray on April 27, 2021.

In late 2020 Wisting was renewed for a second series of eight episodes. For transmission, these were split into two four episode runs, sometimes referred to as Seasons 2 and 3. However some international broadcasters list both as Season 2. This series is based upon the novels The Inner Darkness (2019) and The Night Man (2009), broadcast in Scandinavia from December 26, 2021 and April 2022 respectively. Nordin, Ouadal, Berge and Lundberg reprise their roles across all eight episodes, with Moss providing off-screen voice in the first four episodes and returning in full for the second four. The series was broadcast on BBC4 in the UK from October 15, 2022 and Australia via SBS on Demand from February 24 and June 23, 2022 respectively.

Two further series were confirmed in 2023, with the third production/fourth broadcast series being an original story inspired by Horst's characters, and the fourth production/fifth broadcast to be based on Horst's novel Sak 1569 (A Question of Guilt). The fourth series started broadcasting in Norway on March 24, 2024 and in the UK on April 13, 2024.

Reception
The Nordic press viewed the series favourably. Stavanger Aftenblad commented that it was "intricate and riveting", Jyllands-Posten called it "a sure winner" and Aftenposten praised its "nonstop momentum".

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Dorothy Rabinowitz found the series "seamlessly woven" and "superbly layered".

Writing in The Guardian, Euan Ferguson described the series as "... the best Nord-noir ever. Since the last one. What did Scandinavian film-makers think they were ever doing, 80 years of existential angst and Death playing nihilist chess, before remembering: we have crime. Coal. Snow. Blood. Fire. Cheekbones. Let’s do that."

Cast
Credits:
 * Sven Nordin as William Wisting; Larvik police lead investigator
 * Carrie-Anne Moss as Maggie Griffin; FBI Special Agent, seconded to William's team (Seasons 1—3)
 * Thea Green Lundberg as Line Wisting: William's daughter, Verdens Gang journalist
 * Jonas Strand Gravli/Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen as Thomas Wisting; William's son and Line's twin brother
 * Mads Ousdal as Nils Hammer; police senior detective
 * Lars Berge as Benjamin Fjeld; police detective
 * Irina Eidsvold Tøien as Andrea Vetti; police chief (Season 1)
 * Maria Bock as Agnes Kiil; police chief (Season 2—present)
 * Evelyn Rasmussen Osazuwa as Veronica Rambøl; Agnes's assistant, who joins William's team (Season 2―present)
 * Kjersti Sandal as Torunn Borg; William's deputy and temporary lead investigator (Seasons 1—2)
 * Mads Sjøgård Pettersen as Tommy Kvanter; Line's ex-boyfriend
 * Mariann Hole as Sissel; Nils's wife, a former drug addict
 * Cato Skimten Storengen as Ruben Borg; Torunn's husband, Atle's father (Seasons 1—3)
 * Heidi Goldmann as Bjørg Karin; policewoman (Seasons 1—3)

Season 1

 * Richie Campbell as John Bantham: FBI Special Agent, seconded to William's team, has one-night stand with Line
 * Ulrikke Hansen Døvigen as Christine Thiis: police prosecutor
 * Gard B. Eidsvold as Frank Robekk: retired police detective, Ellen's uncle
 * Fridtjov Såheim as Philip Henden: lawyer; represents Vidar and, later, William
 * Christoffer Staib as Vidar Haglund: convicted murderer, released after serving sentence
 * Daniel Frikstad as Joachim Andresen: Dagbladet news reporter
 * Ellen Dorrit Petersen as Hanne Kaupang: Linnea's over-protective mother
 * Thea Sofie Loch Næss as Linnea Kaupang: wannabe model, Internet blogger
 * Lasse Vermeli as Erik: VG photographer
 * Jon Øigarden as Terje Nordbo: Chief Inspector, Independent Office for Police Conduct; investigates police role in Cecilia's case
 * Amy Black Ndiaye as Maren: police detective
 * Henrik Plau as Fredrik: Line's associate at VG
 * Lars Bonnevie Hjort as Morten By: VG senior investigative journalist
 * Lars Sørbø as Knut Frost: VG editor, Line's boss
 * Sarah Francesca Brænne as Synnøve Brunvall: Line's school friend
 * Kari Onstad Winge as Annie Nyhus: one of Viggo's correspondents
 * Nils Jørgen Kaalstad as Magnus Kaupang: Linnea's father, construction worker
 * Vidar Sandem as Fred Iversen: Viggo's contemporary, relocated to Denmark
 * Helge Sveen as Finn Haber: former police crime scene investigator
 * Sigurd Myhre as Danny Flom: photographer, Cecilia's ex-boyfriend
 * Ola Otnes as Ole Linge p.k.a. Robert Godwin: American serial killer, posing as Viggo's contemporary
 * Dagny Backer Johnsen as Cecilia Linde: model, murdered by Vidar
 * Kirsti Eline Torhaug as Madelen Torell: Swedish woman, Jonas's ex-girlfriend
 * Trond Høvik as Torgeir Roxrud: Jonas's friend
 * Helene Angell as Isabell: Linnea's school friend
 * Anders Rogg as Kåre: dockworker, Jonas's former friend
 * Jakob Fort as Lars Petter Myhre: Linnea's fellow student

Season 2A/2B

 * Kyrre Hellum as Adrian Stiller: National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos) agent; hunts Tom
 * Hallvard Holmen as Idar Semmelmann: Oslo Vice squad, leads search for "The Other"
 * Odin Waage as Tom Kerr: convicted killer, assisted by an accomplice ("The Other")
 * Eindride Eidsvold as Claes Thancke ("The Other", Theo Dermann): Tom's lawyer, serial killer
 * Rudy Claes as Nina Gullow: television producer, Line's new boss
 * Ingeborg Raustøl as Suzanne Bjerke: asylum centre co-ordinator, Jens' ex-wife, Ingrid's best friend
 * Sagal Saleh as Hanan: asylum centre resident, Layla's friend
 * Adam Mamadou Bizokunda as Sammy Kibo: asylum centre resident, ex-child soldier
 * Kjærsti Odden Skjeldal as Mona Mellberg: Tom's girlfriend, claims he's innocent
 * Edvald Bang-Johansen as Atle Borg: Torunn's son
 * Hedda Styrmoe Silberg as Jeanette: Mona's daughter
 * Anderz Eide as Fredrik Molander: prison guard, Tom's liaison officer
 * Gaute Boris Skjegstad as Floyd Thue: Red Cross worker, visited Tom in prison
 * Stig Henrik Hoff as Johannes Norum: father of Tarjei (Tom's victim), welder
 * Oddgeir Thune as Cato Dalen: neo-Nazi farmer, Tommy's friend
 * Knut M. Damm as Peder Salomonsen: shopkeeper
 * Luke Elliot as Alek Begi: America ex-soldier, deserter, drug and human trafficking mastermind
 * Marika Vesce as Sunniva: Sissel's daughter, Sissel wants to regain custody
 * Karine Dybvik as Frida Kvastmo: uniformed policewoman
 * Assad Siddique as Hussain
 * Louise Tofte Røiri as Melina: Cato's live-in girlfriend
 * Martin Furulund as Johan Eskedal: farmer, Islamophobe
 * Serhat Yildirim as Khaled Athari a.k.a. Noor Alem: former asylum centre resident, Sammy's friend, drug courier, later lives in Karlstad, Sweden
 * Jesper Malm as Lennart Melander: Karlstad police inspector, liaises with William's team
 * Eeman Hashmi as Layla Hassimi: 14-year-old asylum centre resident, drug courier, decapitated with her head left on a pole
 * Herman Karlsen as Marvin: Johan's older son
 * Haakon Karlsen as Erlend: Johan's younger son

Season 4

 * Rupert Evans as Andrew Greenwood, Clifford's father
 * Andrea Bræin Hovig as Mai Greenwood, Clifford's mother
 * Svein Sturla Hungnes as Olav Engdahl
 * Smylie Bradwell as Clifford Greenwood
 * Teddie Allen as Charlotte Greenwood
 * Ellen Bendu as Rebekka Skjevik
 * Emil Johnsen Vavik as Lukas
 * Harald Ottesen Nødtvedt as Joakim Backer
 * Shana Mathai as Rosa Garcia Backer
 * Morten Svartveit as Stein Kvammen
 * Even Stormoen as Rune Kolseth
 * Sebastian DeMots as David Kolseth

Season 4 (2024)
In some international broadcasts, season 4 was screened as season 3, and seasons 2-3 were shown together as season 2.