Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
One of the most anticipated shows for the 2026 European line-up, the series adaptation of the best-selling Harry Hole books, hits Netflix globally this week. A game of cat-and-mouse between crooked cops and a series of grisly numbers connected to a mysterious diamond-like shape: is the series as irresistible as the page-turners it gets its name from?
Harry Hole already has a dozen books to his name, and is usually associated with page-turning Nordic noir mysteries ever since author Jo Nesbø published his first novel back in 1997. With the same producers in tow (British company Working Title), Hole is back in series form as played by Tobias Santelmann, after a disastrous and widely panned movie adaptation in 2017, The Snowman. Nesbø is writing all scripts for the nine episodes of this first season, which draw from the fifth book in the series, The Devil’s Star.
The logline for the series states :
“Created by one of the greatest storytellers in crime fiction, Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole is a whodunnit serial killer mystery led by famed anti-hero Harry Hole. Underneath the surface, this series is a nuanced character drama about two police officers – and supposed colleagues – operating on opposite sides of the law. Throughout the first season, Harry goes head-to-head with his long-time adversary and corrupt detective Tom Waaler. Harry is a brilliant but tormented homicide detective who struggles with his demons. As the two navigate the blurred ethical lines of the criminal justice system, Harry must do all he can to catch a serial killer and bring Waaler to justice before it is too late.”
The series opens with Hole nurturing long-sustained psychological wounds from a car accident five years prior. The crash, which occurred en route to arresting a bank robber, resulted in the death of his colleague in the passenger’s seat. As summer brings quick tempers and heat in Oslo, Hole may have finally found some balance in his life through difficult sobriety and a relationship with Rakel (Pia Tjelta), a single mother to a son whom Harry tries to bond with. But soon enough, through a series of events best left not to be spoiled, it will all come crashing down, and Hole’s talent as a one-of-a-kind detective, as well as the trust and forgiveness earned over the years, will soon be very much tested. Through golden summer hues and ever-shining pupils, Harry Hole, the series, provides a distinctive flair, with well-placed rock needle drops (Hole, much like its creator, is a rock buff from The Ramones to Pixies) and a haunting score courtesy of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
There are two main arcs in the series. First, the one opposing Hole to Tom Waaler, played here by Joel Kinnaman, who is most known for playing in multiple American series, such as AMC’s The Killing, Prime Video’s Hanna, or the first season of Altered Carbon on Netflix. Well-respected by his hierarchy, this detective also has a personal grudge against Hole, as the car accident from 5 years prior claimed the life of his partner at the time. As Waaler, Kinnaman gives a controlled performance with empty, creepy stares that are serviceable, especially as this corrupt cop is reckless in his maneuvers with the Oslo underworld. And by the end of the first episode, this will leave a bloody mess that will awaken Hole’s suspicions. Nesbø shows command of this dance between lonely, tortured characters, and Waaler eventually becomes quite a Mephisto figure for Harry Hole, trying to woo him on the other side of the law even as he feels like his career is over. Even though this dance with the devil provides the backdrop for much of the dramatic tension, it may also be too insistent on it.
Joel Kinnaman as Tom Waaler. (Cr : Ronald Plante/Netflix)
Which brings us to the other red herring, which is the titular Devil’s Star case: a series of grisly murders, apparently disconnected, with young women as victims and a mysterious red jewel left on the bodies. That may be where the series falters, as the author of the book is also adapting it into episodes, and definitely takes its sweet time in unveiling the motives and sinister plans of the criminals at hand. Most of the time, the audience is clued in as to what happened before Hole, leaving him to try and put the pieces together, which may not make for the most interesting show. Harry Hole‘s pace rewards patience, and its moody, struggling lead characters do not make for an easy watch. It also does not hold back on the occasional bursts of graphic violence, which eventually veer towards the gratuitous, especially as the series lacks any lighter moments, aside from Hole’s attempts to bond with Rakel’s son, a welcome respite from the restless confrontations and discoveries.
Watch Harry Hole if you like
- The Chestnut Man
- Young Wallander
Verdict on Netflix’s Harry Hole
Even though Santelmann and Kinnaman do have chemistry as opposite sides of the same tortured coin, the messy murder mystery proves a little too comfortable with its own slow pace and well-placed twists to earn interest beyond fans of the character and the books. The effusions of graphic violence, from episode to episode, may not be suitable for all subscribers, but the appeal of the well-defined Harry Hole character may earn this series possible sequels, still adapted from the books.
