Netflix's Moody, Mid-Tier Jo Nesbo Series
The Hollywood Reporter • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Netflix’s new nine-episode series Detective Hole adapts Jo Nesbo’s Norwegian novel The Devil’s Star, featuring the brooding antihero detective Harry Hole, played by Tobias Santelmann, in a dark crime thriller set in Oslo.
- The show explores Harry’s struggles with personal demons, including the accidental death of his partner, a looming gang war, and a serial killer case, with Joel Kinnaman portraying the menacing and corrupt colleague Tom Waaler.
- The series is noted for its bleak, shadowy cinematography and a haunting score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, emphasizing themes of violence and nihilism, with a gritty portrayal of Oslo’s underbelly.
- While the performances, particularly by Santelmann and Kinnaman, receive praise, the storytelling is criticized for being overly complicated, with excessive red herrings and familiar genre tropes that prevent it from rising above the middle tier of crime procedurals.
- Detective Hole offers a grim, intense viewing experience that may appeal to fans of Scandinavian noir but is marked by a heavy focus on darkness and complexity, making it a challenging nine hours of television.
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