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Beforeigners
Genre
  • Crime drama
  • Sci-fi
Created by
  • Anne Bjørnstad
  • Eilif Skodvin
Written by
  • Anne Bjørnstad
  • Eilif Skodvin
Directed byJens Lien
Starring
Country of originNorway
Original languages
  • Norwegian
  • English (second season)
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes12
Production
Producers
  • Terje Strømstad
  • Jan-Erik Gammleng
Production locations
  • Norway
  • Lithuania
Running time45 minutes
Production companyRubicon TV AS
Original release
Network
Release21 August 2019 (2019-08-21)–2021

Beforeigners is a Norwegian television series that premiered on 21 August 2019. The show was created and written by Eilif Skodvin and Anne Bjørnstad, and directed by Jens Lien. Produced by Rubicon TV AS for HBO Nordic, it is the first Norwegian-language series produced by the Nordic region channel of American network HBO.

The series concerns the titular "beforeigners", people from different time periods who suddenly appear in the present, and their integration into 21st-century Norway.[1] The protagonists are Lars (Nicolai Cleve Broch), an Oslo police detective, and Alfhildr (Krista Kosonen), a Viking-era recruit, who investigate the murder of a Stone Ager.[1] In September 2020, HBO confirmed that the series had been renewed for a second season.[2][3] Season two premiered on HBO Max in Europe on 5 December 2021,[4][5] and in the United States on 23 December 2021.[6] In the second season, Alfhildr and Lars investigate Oslo murders with ties to Jack the Ripper.

Premise

[edit]

Season 1

[edit]

Beforeigners is set in Oslo, where people from the Stone Age, Viking Age, and the 19th century appear in Bjørvika bay. These migrants, called "Beforeigners", attempt to integrate into contemporary Norway. Senior detective Lars and Viking-era recruit Alfhildr investigate a Stone Age woman's murder. Alfhildr and fellow shield-maiden Urðr help their Viking commander, Thorir Hund. Lars' daughter, Ingrid, and her friend Maddie, fake a "time migration" for Russefeiring. Maddie returns older and with visions of the past. Maddie welcomes the arrival of Olaf the Stout.[7][8]

Season 2

[edit]

Lars and Alfhildr investigate brutal murders with ties to Jack the Ripper.[9][10] Two fake UK police consultants confirm the link to Ripper murders, though these are later denied by real London police.[11] Ingrid is pregnant with Sturla's baby.[3][12] A search is on for three women who "time-migrated" from Victorian-era London to Oslo. Magnus the Good's DNA confirms the identity of Olaf the Stout. A Viking-era völva reveals Alfhildr's importance to Olaf's reinstatement as King of Norway.[3] Lars and Alfhildr pursue John Roberts, a theoretical physicist.[11]

Cast and characters

[edit]

Sources:[13]

  • Nicolai Cleve Broch as Lars Haaland: Oslo police senior detective
  • Krista Kosonen as Alfhildr Enginnsdóttir (patronymic literally: no one's daughter): former Viking shield-maiden, multi-temporal police recruit
  • Tobias Santelmann as "Blond Viking" (Olaf the Stout)/Olav Haraldsson: Viking king of Norway, later canonized as St. Olav
  • Ragnhild Gudbrandsen as Wenche: police detective, Lars' subordinate
  • Stig R. Amdam [no] as Harald Eriksen: police section leader, Lars' superior
  • Stig Henrik Hoff as Tommy Henriksen/Thorir Hund: former Viking commander, delivery rider
  • Kyrre Haugen Sydness [no] as Gregers Nicolai Schweigaard: Marie's 19th-century husband
  • Ylva Bjørkås Thedin as Ingrid Haaland: Lars and Marie's daughter
  • Ingunn Beate Øyen as Chief of Police, Grete Skog: Harald's boss
  • Mikkel Bratt Silset as Nabo (literally: neighbour) Kurukhés:[14] Lars' neighbour
  • Madeleine Malling Breen as Madeleine "Maddie" Aas: Ingrid's school friend
  • Nader Khademi [no] as Alex Pedersen: police detective, Lars' subordinate, undercover Norwegian intelligence agent
  • Lavrans Haga as Jørn: police detective, Lars' subordinate
  • Agnes Kittelsen as Marie Gran: Lars' ex-wife, married to Gregers
  • Veslemøy Mørkrid [no] as Othilia Winther: 19th-century journalist
  • Pål Sverre Hagen as Doctorand: former scientist, neo-Luddite cult leader
  • Øystein Røger [no] as Oddvar: forensic pathologist
  • Celin Ayara as Sofie: Maddie's school friend
  • Tiril Gjesdal Clausen as Aisha: Maddie's school friend
  • Aslak Maurstad as Preacher: 19th-century doomsayer

Season 1 cast

[edit]

Season 2 cast

[edit]

Sources:[15]

  • Hedda Stiernstedt as the völva: former Viking-era slave, later a witch and Old Norse spiritual leader
  • Paul Kaye as John Roberts: theoretical quantum physicist, researched time-migration and 19th-century serial killer Jack the Ripper
  • Billy Postlethwaite as Isaac Ben Joseph: Victorian-era Ripper hunter, follows Jack to modern Oslo, poses as English consultant, "Mr. Rubenstein"
  • Jade Anouka as Adepero Abeke: Nigerian-born 19th-century time migrant, London-based neo-Luddite, poses as English police officer, "Precious Clark"
  • Philip Rosch as Henry Black: Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) senior investigator
  • Herman Flesvig as Sturla Arnesson: Viking-era TV weatherman, Olaf's friend
  • Ann Akinjirin as Precious Clark: Scotland Yard homicide officer
  • Sigrid Kandal Husjord [da] as Odin: Lars' hallucination, appears as a small woman
  • Marius Lien as Aslakr: Olaf's subordinate
  • Per Kjerstad as Gegnir: Olaf's subordinate
  • Hanne Skille Reitan as Sunniva: police psychiatrist
  • Dagny Backer Johnsen [no] as Sarah Murphy: 19th-century time-migrant, subway tunnel victim
  • Eva Verpe as Emma Wilson: 19th-century time-migrant, Ekebergparken Sculpture Park victim
  • Kristine Hartgen as Nessie Olssen/Olsen: 19th-century time-migrant, hotel victim

Background and production

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After creating the show Lilyhammer, Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin decided to explore science fiction ideas. Skodvin suggested the core concept of "refugees arriving not from a different location but from different times". The story of Beforeigners was built around that concept, with two main characters, Lars and Alfhildr, chosen early on. The creators were inspired by shows such as True Love and District 9, and the story itself was influenced by The Leftovers and the sci-fi classics Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four.[16]

In July 2017, Rubicon TV received 250.000 kr from the Norwegian film and television incentive scheme to develop Beforeigners, and awarded 9.500.000 kr in April 2018 to produce the series.[17]

Bjørnstad and Skodvin hired linguists for the actors. Julian Kirkeby Lysvik provided the Stone Agers' language, Alexander Kristoffersen Lykke translated Old Norwegian for Viking speech, and André Nilsson Dannevig tackled the 19th-century version of Norwegian.[18] Finnish actress Krista Kosonen had to learn Norwegian and Old Norse for her role.[16] Filming of season 1 took place in Oslo and Lithuania.[16]

In February 2020, Rubicon TV was granted 22.300.000 kr in incentive scheme funding to produce a second season.[19][20] Filming began in October 2020[4] but was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions and shutdowns in Oslo.[4] Bjørnstad and Skodvin returned as scriptwriters and Lien as director, with HBO Nordic replaced by HBO Max.[4]

In January 2022, the Norwegian Film Institute announced that Rubicon TV had applied for funding from the Norwegian incentive scheme to produce a third season of the series.[21][22]

Removal of series by HBO Max

[edit]

In the first week of July 2022, HBO Max abruptly removed Beforeigners from its series lineup, along with all Nordic-region content, after the merger of WarnerMedia with Discovery. WarnerMedia owns HBO.[23][24]

Release

[edit]

Beforeigners premiered in Europe on HBO Nordic and HBO Europe, and in the United States on HBO, on 21 August 2019.[25][26]

The second season premiered in Europe on HBO Max on 5 December 2021,[27][28] followed by the United States on 23 December 2021.[29]

Reception

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Nina Metz of the Chicago Tribune gave the series three (out of four) stars and said it was "A sci-fi buddy cop series, the show pairs a grizzled detective [Broch] with an eager-to-impress Viking warrior [Kosonen]... Though structured as a crime drama, the show has a wonderfully dry sense of humor, and there's something intriguing in the idea of people from different eras jostled together, some adapting better than others. The metaphors relating to racism and xenophobia and a host of other bigotries are obvious."[1] Pajiba's Dustin Rowles wrote, "It's a solid crime drama with a neat, high-concept premise, and some fantastic performances (again, especially that of Kosonen). If you have a few hours and love murder shows, time travel, commentary on immigration, and even a touch of Scandinavian history, Beforeigners is an addictive binge."[30]

Tor Aavatsmark of Lyd & Billede found the show "focusing on the uniqueness and originality of the fact that a whole bunch of people from the Stone Age, Viking Age and 19th century suddenly find their way into today's Scandinavian welfare state – with all the challenges, cultural conflicts and overtly comic situations that this entails."[11] But Aavatsmark felt that season 2 is "far less funny...and the comedy that remains rarely causes the laughter muscles to move. The fact that Olav the Holy in the present ends up as a narcissistic cocaine junkie seems more sought after than funny...production seems so cheap...[its] special effects are under criticism. Just look at the weird artificial filter laid over Oslo's skyline to make it look worn and dirty, or the bullet whizzing through the air in slow motion. It's on the edge of the amateurish."[11] Mia Carlsen of Serienytt, on the other hand, found that "[it] gives the impression that the series holds on to its charming narrative style and is true to its characters. Everything and everyone seems to be the same as when the series left us...but with darker undertones than last time. Either way, it's good to be back in dystopian Oslo. At least we're ready for some answers."[31] Carlsen praised the series creators, Bjørnstad and Skodvin, who have "put a lot of effort into creating a full-fledged experience of what is happening in Oslo and elsewhere in the world. I don't think we're ever going to fully understand or appreciate how amazing this is done, from language to costumes to food to norms to behavior and religions."[31]

Awards and nominations

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Beforeigners was nominated for Best Drama Series at the Gullruten 2020 awards,[32] thus becoming the first HBO production to be nominated for this prize. At the Norwegian Series Critics Awards in September 2020, the series was nominated for Best Norwegian Drama, while Krista Kosonen received a nomination for Best Actress in a Norwegian Series.[33]

Episodes

[edit]
SeriesEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast releasedNetwork
1621 August 2019 (2019-08-21)25 September 2019 (2019-09-25)
265 December 2021 (2021-12-05)
23 December 2021 (2021-12-23)		2 January 2022 (2022-01-02)
27 January 2022 (2022-01-27)

Season 1 (2019)

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Episode 1"Jens LienEilif Skodvin, Anne Bjørnstad21 August 2019 (2019-08-21)
Early 2000s: Lars goes to Bjørvika bay to supervise the recovery of "time migrants". They speak Old Norse, claiming to be from the past. Some years later: Norwegian society is significantly altered by continued new arrivals from earlier eras. Lars shares custody of his daughter, Ingrid. He examines an apparently drowned woman with Stone-Age tattoos and strange crosshatch markings across her back. Forensics determine she was asphyxiated. Lars leads the murder investigation; management pairs him with showpiece recruit Alfhildr, a "trans-temporal" Viking. They interview harbour police officers Jepp and David. Then, at the transit camp for recent arrivals, a Viking-Age woman describes a sea monster, Hafgufa. Lars illegally buys temproxate from a neighbour, Nabo. Ingrid wants to go Russefeiring but is blocked by Lars' ex-wife, Marie, and her new partner, Gregers, a man from the late-19th century. Lars pays her fare, however, subverting them. He notices that the description of Hafgufa loosely matches that of a fishing trawl net. These are being used by two men to capture women appearing in the water.
22"Episode 2"Jens LienEilif Skodvin, Anne Bjørnstad28 August 2019 (2019-08-28)
1031 A.D. Finnmarksvidda: Shield-maiden Alfhildr arrives at a collection of huts, looking for her commander, Thorir Hund. A seer directs her to the "lake of a thousand lights". Present: Lars tells Alfhildr his trawl net idea. She suspects another practical joke, but investigates it regardless. Navn is visited by Gedi and Vend, two CroMagnon Security employees. He asks them about the murdered woman. He orders them to collect all captured women from brothels, where they had been sold. Alfhildr finds that CroMagnon ordered a trawl net. She re-encounters her fellow shield-maiden, Urðr. After partying at a Viking bar, the two follow a CroMagnon truck to a brothel. Alfhildr photographs Gedi and Vend. She then tells the squad about suspected trawling for women by CroMagnon, which is put under surveillance. Brothel manager, Holger, orders Navn to return his prostitutes but is attacked. Gedi and Vend are arrested for forced prostitution.
33"Episode 3"Jens LienEilif Skodvin, Anne Bjørnstad4 September 2019 (2019-09-04)
Bicycle courier Tommy is greeted by the Viking Skjalg as his commander, Thorir. Lars and Alfhildr visit a trans-temporal centre to meet its director. Ada, an employee, copies the contents of their laptops while the two are distracted. Urðr is diagnosed with breast cancer but refuses treatment. Ingrid and Maddie find Lars' temproxate, and Maddie steals a bottle. Thorir does not recognise Urðr and Alfhildr, and does not remember Old Norse. Navn denies any connection to CroMagnon or Gedi and Vend. At a mediation with Marie, Lars and Ingrid successfully argue for her Russefeiring. Thorir is attacked by Olaf supporters but manages to fight them off. Navn is shot and killed by a drone while out hunting rabbits.
44"Episode 4"Jens LienEilif Skodvin, Anne Bjørnstad11 September 2019 (2019-09-11)
Four girls on the Ben Dover boat attempt to fake time migration. Maddie, dressed as a Stone Ager, takes temproxate and the others follow. Maddie jumps in the water while being filmed by her friends. In a flash of light, Maddie disappears and reappears soon after amidst a number of Vikings. Ingrid jumps in to rescue her, while the other two girls phone for help. Lars and Alfhildr search for Navn's body. Lars learns Ingrid is at the transit camp: she and Maddie have been isolated due to contact with time migrants. Both have temproxate in their blood. Maddie has rotted, discoloured teeth and poor memory of recent events. Lars and Alfhildr discover that Ada was qualified to operate the military drone that killed Navn. Maddie is sent home, and begins fervently reciting the Lord's Prayer.
55"Episode 5"Jens LienEilif Skodvin, Anne Bjørnstad18 September 2019 (2019-09-18)
Lars is visited by an Ásatrú missionary, Halv, who praises Odin. Wenche provokes Alfhildr in the car park. The latter then intentionally rear-ends Wenche's car, later claiming that her foot slipped. The television news reports that Tommy is in fact Thorir—the killer of King Olaf, who is revered for Christianising Norway. Thorir is fired from his job. He agrees to take part in a bare-knuckle boxing match against an Olaf supporter, Tobias. Urðr and Alfhildr cheer for Thorir. Maddie recalls little of her experience in the Viking era. Wenche informs Lars that they found temproxate in Alfhildr's car. He tells Harald, his supervisor, that the drug was his, and is suspended. Alfhildr and Jeppe, who have been seeing each other, have sex. Afterwards, while Alfhildr is asleep, he plucks a strand of hair from her head and puts it in a plastic bag.
66"Episode 6"Jens LienEilif Skodvin, Anne Bjørnstad25 September 2019 (2019-09-25)
A new Viking arrival asks for a phone, and calls Maddie. Alfhildr grows suspicious of Jeppe, and while searching the text messages and photos they exchanged, finds bite marks on his skin. Oddvar checks the drowning victim's teeth for blood and matches it with Jeppe's sperm inside Alfhildr. Jeppe and David are arrested for the murder of the girl and for forced prostitution. Alfhildr is fêted for solving the case. Lars wants to investigate Maddie's "time anomalies" further. At Thorir's migration day celebration, Urðr notices an Olaf-supporter with a gun. She jumps in front of him and is fatally shot. Thorir then remembers that as a young girl, Alfhildr was rescued from the sea, wearing a life jacket. Maddie digs up a sword and crucifix from a ruined churchyard, and gives them to Olaf, who has arrived to meet her.

Season 2 (2021)

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [34]
71"Episode 1"Jens LienEilif Skodvin, Anne Bjørnstad, Harald Mæle jr. [no]5 December 2021 (2021-12-05)
Whitechapel, 1888: Isaac Ben Joseph hunts Jack the Ripper. Three local women flee to a ship for Norway. Present day: Alfhildr and Wenche examine a mutilated corpse found in a subway tunnel. It is a 19th-century time-migrant, Sarah Murphy. Lars, still suspended from the police force, is assigned as a consultant on the case. Alfhildr is experiencing sleepwalking episodes and tries to figure out what is causing them. Meanwhile, Olaf Haraldsson seeks to be recognized as the King of Norway. Senior officer Harald Eriksen contacts British police about a possible connection between the murder he is investigating and one bearing similar markings found in the UK. Two members of Scotland Yard are dispatched to Oslo. One of them is a time-migrating Isaac, who believes the murders have been committed by the Ripper.
82"Episode 2"Jens LienEilif Skodvin, Anne Bjørnstad, Harald Mæle Jr.5 December 2021 (2021-12-05)
Olaf receives the skull of his son, Magnus, which was stolen from Nidaros Cathedral by his acolytes. Alfhildr sleepwalks to work in her underwear. Othilia Winther receives a letter that contains a bloody, severed body part, causing her to faint. Lars compares the writing in the letter to that of Jack the Ripper, and police forensics identify the body part as a dolphin clitoris. Meanwhile, Isaac and Adepero travel in secret to meet Doctorand, a neo-Luddite cult leader, and Lars figures out that the two are not in fact from Scotland Yard. Thorir Hund is framed for the theft of Magnus' skull. Ingrid comes clean to Lars and tells him she thinks she is pregnant. Together, they break the news to Marie and Gregers. Two actual UK police, Henry and Precious, dismiss any connection with Jack the Ripper and direct attention to Isaac, instead. Olaf and the völva meet in secret. Alex Pedersen sends the arrival files of three 19th-century women, Emma Wilson, Nessie Olssen, and Sarah Murphy (the subway tunnel victim), to Counterterrorism Command.
93"Episode 3"Jens LienAnne Bjørnstad, Eilif Skodvin[35]12 December 2021 (2021-12-12)
The völva meets with Olaf and tells him that her prophecy relates to Alfhildr, not Maddie. In London, Precious and Henry provide Lars and Alfhildr evidence of Isaac's guilt. Ingrid decides to have an abortion, and Sturla threatens to kill her. Olaf's identity is proven after he undergoes a DNA test. Alfhildr, following a lead on the neo-Luddites, is placed in charge of a police operation that raids Doctorand's farm; Isaac is captured and his files on the missing women found. Alfhildr gets a brain scan to test for temporal sleep disorder (TSD). Thorir is released on bail. John Roberts is spotted at an underground station.
104"Episode 4"Jens LienAnne Bjørnstad, Eilif Skodvin19 December 2021 (2021-12-19)
John kills Rebekka, a soothsayer, and takes her phone. He uses it to lure another victim, Emma, into a trap. Lars and Alfhildr, without official authorization, question Isaac, who confirms that John is Jack the Ripper. For their breach, they are removed from the case and instead, they search for Rebekka. They also find the arrival file on three 19th-century women (Sarah, Emma, and Nessie). After learning that she has an enlarged hippocampus, Alfhildr begins to notice that her senses are enhanced. Lars assaults Sturla at the gym. In revenge, two Vikings attack Gregers at his house, mistaking him for Lars. The police track Rebekka's phone to a park, but they arrive too late, finding Emma dead.
115"Episode 5"Jens LienAnne Bjørnstad, Eilif Skodvin26 December 2021 (2021-12-26)
Alfhildr watches a video of John lecturing about time travel paradoxes. John goes to find Nessie, one of the three 19th-century women. In a confrontation, a preacher there to protect her is killed, and Nessie is abducted. Olaf dumps Maddie after she asks him about his use of cocaine. Ingrid changes her mind and decides to keep the child she is pregnant with. Lars and Alfhildr discover a British police plot, titled Project 19, to send agents back in time. John sets up a meeting with Henry on the pretext of saving Nessie's life. Olaf, together with the völva, drive to find Alfhildr, but their car is violently struck by a train. In a subway tunnel, John shoots and kills Henry. Alfhildr confronts him and demonstrates her newfound ability to dodge bullets. When both two-way time travellers make contact, an explosion occurs.
126"Episode 6"Jens LienAnne Bjørnstad, Eilif Skodvin2 January 2022 (2022-01-02)
Alfhildr and John's clash causes a time rift. Alfhildr arrives in an alternative reality, where Olaf and the völva are absolute monarchs. Alfhildr is employed as a cleaner at the police station, where her former colleagues do not recognise her. Alex uses his agency's technology to communicate with his alternative self and helps Alfhildr find Norse Faith adherents. She demands an audience with Queen Völva, who has her imprisoned. Fellow prisoners tell Alfhildr that Lars is a local shaman. She escapes and finds him, and he directs her to seek John. Alfhildr proceeds to close the time rift by killing the Englishman. Everything returns to normal, and Alfhildr wakes up in the hospital. Ingrid goes to have an ultrasound. While examining evidence from Olaf's car crash, Alfhildr finds her stolen crucifix pendant and has a flashback showing Ingrid giving it to her at four years of age. DNA analysis determines that Alfhildr is Lars' granddaughter.

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Beforeigners

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from Grokipedia
Beforeigners (Norwegian: Fremvandrerne) is a Norwegian crime drama television series created by Eilif Skodvin and Anne Bjørnstad. The series premiered on Nordic on 21 August 2019 as the platform's first original production from . It depicts a speculative near-future where unexplained oceanic phenomena transport groups of people—termed "beforeigners"—from distinct historical eras including the , , and directly into contemporary , prompting efforts at societal integration alongside investigations into related crimes and mysteries. Directed by Jens Lien, the narrative intertwines elements with explorations of cultural dislocation, identity, and the mechanics of temporal displacement, following protagonists such as Lars Haaland and Viking-era migrant Alfhildr Strang as they confront both routine policing and the broader disruptions caused by these arrivals. Produced by Rubicon TV for Shine, the initial six-episode season garnered acclaim in Norwegian media for its ambitious concept and visual execution, though international reception noted mixed responses to its pacing and thematic depth. A second season extended the storyline in 2021, delving further into the origins and implications of the migrations.

Premise

Core Concept and Setting

(Norwegian: Fremvandrerne) is a science fiction crime drama series that posits a near-future global event where temporal anomalies cause masses of people from prehistoric and historical eras to suddenly appear in the contemporary world, dubbed "beforeigners" as a blend of "before" and "foreigners." These time-displaced individuals, originating primarily from the Stone Age, Viking Age, and 19th century, emerge disoriented and must navigate integration into modern society amid resource strains, cultural conflicts, and identity crises. The premise draws parallels to migration themes but frames them through temporal displacement rather than geographical, emphasizing adaptation challenges without resolving the anomalies' origins in the initial season. The series' setting is predominantly contemporary , , projected into a slightly futuristic timeline approximately five years after the first arrivals began around 2021, reflecting Nordic's production context post-2019 premiere. This urban environment highlights practical societal responses, including dedicated "Beforeigner Departments" in for handling era-specific crimes and acclimation programs teaching language, technology, and norms to the newcomers. Secondary locations extend to rural Norwegian areas and imply worldwide impacts, though the narrative focuses on Oslo's multicultural tensions exacerbated by historical subgroups forming enclaves. Central to the concept is the interplay between modern Lars Haaland and Viking-era beforeigner Alfhildr Engen, who partner to investigate murders tied to the arrivals, uncovering potential conspiracies behind the migrations. This procedural element grounds the speculative premise in realistic police work, incorporating linguistic barriers—such as dialects—and archaic customs clashing with 21st-century laws and forensics. The setting underscores Norway's adapting to unprecedented demographic shifts, with verifiable production details confirming filming in to authentically capture these dynamics.

Season 1 Synopsis

In the first season of Beforeigners, which premiered on HBO Nordic on August 21, 2019, and consists of six episodes, the narrative unfolds in a near-future where unexplained temporal migrations—known as "time holes"—periodically deposit individuals from historical periods such as the , , and into the present, creating a multitemporal society grappling with integration challenges. The central plot revolves around Oslo police detective Lars Haaland, a veteran investigator recently separated from his partner, who is assigned to probe the murder of an unidentified woman bearing tattoos, discovered floating ashore at Tjuvholmen harbor. Lars teams up with Alfhildr Enginnsdottir, a resilient Viking-era who has time-migrated to the present and undergone rapid training to join force as his rookie partner, marking her as one of the first beforeigners in . Their delves into Oslo's shadowy underbelly of multitemporal , including illicit networks exploiting beforeigners, leading them to interrogate suspects such as a cunning entrepreneur and navigate seedy venues like multi-era sex clubs that challenge their assumptions about the case. Personal tensions escalate as Lars's teenage daughter encounters a perilous incident at sea, prompting Alfhildr to draw on ancient for aid, while bureaucratic hurdles and Lars's own impulsive actions complicate the probe into broader patterns of violence against time migrants. The season builds to a confrontation with entrenched truths about the migrations and societal fractures, blending procedural investigation with explorations of cultural clashes and .

Season 2 Synopsis

Season 2 of Beforeigners resumes several years after the events of the first season, with Norwegian society having partially adapted to the influx of beforeigners through institutions like the Institute of Time Research and public campaigns addressing "timeism." The narrative centers on Oslo Police detective Lars Haaland and his former partner, the Viking-era beforeigner Alfhildr Enginnsdóttir, who reunite to investigate a series of brutal murders echoing the of . The case draws connections across time periods, prompting suspicions that the historical serial killer from 1888 London has timeigrated to the present, amid rising societal tensions including crime rings exploiting beforeigners' lack of technological familiarity and attempts by historical figures to reimpose outdated governance structures. The investigation escalates into explorations of the origins of time migration, incorporating advanced sci-fi elements such as alternate realities and Alfhildr's emerging perceptual abilities, which are tested during a mid-season trip to . Parallel personal arcs unfold, with Lars grappling with instability and hallucinatory experiences linked to substance use, while Alfhildr assumes a more prominent role in unraveling the trans-temporal conspiracy. The season examines broader implications of time displacement, including neo-Luddite movements and institutional responses to ongoing arrivals.

Cast and Characters

Principal Cast

stars as Lars Haaland, a veteran police navigating investigations involving time-displaced individuals from the past. plays Alfhildr Enginsdóttir, a Viking-era who emerges in modern and partners with Haaland in law enforcement. Stig R. Amdam portrays Harald Eriksen, Haaland's colleague in the police force specializing in beforeigner cases. Ragnhild Gudbrandsen appears as Wenche, Haaland's ex-wife and a key figure in his personal life. recurs as Urd, a beforeigner with linguistic expertise aiding integration efforts. plays Ada, a young beforeigner from the entangled in criminal elements.
ActorCharacterRole Overview
Lars HaalandLead detective handling beforeigner-related crimes across both seasons.
Krista KosonenAlfhildr EnginsdóttirViking migrant turned police officer, central to investigative plots.
Stig R. AmdamHarald EriksenHaaland's partner in the beforeigner unit.
Ragnhild GudbrandsenWencheHaaland's former spouse, involved in family dynamics.
In season 2, joins as a new figure, expanding the ensemble amid escalating societal tensions. portrays a supporting role in integration services, reflecting bureaucratic elements of the . These choices draw from Norwegian and international talent, emphasizing authentic portrayals of cultural dislocation.

Character Development Across Seasons

Lars Haaland, the veteran detective played by , begins season 1 as a burned-out investigator grappling with personal demons, including from his wife Ingrid after she leaves him for a 19th-century beforeigner and an to Moirasol, a originally developed to mitigate in time migrants. His initial partnership with Alfhildr is marked by friction, reflecting his wariness toward beforeigners and procedural rigidity despite his own vulnerabilities. By the season's end, Lars confronts conspiracy elements tied to beforeigner exploitation, hinting at emerging perceptual anomalies that blur hallucinations and potential shamanistic abilities. In season 2, Lars' arc intensifies amid investigations linking murders to , pushing him toward greater emotional unstuckness and transformation, as personal stakes escalate with family revelations and time rift threats. His bond with Alfhildr evolves into a fire-forged , tested by her familial ties to him via a time-loop twist involving his lineage, while his addiction and perceptual shifts deepen, contributing to a more introspective, less rigidly procedural demeanor. Alfhildr Enginsdottir, portrayed by , enters season 1 as a Viking-era adapting to modern policing after rapid integration training, embodying cultural clashes while proving her combat prowess and loyalty in the probe alongside Lars. Her development focuses on linguistic and societal acclimation, transitioning from outsider suspicion to competent partner, with subtle hints of latent temporal sensitivities. Season 2 amplifies Alfhildr's growth through brain changes enabling key mystery resolutions, marking her physical and emotional evolution amid wilder sci-fi elements, including her role in averting catastrophic timelines. The revelation of her as ' descendant via cyclical time events underscores her arc from historical immigrant to pivotal figure in preserving the present, enhancing her agency beyond adaptation to proactive temporal intervention. Supporting characters like Ingrid Egge, Lars' ex-wife (Ragnhild Gudbrandsen), shift from season 1's domestic fallout—her affair symbolizing integration tensions—to season 2 subplots intertwining family with broader conspiracies, including pregnancy elements that feed into time paradoxes without resolving Lars' isolation. Similarly, ' daughter faces escalating personal crises in season 2, amplifying his paternal failures and motivating deeper stakes in the narrative's causal loops. Overall, the series arcs emphasize characters' progressive entanglement with time mechanics, evolving from individual coping to collective confrontation of historical incursions' societal ripples.

Production

Development and Writing

The series Beforeigners was created by Norwegian screenwriters Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin, who previously co-created the series . The core concept originated from Skodvin, envisioning "beforeigners"—time-displaced individuals from the , , and late 19th century arriving as refugees in contemporary , forming an allegory for modern migration dynamics. This idea was pitched to executive producer Hanne Palmquist in 2017, prior to full script development, and received a greenlight in June 2018 as HBO Nordic's inaugural Norwegian original production, with encouragement to pursue ambitious storytelling. Bjørnstad and Skodvin handled the writing collaboratively, blending speculative with a procedural centered on mismatched detectives—a present-day and a Viking-era newcomer—investigating murders tied to the time migrants. Their process was protracted and research-intensive, drawing from influences including Aldous Huxley's , George Orwell's , HBO's The Leftovers, and Neill Blomkamp's to explore societal integration and cultural friction without overt didacticism. The duo, rooted in comedy writing, emphasized economy, using the time-travel premise to satirize integration policies and through character-driven conflicts rather than explicit exposition. A key aspect of the writing involved constructing authentic dialogue for historical characters, as written sources for periods like the 11th-century Viking era are sparse. Bjørnstad and Skodvin consulted linguists to reconstruct and proto-languages, ensuring accents and phrasing reflected distinct temporal origins and reinforced themes of alienation—Stone Age speakers with guttural tones, with archaic inflections, and 19th-century migrants with period Norwegian dialects. This linguistic rigor extended to six episodes in season one, with scripts finalized before began in and . The Norwegian Film Institute provided funding support for the NOK 69 million (€7 million) project, enabling the writers' vision despite production complexities. Season two scripts were in development by August 2019, expanding on unresolved plot threads from the initial migration waves.

Filming and Technical Aspects

Principal filming for Beforeigners occurred in , , leveraging the city's urban and historical sites to depict the integration of past-era migrants into contemporary society. Additional location shooting took place in , , to support various exterior and interior scenes. Season 2 specifically featured interiors and exteriors at Oslo Domkirke, enhancing the series' atmospheric tension in key sequences. The production employed standard high-definition , formatted in a 16:9 aspect ratio with color processing and stereo sound mixing to maintain a grounded, realistic aesthetic amid speculative elements. included second-unit assistance for dynamic shots, capturing Oslo's harbor and streets to visualize the "beforeigner" emergence events involving underwater light phenomena and disoriented arrivals. Visual effects integration was crucial for rendering time-displacement portals and migrant acclimation visuals, coordinated by teams such as Stardust Effects for and enhancement in episodes. These efforts earned a nomination for Best Visual Effects from Thorbjørnsen in industry awards, recognizing technical contributions to the sci-fi procedural's hybrid realism. Production timelines spanned in 2018 for initial seasons, with reshoots extending into October 2020 amid logistical adjustments.

Challenges and Cancellation

The production of Beforeigners encountered significant linguistic hurdles, as the series required actors to perform in archaic dialects including and reconstructed Stone Age languages, rather than modern Norwegian, to maintain historical authenticity. This demanded extensive preparation, including consultations with linguists and historians, complicating script development and rehearsals. Additionally, the scale of filming posed logistical challenges, involving a large to depict transformed modern locations—such as Viking-era settlements amid contemporary urban settings—and coordinate period-accurate props, costumes, and effects for time-displaced characters. Following the release of season 2 on December 10, 2021, HBO Max abruptly removed Beforeigners from its platform on July 1, 2022, as part of a broader decision to discontinue all Nordic original content after the merger. This purge affected multiple series, reflecting a strategic shift away from regional European productions deemed non-essential to global priorities. Producers at sought external funding for a third season, but 's exit halted progress, with lead actor confirming in 2023 that the official status precluded renewal due to the platform's withdrawal from Nordic investments. In January 2023, SkyShowtime acquired streaming rights to Beforeigners and 20 other former Max European titles, restoring availability in select markets but without committing to new episodes. As of October 2025, no third season has been greenlit or produced, effectively ending the series despite its positive critical reception and viewer interest in exploring unresolved plotlines like escalating temporal migrations. The cancellation stemmed from corporate restructuring rather than viewership metrics, which had sustained two seasons totaling 12 episodes with an average rating of 7.7 from over 12,000 users.

Themes and Analysis

Immigration and Integration Realities

In Beforeigners, the sudden arrival of "beforeigners"—individuals from prehistoric, Viking, and 19th-century eras—serves as a speculative lens to examine integration hurdles, depicting them navigating modern Oslo's welfare system, barriers, and social norms while facing native and parallel enclaves. Characters like the Viking warrior Alfhildr struggle with and cultural alienation, relying on state-provided integration courses and , which mirror portrayals of economic dependency and identity loss. The series highlights causal frictions, such as beforeigners forming isolated communities that resist assimilation, leading to interpersonal conflicts and , as seen in plotlines involving black-market adaptations and inter-era tensions. These narrative elements parallel empirical realities of in , where non-Western immigrants exhibit employment rates 20-30 percentage points below natives, often due to skill mismatches in a high-wage, education-intensive . is pronounced, with 50-60% of recent non-EU immigrants receiving benefits after five years, straining public resources amid Norway's generous universal system. Integration policies, including mandatory and training akin to those for beforeigners, yield mixed outcomes, as persistent cultural gaps foster parallel societies in urban areas like Oslo's east side. Crime statistics underscore integration deficits, with immigrants overrepresented in offenses: foreign-born individuals accounted for 30% of convictions in 2019 despite comprising 15% of the population, and specific groups from Africa and the Middle East show rates 2-5 times higher than natives for violent and property crimes. Municipal-level analyses link higher immigration inflows to elevated crime in welfare-receptive areas, suggesting selective migration patterns exacerbate challenges rather than cultural relativism alone. The series' depiction of beforeigners' adaptive crimes, like historical reenactments turning illicit, reflects these patterns without romanticizing them, emphasizing causal links between rapid influxes, unvetted backgrounds, and societal costs over narratives of inevitable harmony. Official reports attribute stalled progress to factors like favoring low-skilled entrants and inadequate screening, contrasting with selective historical migration that built Norway's cohesion. While Beforeigners amplifies these through temporal exaggeration—beforeigners' primal instincts clashing with progressive norms—it avoids unsubstantiated optimism, aligning with data showing second-generation immigrants retaining elevated welfare and crime risks absent robust assimilation. This portrayal invites scrutiny of policy trade-offs, where empathy for newcomers collides with natives' eroding trust, as evidenced by rising support for restrictionist measures in Scandinavian polls.

Cultural Clashes and Societal Costs

In Beforeigners, cultural clashes arise primarily from the incompatible value systems of time migrants and modern Norwegian egalitarianism, welfare-state norms, and legal frameworks. Viking-era characters, such as Alfhildr, embody a that prioritizes physical dominance and tribal , often resulting in confrontations with authorities over issues like interpersonal violence and gender roles; for example, historical grievances involving from the migrants' era resurface, prompting vigilante responses that challenge contemporary rule-of-law principles. Similarly, arrivals exhibit rudimentary social structures ill-suited to urban , leading to public disturbances like unregulated campfires and in high-rises, which symbolize broader erosions of public order. These clashes manifest in heightened societal tensions, including "timesism"—a form of against beforeigners—yet the series underscores reciprocal frictions, such as migrants' resistance to assimilation programs emphasizing and . 19th-century dandies, for instance, struggle with economic irrelevance in a , fostering resentment toward host-society expectations of rapid adaptation. The narrative portrays violence escalating from these mismatches, with transtemporal crimes like murders linking past vendettas to present-day , reflecting how unintegrated groups can perpetuate cycles of retribution outside modern policing. Societal costs are depicted through strained public resources and social fragmentation. Annual influxes of approximately 13,000 beforeigners necessitate expansive intake centers for and processing, alongside specialized agencies like a beforeigner to address claims, diverting funds from native priorities. Integration failures contribute to formation, where time-specific enclaves emerge, mirroring societies with elevated rates and ; Viking gangs, for example, engage in organized predation, straining police capacities already stretched by multi-temporal investigations. Economic burdens include migrants relegated to low-skill roles—such as —despite initial status losses, exacerbating taxpayer costs for language training, housing subsidies, and . The series illustrates causal links between cultural incompatibility and these outcomes, as unassimilated values hinder labor-market participation and amplify public safety expenditures, without romanticizing the process as inevitable harmony.

Historical Accuracy and Speculative Elements

The series employs linguistic consultants to reconstruct authentic for Viking-era characters and 19th-century , drawing on historical philological sources to ensure dialogue fidelity to period phonetics and vocabulary. These efforts extend to portraying cultural practices, such as Viking social structures and survival skills, informed by archaeological and ethnographic records of , though adapted for dramatic coherence. Historical figures like Saint Olaf and Tore Hund receive reinterpreted characterizations that diverge from traditional ; Olaf is depicted as self-aggrandizing rather than solely saintly, while Tore Hund appears as a pragmatic seeking simplicity, inverting medieval hagiographic narratives for thematic emphasis on modern disillusionment. Such alterations prioritize narrative speculation over strict , as confirmed by production consultations with historians, yet they reflect broader scholarly debates on saga reliability rather than verbatim accuracy. Speculatively, the core mechanism involves periodic "time holes" that involuntarily displace masses from specific eras—such as the , , and —into contemporary , with no foreknowledge or agency, leading to amnesiac integration challenges. This framework extrapolates causal societal strains, including resource competition and cultural friction, without grounding in empirical physics or verified anomalies, serving as an allegory for uncontrolled migration dynamics. Season two introduces conspiratorial elements, positing orchestrated temporal incursions potentially involving figures like , blending procedural investigation with unverified hypotheses on timeline manipulation.

Release and Availability

Initial Broadcast and Platforms

Beforeigners premiered on HBO Nordic on 21 August 2019, marking HBO Europe's first original production from Norway. The six-episode first season was released in its entirety on that date, available for streaming across HBO Nordic's service in Norway and other Nordic countries, as well as in select HBO Europe territories including Spain and Hungary. HBO Nordic, a joint venture between HBO and telecom providers in the region, served as the primary platform for the series' initial rollout to subscribers. In the United States, the series received its premiere on 18 February 2020, streaming exclusively on , , and affiliated partner platforms. This delayed international debut followed the European launch by nearly six months, aligning with 's strategy for distributing European originals to North American audiences. Subsequent availability expanded with HBO Max's introduction, though the initial platforms remained centered on 's proprietary streaming services.

International Distribution

Beforeigners was initially distributed internationally via HBO's platforms following its Norwegian premiere on HBO Nordic on August 21, 2019. The series rolled out exclusively across territories, encompassing countries such as , , , and others in the region, as well as on and in the United States. In the US, episodes became available to subscribers on , , and partner streaming services starting February 18, 2020. The second season premiered on HBO Max in European markets on December 5, 2021, with US availability following on December 23, 2021, maintaining the HBO ecosystem's focus on premium cable and streaming access. As HBO Max restructured its European operations, SkyShowtime—a between Comcast's Peacock and —acquired exclusive streaming rights for Beforeigners seasons 1 and 2 in 22 countries, including , , Czechia, , and other Central and Eastern European nations, starting in 2023. In September 2025, Viaplay Content Distribution secured international sales rights for the series from SkyShowtime, facilitating broader licensing to platforms and broadcasters outside core HBO and SkyShowtime territories. Outside subscription streaming, both seasons are available for digital purchase or rental in select markets, such as on and Apple TV in the US.

Reception

Critical Reviews

Critical reception for Beforeigners has been generally positive, with an aggregate score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 reviews, highlighting its innovative blend of science fiction, crime procedural, and social satire. Season 1 received unanimous praise from critics, earning a 100% score on the platform from five reviews, commended for its high-concept premise, addictive pacing, and strong performances that elevate a solid crime drama framework. Norwegian outlets echoed this enthusiasm; NRK awarded it 5 out of 6 points, describing it as a "strange, funny, and apt" exploration of xenophobia and integration laced with adventure and crime elements. VG praised its unique satirical universe tackling immigration through temporal displacement, while DN lauded the creators' sharp yet good-natured social satire and original plotting. International critics appreciated the series' thoughtful examination of cultural collision without supernatural crutches, as noted by , which called it "riveting" for combining with murder investigation in a ribald, funny manner grounded in realism. The Guardian highlighted the "clever storytelling, attention to detail, and crisp pace," acknowledging minor plot holes but emphasizing its engagement. described it as "captivating, occasionally shocking, often funny and always socially relevant," positioning the time-immigrant analogy as a lens for contemporary societal tensions. However, rated it 3 out of 5, praising the clever Norwegian time-travel concept but critiquing its inclusion of violence, drugs, and emotional distress. Season 2 drew more mixed responses, with Lyd & Bilde scoring it 3 out of 6 for straying from its core premise and exhibiting a "declining form curve" in its comedic crime elements. VG still valued its satirical take on integration challenges but implied narrative ambitions occasionally overwhelmed coherence. noted the series' intentional departure from historical accuracy in favor of speculative satire at the sci-fi, crime, and integration crossroads, avoiding claims of factual drama. Overall, while Season 1's novelty drove acclaim, subsequent seasons faced scrutiny for diluting focus, though the program's provocative handling of assimilation costs and cultural friction remained a consistent strength across reviews.

Viewer Feedback and Ratings

The series has received generally positive feedback from viewers, with an IMDb user rating of 7.7 out of 10 based on over 13,000 votes. On , the audience score stands at 88%, reflecting approval from verified viewers who appreciated its blend of and social themes. Season 1 garnered a higher 93% audience score, while Season 2 scored 82%, indicating sustained but slightly diminished enthusiasm. Viewer reviews frequently praise the show's original premise of "beforeigners"—individuals displaced from historical eras into modern society—as a clever for challenges, with many highlighting the humor, world-building, and character development. Performances, particularly Krista Kosonen's portrayal of the Viking-era character Alfhildr, drew acclaim for authenticity in language and grit, contributing to descriptions of the series as "addictive" and among the "best in ages." The fusion of sci-fi, , and was often cited as engaging, with users noting emotional depth in integration struggles and clever . Criticisms from audiences include uneven pacing, underdeveloped subplots, and occasional historical inaccuracies that undermined immersion. Some reviewers expressed frustration with perceived ideological undertones, describing them as an "annoying agenda" that prioritized messaging over narrative coherence, though such views represent a minority amid the overall positive reception. Additional complaints targeted weaker ensemble acting and stereotypical elements, with a few users finding the concept promising but execution shallow beyond its initial hook.
PlatformOverall RatingSeason 1Season 2Notes
7.7/10 (13K+ votes)N/AN/AUser-voted aggregate.
(Audience)88%93%82%Popcornmeter scores from verified users.

Awards and Industry Recognition

Beforeigners earned recognition at several Norwegian television industry awards, particularly through nominations and wins in drama and technical categories at the Gullruten awards. In 2020, the series received a for Best TV Drama at the Gullruten, becoming the first HBO Nordic original production to achieve this distinction. The following year, at the 2021 Gullruten Fagprisen (industry craft awards), Beforeigners secured two victories for its production design: Best Costume for Louize Nissen and Best Make-Up for Asta Hafthorsdóttir. These accolades highlighted the series' attention to historical authenticity in depicting time-displaced characters. For the second season, released in 2021, Beforeigners continued its success at the 2022 Gullruten Fagprisen, winning Best for Bård Farbu, Morten Fagelund, and Erik S. Watland, as well as Best for Otto Thorbjørnsen of Stardust Effects. The season also earned nominations in five additional craft categories, including Best Writing for creators Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin. Internationally, the series was nominated for the Golden Eye Award at the 2019 , recognizing its innovative premise and performances by leads and . Overall, these honors underscore the series' technical craftsmanship and narrative ambition within the Nordic television landscape, though it did not receive major international prizes beyond festival nods.

Controversies

Portrayals of Historical Figures

In the second season of Beforeigners, the series depicts Viking-era chieftain Tore Hund, a historical figure born around 990 AD who led opposition against King Olaf II of Norway and is attributed with delivering the fatal blow to him during the on July 29, 1030. In the narrative, Tore Hund arrives as a beforeigner with , portrayed sympathetically as he adapts to modern by working as a bicycle courier for a food delivery service, expressing a desire for a simple, peaceful existence amid cultural dislocation. This humanization contrasts with traditional Christian sagas and hagiographies, where Tore Hund is cast as a villainous pagan resistor to Olaf's Christianizing efforts, though modern historical reassessments have increasingly viewed him as a defender of regional autonomy against royal overreach. The show's treatment of King Olaf II, canonized as Saint Olaf and Norway's , inverts this dynamic by presenting him as an egocentric and tyrannical ruler, emphasizing his forceful policies over his martyr status. This reversal has prompted viewer discussions in Norwegian online communities about potential offense to national religious heritage, given Olaf's enduring symbolic role in fostering Norwegian unity and Christianity's establishment post-1030. Critics and reviewers have noted the portrayal's use of these figures to explore revived religious tensions between pagan beforeigners and modern secular , without widespread formal backlash but highlighting interpretive risks in reimagining canonized history for dramatic effect. No other named historical figures receive comparably controversial depictions, with the series prioritizing fictional composites from periods like the and for broader thematic integration.

Thematic Interpretations and Backlash

The series Beforeigners employs time displacement as an for contemporary and dynamics, depicting "time-igrants" from prehistoric, Viking, and 19th-century eras who arrive en masse in modern , straining , housing, and cultural cohesion. These migrants, often homeless and reliant on welfare, encounter systemic and integration barriers, mirroring real-world challenges such as and assimilation pressures faced by s. Creators Eilif Skodvin and Anne Bjørnstad frame the narrative to probe multiculturalism's practical limits, with Viking characters engaging in opportunistic crime and prehistoric arrivals struggling with basic modern norms, underscoring causal frictions from abrupt cultural transplants rather than inherent racial differences—since the "beforeigners" share genetic ancestry with yet provoke backlash due to behavioral and value clashes. Interpretations emphasize the show's satirical edge on and policy failures, portraying state efforts to "Norwegianize" arrivals—through language classes and therapy—as inefficient amid persistent tribal loyalties and violence, critiquing EU-style resettlement without overt partisanship. Academic analyses highlight themes of spatial belonging, where beforeigners' exclusion from "native" districts evokes debates on and the unsustainability of indefinite influxes, challenging progressive assumptions by revealing how temporal proximity (as ancestors) does not erase integration costs. Viewer discussions note its barbed examination of policies, including formation in areas like and police overload, positioning the series as a realist counter to sanitized narratives that downplay enforcement needs or cultural adaptation burdens. Backlash against the thematic content has been muted compared to the show's conceptual acclaim, with no widespread accusations of despite its unflinching portrayal of migrant-related disorder, such as Viking raids reframed as waves. Norwegian critics largely praised the for its nuance, avoiding heavy ideological slant while exposing societal hypocrisies, though some international observers interpreted the relativist tone as insufficiently alarmist on flaws. Limited focused on execution rather than intent, including critiques of underdeveloped in season 2 amid plot shifts, but empirical reception data shows sustained viewer engagement without organized protests or cancellations tied to themes.

Platform Removal and Industry Decisions

In July 2022, HBO Max removed Beforeigners from its platform in multiple regions, including , as part of a broader decision to eliminate nearly all European original content produced under the merger. This purge affected the entire Nordic catalog, with the streamer ceasing commissioning and production of new originals in the region, alongside , the , and , to streamline operations and reduce costs post-merger. The decision drew sharp criticism from Norwegian industry figures, who viewed it as a setback for local television production. Regissør Jens Lien expressed shock at the sudden unavailability of season two, which had streamed for only six months, highlighting the vulnerability of regional content to corporate restructuring. Media outlets described it as a "streaming " for Norwegian series, potentially signaling the end of a "golden age" for Nordic HBO originals that had boosted international visibility for talents like those in Beforeigners. In response to the removals, SkyShowtime acquired streaming rights to Beforeigners and 20 other former HBO Max European originals in January 2023, restoring access in select markets and mitigating some of the content vacuum left by 's exit. However, the incident underscored Discovery's pivot toward U.S.-centric content, prioritizing global scalability over localized European investments, which industry analysts noted could hinder future Nordic co-productions. No plans for a third season were confirmed as of late 2023, with producers actively pitching to new platforms amid the uncertainty.

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  70. https://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/det-er-feil-mose-i-trusa/71520174
  71. https://www.lydogbilde.no/film/fremvandrerne-beforeigners-sesong-1/
  72. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8332130/reviews/
  73. https://nordiskfilmogtvfond.com/news/stories/22-july-leads-gullruten-drama-nominations-2020
  74. https://nordiskfilmogtvfond.com/news/stories/nrks-series-rod-knock-2-sweeps-at-norwegian-gullruten-tv-awards
  75. https://rushprint.no/2022/04/de-nominerte-til-gullrutens-fagpriser/
  76. https://thevikingherald.com/article/who-was-thorir-hund-the-man-who-allegedly-killed-st-olaf-norway-s-patron-saint/339
  77. https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/viking-chief-tore-hund-and-his-successful-resistance-against-christian-020545
  78. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2021/04/14/review-beforeigners-mashes-up-the-buddy-cop-genre-and-sci-fi-time-travel-in-this-norwegian-drama/
  79. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8332130/trivia/
  80. https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/03/06/hbo-beforeigners-refugee-crisis
  81. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361348902_Out_of_timein_place_Norwegianness_%27immigration%27_and_spatial_belonging_in_Beforeigners
  82. https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/sd5atj/if_you_have_hbo_max_give_beforeigners_a_look/
  83. https://www.vg.no/rampelys/i/G3pGdV/norsk-serie-fjernet-fra-hbo-max-jeg-er-sjokkert
  84. https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2022/07/05/hbo-to-cease-originals-production-in-nordics-cee-and-the-netherlands/
  85. https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/hbo-max-originals-europe-nordics-turkey-1235314450/
  86. https://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/i/wOary4/hbo-max-trekker-seg-fra-norden-gullalderen-kan-vaere-over
  87. https://www.filmweb.no/streamingguide/artikkel/strmmetjeneste-kjpte-opp-21-serier-som-hbo-fjernet-i-2022
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