This Norwegian Series On Netflix Is The Perfect Blend Of Monty Python & 'GoT'

As part of their relentless conquest for more content, Netflix has been extending their reach to the far corners of the globe. And who better to help them achieve that goal of streaming domination than a bunch of pillaging, plundering, and pretty hilarious vikings? The Norwegian dark comedy (also known as Vikingane in Norway) premiered on its home network of NRK1 back in Oct. 2016. Shortly after, Netflix scooped it up for an international release in English, which is why they filmed the show in two languages. Season 2 is dropping on Netflix this week, but it's still unclear exactly when Norseman Season 3 might return. Luckily for fans, it's probably soon.

According to Jon Iver Helgaker, one of the co-creators of the series, Norseman Season 3 is already underway. He told the Norwegian publication Dagbladet (translation by Nordic Drama), “We are now sitting and writing six new episodes that will be Vikingane/Norsemen 3. If everything goes according to plan, production will start in the spring with its TV premiere set for Autumn 2019.” It's not clear, however, if both the English and Norwegian versions will be released at the same time, or if there will be a delay again between the Norwegian version and the English Netflix version, like there was with Season 2.

Helgaker revealed all that at the end of August, but it actually looks like he's been working on Season 3 for quite a while. Back on Dec. 27, 2017, he tweeted a photo looking out over an idyllic, sun-bathed body of water with the caption, "Writing [S]eason 3... Kind of hard to write winter scenes here." A month before that, he posted another photo of him with co-writer Jonas Torgersen frowning like crazy and drinking even more Coke in a mustard yellow conference room, with the caption "[Jonas] and I writing season 3... Spirits are high!!" No wonder it's taken them so long to get six more episodes done.

So how long will Norseman get to live before it's put on a raft, pushed out to sea, and (not) set on fire? Well, it could be a good, long time. When it comes to renewing series, Netflix isn't as concerned with how many people are watching a series, but rather, what percentage of people that start a series are able to follow it through to the end. Thus, the six thirty-minute episodes (to say nothing of the quality of the comedy) make it a safe risk for the streaming giant.

On top of that, although the show might get compared to Game of Thrones, the budget couldn't be more different. Anders Tangen, producer on the series, told The Euro TV Place that Norseman is actually a very cost-effective series — yet another facet that could inspire Netflix to renew it again and again and again. Tangers explained:

"Basically we shoot on average four takes for every scene, three takes in Norwegian and one in English, then we take the versions to the studios and work on lip sinking [sic] to make each version cleaner. If it works, it will be revolutionary... We’re also shooting 14 days in parallel to make the filming shorter, with two directors, so the cost for the entire series remains very low."

Between their minimal production costs and the enthusiastic international response, the comedic Norseman could be reigning over both Norwegian audiences and the rest of the world for a good, long time to come.