Norwegian Series on Fictional Russian Occupation Premieres to Record Ratings

By The Moscow Times

Oct. 7, 2015

The first episode of a fictional drama series depicting a Russian invasion of Norway was watched by 13 percent of the Norwegian population, the Gazeta.ru news outlet reported, citing Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

Around 633,000 people — and more than half of all Norwegians between 20 to 49 years old — tuned in to watch the first episode of the “Occupied” series on Sunday, the report said.

The statistics constitute a record for the show's broadcaster, TV2, NRK reported.

TV2 has sunk 90 million krone ($11 million) into the project, making it the most expensive Norwegian television series ever, according to NRK.

Critics have accused the television show of tapping into fears of Russian expansionism. In late August, the Russian Embassy in Oslo said the series would scare Norwegians “in the worst traditions of the Cold War,” the TASS news agency reported at the time.

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