The story of Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes is simple. The Hallangen family, in Skarnes, Norway, run the town’s only funeral home. It’s a small family business that is just about surviving while serving this small town. And as the series opens, Live (pronounced LEE-veh) Hallangen, the only daughter of the Hallangen family, is found dead. Except she isn’t really dead.
The series follows Live as she finds out the truth about why she isn’t really dead. You see, she’s a vampire. Okay, so maybe I lied about the series being simple.
Netflix spent 2021 releasing a whole host of original content to help the world get over the fact that we’d all be spending time in lockdown. The problem was that quite a lot of Netflix’s new content has been, if not bad, then definitely forgettable. Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes, however, was definitely a sleeper series for the streamer.
Nothing in this series is particularly new. Vampires and family secrets. A side story about drug smugglers. A lot of the elements feel very familiar. But there is a strong attempt at avoiding tired clichés or storylines. The characters are wonderfully written with a strong emphasis on the relationships between everyone in this small town. The series is sweet, and a little bit funny.
Season 1 hasn’t got a big overarching drama about world domination or villainous vampires going on a murdering spree. It’s about Live Hallangen, trying to find what she is now, trying to deal with her new reality. All while hiding it from her brother and his wife, and helping them keep the Hallangen family business afloat.
This isn’t as heavy as Netflix’s Dark, but is definitely worth watching if you are looking for a weekend distraction. At six episodes and 45 minutes each, Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes is an easy binge.
Live Hallangen is declared dead. Hours later she suddenly wakes up on the forensic table. A dark, insatiable hunger has awoken in her. Meanwhile, her brother Odd tries to keep the family driven funeral home afloat, but the stagnant death rate in the small Norwegian town of Skarnes makes it impossible. Live has to learn to control her new dangerous nature and decide if she is willing to sacrifice people’s lives for her own survival, which ironically goes hand in hand with the survival of the family business.
Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes is directed by Harald Zwart and Petter Holmsen, and features Kathrine Thorborg Johansen as Live Hallangen, Elias Holmen Sørensen as Odd Hallangen, Terje Strømdahl as Arvid Hallangen, André Sørum as Reinert, and Sarah Khorami as Rose.
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