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Bordertown (Finnish TV series)

Bordertown (Finnish: Sorjonen) is a Finnish crime drama and Nordic noir television series created by Miikko Oikkonen and starring Ville Virtanen as detective inspector Kari Sorjonen. The first season, which consisted of eleven episodes, premiered in Finland on 16 October 2016 on Yle TV1. Season two, containing ten episodes, premiered on 7 October 2018, and season three, containing another ten episodes, premiered in December 2019.

In addition to its home country, the series has received praise internationally; fans of the series include American author Stephen King,[1][2] Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow,[3] and Monty Python star Eric Idle.[4]

Overview

Detective inspector Kari Sorjonen is one of the most respected officers at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Finland when his wife barely survives brain cancer. Sorjonen is a high-functioning autistic and exhibits traits related to savantism.[5] The character is based on British writer Daniel Tammet and also resembles an 'everyman'-type Sherlock Holmes.[5]

Sorjonen takes a new job, initially leading SECRI, the Serious Crime Unit, in the city of Lappeenranta, South Karelia, Finland. He moves his family to the town near the border with Russia for a more peaceful life. Things turn out to be less than calm there, however. Interwoven with casework from SECRI, Sorjonen attempts to be a devoted husband to a wife recovering from a health scare, as well as a devoted father to a daughter. His work often takes precedence over family concerns, something his wife and daughter wrestle with throughout the series. Although singularly focused on his investigations, Sorjonen clearly has a closeness not only with his family but also with the other team members of SECRI, especially Niko, Lena, and H. P.[5]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Episodes

Season 1 (2016)

Season 2 (2018)

Season 3 (2019–2020)

Development and production

Bordertown is produced for Yle by Fisher King Production[6] and Federation Entertainment.[7][8][9][10] The series was presented at the MIPTV Media Market in Cannes on 3 April 2016, where it competed in the MIPDrama Screenings for the "Coup de Cœur" award.[11][12][13]

International distribution rights were acquired from Federation Entertainment in October 2016 by Sky Deutschland for Germany, CanalPlay for France, and VRT for Flanders (Dutch-speaking Belgium).[14] The series was sold to "over 40 countries".[15]

Bordertown was renewed for a second season on 25 April 2017,[16] with Kuusniemi, Sinisalo, Susi, Ainali, and Villi also reprising their roles.[15] Filming began in Lappeenranta on 8 August 2017 and wrapped in Helsinki on 7 November 2017.[17][18][19]

The series was renewed for a third season in September 2018,[20] with filming starting on 13 December 2018.[21] The season premiered in December 2019, and it has been labelled as the final one.[21][22]

Release

Broadcast

Bordertown premiered on Yle TV1 on 16 October 2016.[23] The debut was watched by 1.1 million viewers and set a record for a Finnish series.[24] Total viewership for season one was an average of one million viewers.[15]

Season two premiered on 7 October 2018[25] (it was originally scheduled to premiere on 14 October).[26]

Season three premiered on 1 December 2019.[27]

Home media

Netflix acquired rights in February 2017 to stream the series in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Netherlands.[28] Streaming of season one became available on 31 March 2017, followed by season two on 2 February 2019, and season three on 11 May 2020.[29]

Season one was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Germany by EuroVideo on 14 February 2019, followed by season two on 11 April 2019.[30][31]

Awards and nominations

Bordertown won the 2017 Golden Venla Awards for Best Drama Series, Best Actor (Ville Virtanen), and Best Actress (Anu Sinisalo).[32][33]

Continuation

Bordertown: The Mural Murders [fi], a film based on the series, premiered in the autumn of 2021 and featured the characters from the television series.[34][35] The film, an independent work, was produced by Fisher King Oy. International distribution is also planned.[36][37] Netflix acquired rights on 1 December 2021.[38]

References

  1. ^ “I have to get me some of this”: Finnish films and TV series you should watch – thisisFINLAND
  2. ^ Ilta-Sanomat: Legendary horror writer Stephen King praises Finnish TV series - even fans in flames: “I love Ville Virtanen” – Legendaarinen kauhukirjailija Stephen King hehkuttaa suomalaista tv-sarjaa – fanitkin ilmiliekeissä: ”Rakastan Ville Virtasta” (in Finnish)
  3. ^ Lampinen, Jenna (27 March 2022). "Hollywood-tähti hullaantui suomalaissarjasta – hehkuttaa tv-sarjaa miljoonille seuraajilleen". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  4. ^ Juuti, Mikko (17 January 2022). "Monty Python -legenda ihastui suomalaissarjaan – ylistää tekijöitä Twitterissä". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Bordertown Blues; 29 November 2019; webPage; UPM online; accessed September 2020
  6. ^ "Bordertown". Fisher King Oy. 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Bordertown". Federation Entertainment. 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  8. ^ "Nordic Noir gets a lighter Finnish". Drama Quarterly. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  9. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (9 March 2016). "Federation, Fisher King Team on Nordic Noir Series 'Bordertown'". Variety. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  10. ^ Hopewell, John (2 April 2016). "'Marseille's' Pascal Breton on 'Bordertown,' Nordic Noir, Big Euro Co-pros and Crucial Change in Intl. TV (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  11. ^ "Bordertown is coming to MipTV". ttvnews. TodotvMedia. 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  12. ^ "Federation taking buyers to Bordertown". Television Business International. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  13. ^ Newby, Julian (11 May 2016). "MIPTV Fiction Wrap: Drama takes centre stage". MIPTrends. MIP Markets. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  14. ^ Pham, Annika (10 October 2016). "Bordertown Sells to Germany-France-Belgium". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  15. ^ a b c Hannonen, Inka (17 January 2018). "Sorjosen toinen kausi menee ihon alle" [The second season of Sorjonen goes under the skin]. Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  16. ^ Press Release (25 April 2017). "Sorjonen palaa Lappeenrantaan" [Sorjonen returns to Lappeenranta]. City of Lappeenranta (in Finnish). Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  17. ^ Pham, Annika (2 May 2017). "Summer shoot for Bordertown Season 2". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  18. ^ "Bordertown Begins Filming Season Two This August". Nordic Drama. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  19. ^ Römpötti, Janne (10 August 2017). "Sorjosen tuotantotiimi aloitti uuden kauden kuvaukset Lappeenrannassa" [Sorjonen production team describes new season in Lappeenranta]. Uutisvuoksi (in Finnish). Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  20. ^ Maijala, Juho (26 September 2018). "Sorjonen palaa vielä Lappeenrantaan — Kolmas tuotantokausi näyttää, millainen kaupunki on talvella" [Sorjonen returns to Lappeenranta – the third season will show what kind of city it is in winter]. Etelä-Saimaa (in Finnish). Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  21. ^ a b Pham, Annika (13 December 2018). "Bordertown3 starts shooting for Yle". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  22. ^ Jokainen meistä pystyy pahaan – Tulossa: Sorjonen 3. Yle Areena (in Finnish).
  23. ^ Ainamo-McDonald, Maria (23 August 2016). "Sorjonen – uusi kotimainen rikossarja" [Sorjonen – a new domestic crime series]. Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  24. ^ Pham, Annika (20 October 2016). "Finland's Fisher King signs first look deal with ZDFE". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  25. ^ Yrttiaho, Tuomo (7 October 2018). "Kari Sorjonen palaa tänä iltana rikospaikalle – tv-sarjan vetovoima on yhä Ville Virtasen varassa" [Kari Sorjonen returns to the crime scene tonight – the TV series attraction is still Ville Virtanen]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Sanoma. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  26. ^ "Huippusuositun Sorjosen toinen kausi alkaa syksyllä – ensimmäisen jakson esityspäivä on selvillä" [The second season of highly popular Sorjosen begins in fall – the date of first episode is set]. Imatralainen (in Finnish). 22 January 2018. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  27. ^ Slotte, Malin (26 August 2019). "Tio series att se fram emot i höst". Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). Helsingfors. pp. 20–21.
  28. ^ Åkman, Erika (28 February 2017). "Suomalainen rikosdraama nähdään nyt myös USA:ssa! Netflix osti supersuositun Sorjosen" [Finnish crime drama is now seen also in the USA! Netflix acquires the super popular Sorjonen]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  29. ^ "First Look at What's Coming to Netflix in May 2020". What's on Netflix. 17 April 2020.
  30. ^ "Bordertown (Staffel 1)". Online-Filmdatenbank (in German). 6 December 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  31. ^ "Bordertown (Staffel 2)". Online-Filmdatenbank (in German). 8 February 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  32. ^ Pham, Annika (16 January 2017). "Clean sweep for Bordertown at Finnish Emmys". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  33. ^ Vestrheim, Emma (17 January 2017). "BORDERTOWN wins at the Finnish Emmy's". Cinema Scandinavia. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  34. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (25 September 2020). "Netflix, Finland's Aurora Jump Into 'Bordertown – The Mural Murders' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Nordic Noir : Netflix acquires Bordertown movie, The Mural Murders". The Killing Times. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  36. ^ Kinnunen, Kalle (26 October 2020). "Parhaillaan kuvattava Sorjos-elokuva nähdään valkokankaalla vuoden kuluttua, Netflix innostui täyspitkästä leffasta jo ennen kuin sen käsikirjoitus oli selvillä". Etelä-Saimaa (in Finnish). Kaakon Viestintä. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  37. ^ "Sorjonen valloittaa valkokankaat" (in Finnish). 17 June 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  38. ^ "What's New on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, and More in December 2021". TV Guide.

External links