This spring, prepare to step into the shadowy streets of Oslo, where nothing is as it seems, and every clue draws you deeper into the city’s dark heart. All nine episodes of Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole, a gripping serial killer mystery featuring legendary Norwegian anti-hero Detective Harry Hole, are now streaming on Netflix, though you can watch the teaser-trailer above get a glimpse of Tobias Santelmann (Exit, The Arctic Convoy) as the iconic Det. Hole. 

“Stepping into Harry Hole’s shoes has been a tremendous honor and a thrilling challenge,” says Santelmann Jo Nesbø’s world is so rich, and Harry is a truly complex character. I’m thankful for this opportunity, and I hope the audience will enjoy our Harry Hole. Bringing him to life, and working with everyone involved, has been a true privilege.”

Alongside Santelmann, the series stars Joel Kinnaman (Altered Carbon, The Suicide Squad) as his adversary (and fellow detective) Tom Waaler, Pia Tjelta (Made in Oslo, State of Happiness) as Rakel Fauke, as well as Anders Danielsen Lie (The Worst Person in the World, Bergman Island), Ane Dahl Torp (Home Ground, Charter) and pop singer Dagny (Home for Christmas).

Director and executive producer Øystein Karlsen tells Tudum, “It is a great mix of a fast-paced whodunit and a genuine drama with real people and lives the viewer can relate to — and it has more twists and turns than I can remember having seen in any thriller series.”

Author, creator, and showrunner Jo Nesbø says, “It’s been just great working with Tobias Santelmann and creating a character that is fresh, still  true to the character and his universe in the novels. I’m really looking forward to presenting this Harry Hole to the audience.”

What is Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole about? 

Created by Nesbø, one of the greatest storytellers in crime fiction, the series is a whodunit serial killer mystery led by famed antihero Harry Hole, a brilliant but tormented homicide detective who struggles with his demons. Underneath the surface, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole is a nuanced character drama about two police officers — and supposed colleagues — operating on opposite sides of the law. Throughout the first season, Harry goes head-to-head with his longtime adversary, the corrupt Detective Tom Waaler, as the two navigate the blurred ethical lines of the criminal justice system. But only time will tell whether Harry can catch the serial killer –– while also bringing Tom to justice –– before it’s too late.

Is Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole based on a book? 

Detective Hole is based on Nesbø’s Harry Hole book series, and the first season is an adaptation of his fifth book, The Devil’s Star. 

Karlsen says about the novel, “It’s the first time the series starts viewing the story solidly from Harry’s perspective, it feels like, and it’s an incredible page-turner of a book … You will have to watch it twice to realize you could have figured it out along the way, but a beer on me at Schröder’s if anyone gets the whole plot before it ends — unless you’ve read the book, of course.”

“For me, storytelling isn’t about serving people what they think they want, but what they didn’t know they wanted. We will try to create something fresh, exciting, and surprising with respect to the book version of Harry,” said Nesbø, who is also a showrunner on the series. Nesbø is regarded as one of the leading crime writers in the world — his books have been translated into 50 languages, and have sold some 60 million copies globally. He’s recognized for having widened the scope of the thriller with his unusual literary qualities and ambitions, his psychological insights, and his unique understandings of modern life. 

Who’s in the cast of Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole?

As mentioned above, Santelmann is leading the cast as the legendary Detective Harry Hole. He told Netflix he felt “incredibly humbled by the trust” he has been given in taking on this role, adding, “For me, ​it’s important to create a recognizable but also unexpected Harry. I can’t wait for the shoot to start.” 

Nesbø added, “I’m guessing that all readers of the book series have their own vision of what Harry Hole would look like, and they should be allowed to keep that. We will create a Harry that is based not only on the books but someone based on the actor Tobias Santelmann and everyone involved in this project — both in front and behind the camera.” 

Working alongside Santelmann in the star-studded cast are Kinnaman, Tjelta, Danielsen Lie, Dahl Torp, Dagny, as well as Peter Stormare, Anders Baasmo, Kåre Conradi, Simon J. Berger, Fridtjov Såheim, Eili Harboe, Atle Antonsen, Manish Sharma, Henriette Steenstrup, Jesper Christensen, Kristoffer Joner, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Linn Skåber, Jonas Strand Gravli, Sonny Lindberg, Agnes Kittelsen, Nader Khademi, Ellen Helinder, Ågot Sendstad, Maja Christiansen, Frank Kjosås, Kelly Gale, Oddgeir Thune, Ravdeep Singh Bajwa, Henrik Mestad, Ingar Helge Gimle, Helge Jordal, and Eirik Hallert. 

Watch the Wrap Video for Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole

Can I see the teaser for Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole?

You sure can. Check out the teaser trailer at the top of this article and the wrap video above, which shows Santelmann as Hole and Kinnaman as Waaler on set in the rundown Oslo apartment that Harry calls home. And head here to watch the full trailer now. 

Where was Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole filmed?

The series was filmed in more than 160 different locations over 113 days in Oslo, including notable spots from the book series, such as Harry’s favorite hangout, Restaurant Schrøder.

Karlsen tells Tudum, “Having been a fan of the books for years, I always felt that Oslo on its own is such an important character in the stories. It has the perfect mixture of rich and poor, dark and light, old and new, to balance the darkness and suspense in the universe that is Harry's. Jo’s version of Oslo is sort of a Gotham version, and we enhance that in the series.”

Who composed the score for the series?

Acclaimed musicians and composers Nick Cave and Warren Ellis will create the original score for Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole. Renowned for their haunting, emotive soundtracks — spanning films such as The Proposition, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Wind River — Cave and Ellis bring a depth and intensity that perfectly echoes the psychological complexity and Nordic noir sensibility of Nesbø’s universe; it’s a match made in noir heaven.

“We loved working on this adaptation,” says Cave about the experience. “Harry Hole's murky, morally complex world has been brought to life in all its darkly brutal glory, and it was an honor to work with the legendary Jo Nesbø.”

As for Nesbø, he tells Netflix, “Nick Cave and Warren Ellis are masters at conjuring mood and tension, and their music is the ideal companion to Harry Hole’s brooding, enigmatic journey through the shadows of Oslo. Their music has always been a soundtrack to my writing process. To have them now scoring the world of Harry Hole feels both surreal and absolutely right.”

Who made Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole?

The series is executive produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Katy Rozelle, Rene Ezra, Karlsen, Nesbø, and Niclas Salomonsson; Tor Arne Øvrebø is the show’s producer. Nesbø is both creator and showrunner, and the directors are Karlsen and Anna Zackrisson.

When does Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole come out?

All nine episodes are now streaming on Netflix.