If you know nothing about the Netflix show “Norsemen” and you see that name and the accompanying photo, you may make some incorrect assumptions about what the show is. I’d probably seen the thumbnail on Netflix a half dozen times over the last few years, and I always assumed it was a dark and gritty hour-long show about Vikings.
In a way, that’s true. But it’s actually a half-hour dark comedy and gritty comedy show. In fact, it feels remarkably like a version of The Office that just happens to be set in the Viking period of history. It isn’t slapstick comedy–just like The Office, Norsemen’s characters take their jobs seriously, sometimes even too seriously.
While Norsemen features dramatic plotlines with high (and low) stakes, along with terrible elements of history, the part that stands out the most to me is the banter. They spend a normal amount of time talking about little, inconsequential topics. Despite the silly nature of the banter, it actually makes the characters feel more real–in pretty much every other show with a theme/setting like this, every line of dialogue is focused on plot instead of the random thoughts we all have from time to time.
I don’t know if I can recommend Norsemen to everyone. A lot of the comedy is very dark and gruesome, and the characters speak so casually about the horrendous acts they commit on a daily basis. The show isn’t condoning those acts by any means, but I can see some viewers struggling with that aspect.
However, I think you’ll know within 10 minutes of the first episode if it’s a show for you. I’m certainly glad to have found it!