“Varg Veum” – TV series review

“Varg Veum” is the eponymous title of this Norwegian crime series. The star (Trond Espen Seim) is a former social worker turned private detective due to frustration with the failings of public service agencies. More accurately, he was fired for beating up a drug dealer who was pushing product to kids he was trying to protect. In classic genre style, Varg is a scruffy fellow with a marginal income trying to do some meaningful good for people and the community between times he has to tail cheating spouses to keep his business afloat. The Norwegian series aired from 2007 – 2012 and must have been popular in its homeland, since Seim returned as the same character in about a dozen movie incarnations filmed during and for several years after its run. Topic is releasing its six-episode first season for streaming here.

This is one to enjoy without having to binge, since each episode is a new case. It’s advisable to see them in order, since progressive relationships between Varg and the cops – mainly detective Hamre (Bjorn Floberg) – and another acquired colleague also follow tradition as trust and respect among them grow, albeit rather slowly. That and a few other sources provide bits of comic relief in the mostly serious proceedings. Though less violent than our typical domestic fare, Varg does tend to recklessly put himself in danger more than one with his limited fighting skills should attempt. Unconsciousness is no stranger to Varg, though it’s somewhat offset by the occasional upswing in his romantic life.

The stories are diverse and generally well-written, maintaining suspense and tension in most episodes. Industrial pollution, financial and political corruption, robberies, murders and infidelities are all fodder for these scripts. One admirable aspect of the series is the moral complexity of its tales. Good guys and bad guys aren’t just cookie-cutter types. Exploration of characters’ characters makes these play out with a richer texture than many, with a number of highly intense dramatic moments. If you also find Episode 5 to be relatively weak, fear not. Episode 6 was the strongest.

Varg Veum winds up being a character most fans of crime fiction should find a satisfactory repository of empathy. If so, there are six more episodes in Season 2, and all those movies floating around somewhere.

“Varg Veum: Season One,” in Norwegian with English subtitles begins on Topic on Nov. 9, 2023, with two episodes streaming on Topic on that date and with two more released each week thereafter.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars