Beforeigners

The series takes place in Oslo, where sudden flashes of light appear in the bay in Bjørvika. A large number of people from different periods in the past—the Stone Age, Viking Age, and the 19th century—suddenly appear in the present. Police officer Lars Haaland (Nicolai Cleve Broch) and his pregnant wife meet the first "time migrants", who speak Old Norse.

Nearly two decades later, the so-called "Beforeigners" struggle to integrate into modern Norwegian society. Some of the 19th-century individuals have found work as journalists, office workers, and teachers, while most of the old Norse folk are homeless and sleep in parks. The Stone-Agers live at the fringes and in forests. Many modern Norwegians perceive these "refugees" as a drain on society.[4]

Lars Haaland now lives alone with his daughter Ingrid, 18, while his ex-wife lives as a neo-Victorian with a 19th-century husband. Lars is addicted to "time drops" and gets stoned every evening. He battles with his ex-wife about Ingrid because their daughter wants to go Russefeiring, a traditional celebration for Norwegian high-schoolers. More time migrants continue to appear in the harbor on a daily basis.

A woman with Stone-Age tattoos and rotten teeth is found dead on a beach and Lars is put in charge of the investigation. He is partnered with a first-day cop, Alfhildr Enginnsdottir (Krista Kosonen), a Viking-era farmer's wife from the 11th century. She is the first police officer with a "multi-temporal background", but is shunned by some of her colleagues, who consider her unfit for the job. Lars and Alfhildr gradually get used to working together, though they have their own occasional run-ins and disagreements.[5] The autopsy of the dead woman reveals that she was strangled, and has odd cross-hatches on her back. A young girl reports she saw a "green sea monster with glowing eyes" seize the dead woman. As the investigation continues, an individual by the name of Navn (Oddgeir Thune) comes to prominence, becoming a suspect. A second autopsy of the dead woman reveals that she isn't in fact from the past, but rather a contemporary Norwegian. A new trend becomes apparent, where "wannabe time-migrants" shed their 21st-century identities and live as Beforeigners.

Throughout the series, Alfhildr has momentary flashbacks to her Viking past. She is revealed to have been a shield-maiden rather than a farmer's wife. In her free time, she seeks a man named Tore Hund (Stig Henrik Hoff). She meets an old friend, Urd Sighvatsdottir (Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir), another former shield-maiden. Urd introduces Alfhildr to her community, who are mainly from the Viking era. Before long, they track down Tore Hund, who now goes by the name "Tommy" and has no memory of the past, though Alfhildr and Urd are convinced he is Thorir Hund, who slew Olaf the Stout, and that they were his shield-maidens. An attack by an individual who claims to be a follower of Olaf triggers some memories in Tore, however, and he begins to seek answers.

Meanwhile, Ingrid and her friends go to Russefeiring and attempt to fake a time migration. One of them, Maddie, is high on time drops that she stole from Lars. As she jumps into the water, a time flash simultaneously disgorges more migrants. Maddie is suddenly older, with rotten teeth and visions of the past. The girls are quarantined. Maddie suffers an identity crisis and begins praying devoutly. Towards the end of the season, Maddie journeys to an ancient church and digs up a sword and crucifix. She is met by a Christian Viking who turns out to have been Olaf the Stout.

Odd-Magnus Williamson makes an appearance in the show as a corrupt harbor cop who is dating Alfhildr.

• Nicolai Cleve Broch – Lars Haaland
• Krista Kosonen – Alfhildr Enginnsdóttir
• Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir – Urðr Sighvatsdóttir
• Eili Harboe – Ada/Trine Syversen
• Stig Henrik Hoff – Tommy/Thorir Hund
• Kyrre Haugen Sydness – Gregers Nicolai Schweigaard
• Agnes Kittelsen – Marie Gran
• Ylva Bjørkås Thedin - Ingrid Haaland
• Oddgeir Thune – Navn Ukjent
• Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson - Kalv Torbjørnsson
• Veslemøy Mørkrid – Othilia
• Jeppe Beck Laursen – Skjalg Egilsson
• Herbert Nordrum - Holger Caspersen
• Tobias Santelmann – Olav Digre
• Odd-Magnus Williamson — Jeppe
• Mikkel Bratt Silset - Neighbour

After creating the show Lilyhammer, Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin decided to explore science fiction ideas. Skodvin suggested the core concept of "refugees arriving not from a different location but from different times". The story was built around the concept, with two main characters, Lars and Alfhildr, chosen early on. The creators were inspired by shows including True Love, District 9, and the story itself was influenced by The Leftovers and sci-fi classics such as Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four.[6]

Finnish actress Krista Kosonen did not understand Norwegian and had to learn the language, as well as Old Norse, for the role.[6]

Filming took place in Oslo and Lithuania.[6]

• Beforeigners at IMDb