Rita (TV series)

Rita is a Danish comedy-drama TV series created by Christian Torpe for TV 2. It premiered in February 2012 and ran for five seasons in Denmark and internationally on Netflix which was also a co-producer on the final three seasons.[1][2] A fifth and final season began airing on 1 June 2020, with the show ending its original run in Denmark on 20 July 2020.[3] The final season debuted internationally on Netflix on 15 August 2020.[4]

Rita
GenreComedy-drama
Created byChristian Torpe
Written by
  • Christian Torpe
  • Marie Østerbye
  • Thomas Levin
  • Christina Sederqvist
  • Mette Heeno
  • Stefan Jaworski
  • Christoffer Örnfelt
  • Simon Odid Weil
  • Jenny Lund Madsen
  • Jannik Tai Mosholt
  • Ina Bruhn
Directed by
Starring
Theme music composer
Opening theme"Speak Out Now" by Oh Land
Country of originDenmark
Original languageDanish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes40 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Christian Torpe
  • Birdie Bjerregaard
  • Keld Reinicke
Producers
  • Jesper Morthorst
  • Theis Nørgaard
  • Karoline Leth
Running time40 min
Production companiesSF Studios Production, MOTOR
Distributor
Release
Original release9 February 2012 (2012-02-09) 
20 July 2020 (2020-07-20)

The series centers on Rita Madsen (Mille Dinesen), a headstrong and unconventional teacher and single mother. It received generally favorable response from critics, including Henrik Palle in Politiken who commented that the series "works really well with some characters who actually look like people".[5] The series uses locations in and near the former school campus at the National Innovative Centre (SPF) in Islev, Rødovre. The theme song is "Speak Out Now" by the Danish musician Oh Land.[6]

A spin-off of the series called Hjørdis debuted in May 2015, airing for one season[7][8] The spin-off takes place in the same school as 'Rita' (season 1-3), focusing on the attempts of her colleague Hjørdis (Lise Baastrup) to organize a school play. Mille Dinesen did not appear in that series.[9]

Mille Dinesen received an award at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival in the category Best Female Lead.[10] At the festival, the series received a total of six nominations, including the producers Karoline Leth and Jesper Morthorst and the screenwriter Christian Torpe for Best International Producer and Best European producer of a TV drama series.[11]

Cast

Main

  • Mille Dinesen as Rita Madsen, schoolteacher
    • Tessa Hoder as young Rita (season 4)
  • Lise Baastrup as Hjørdis, schoolteacher and Rita's best friend
  • Carsten Bjørnlund as Rasmus (seasons 1–3, 5), headmaster and Rita's boyfriend
  • Ellen Hillingsø as Helle (seasons 1–3; guest season 5), school counselor
  • Nikolaj Groth as Jeppe Madsen, Rita's youngest son
  • Morten Vang Simonsen as Ricco Madsen (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), Rita's oldest son
  • Sara Hjort Ditlevsen as Molly Madsen (seasons 1–2; guest seasons 3–5), Rita's daughter
  • Kristoffer Fabricius as Uffe, Hjørdis' boyfriend

Recurring

  • Lykke Sand Michelsen as Bitten Dyrehave (seasons 1–2), Ricco's wife
  • Carsten Nørgaard as Tom Dyrehave (seasons 1–2), Bitten's father and Rita's ex-boyfriend
  • Lotte Andersen as Jette Dyrehave (seasons 1–2), Bitten's mother
  • Lea Maria Høyer Stensnaes as Rosa (season 1), student
  • Ferdinand Glad Bach as David (seasons 1–3), Jeppe's first boyfriend
  • Peter Gantzler as Niels Madsen (seasons 1–2, 5), Rita's ex-husband
  • Alexandre Willaume as Jonas Poulsen (seasons 2–3), schoolteacher
  • Tommy Kenter as Erik (season 2), schoolteacher
  • Ole Lemmeke as Bjarne (season 4), headmaster
  • Charlotte Munck as Lea (season 4), Rita's childhood friend
    • Sofie Juul as young Lea
  • William Friis Nelausen as Reinulf (seasons 4–5), Hjørdis' and Uffe's son
  • Søs Egelind as Gerd (season 5), Rita's student
  • Nikolaj Dencker Schmidt (season 5), Jeppe's second boyfriend
  • Ari Alexander as Ole (season 5), Jeppe's crush

Guest

  • Lisbet Lundquist as Lillebeth Schmidt Kronborg (season 1), Rita's mother
  • Line Kruse as Gitte Nielsen (season 1), Rita's sister
  • Laura Bach as Gitte Nielsen (season 2), Rita's sister

Episodes

Series overview

SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
189 February 201229 March 2012
2811 September 201330 October 2013
3823 March 201511 May 2015
4821 August 20179 October 2017
581 June 202020 July 2020

Season 1 (2012)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateDanish viewers
(millions)
11"Idealisten"
"The Idealist"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe9 February 2012 (2012-02-09)0.90
22"Læreren"
"The Teacher"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe16 February 2012 (2012-02-16)0.81
33"Anarkisten"
"The Anarchist"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe23 February 2012 (2012-02-23)0.88
44"Hun-ulven"
"The She-Wolf"
Jannik JohansenChristian Torpe1 March 2012 (2012-03-01)0.89
55"Beskytteren"
"The Protector"
Jannik JohansenMarie Østerbye & Christian Torpe8 March 2012 (2012-03-08)0.85
66"Hykleren"
"The Hypocrite"
Jannik JohansenChristian Torpe15 March 2012 (2012-03-15)0.79
77"Prinsessen"
"The Princess"
Lars KaalundMarie Østerbye & Christian Torpe22 March 2012 (2012-03-22)0.80
88"Moderen"
"The Mother"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe29 March 2012 (2012-03-29)0.80

Season 2 (2013)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateDanish viewers
(millions)
91"Den voksne"
"The Adult"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe11 September 2013 (2013-09-11)0.65
102"Haven"
"The Garden"
Lars KaalundThomas Levin & Christian Torpe & Christina Sederqvist18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)0.75
113"Far, mor og børn"
"Father, Mother and Child"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe & Marie Østerbye25 September 2013 (2013-09-25)0.72
124"Teamplayer"
"Team Player"
Kathrine WindfeldMette Heeno2 October 2013 (2013-10-02)0.79
135"Jeg elsker dig"
"I Love You"
Kathrine WindfeldMarie Østerbye9 October 2013 (2013-10-09)0.76
146"Den første kærlighed"
"The First Love"
Kathrine WindfeldMarie Østerbye16 October 2013 (2013-10-16)0.69
157"Rollemodellen"
"The Role Model"
Lars KaalundStefan Jaworski & Christoffer Örnfelt23 October 2013 (2013-10-23)0.75
168"Ukrudt"
"The Weeds"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe & Marie Østerbye30 October 2013 (2013-10-30)0.73

Season 3 (2015)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateDanish viewers
(millions)
171"Kandidaten"
"The Candidate"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe & Marie Østerbye23 March 2015 (2015-03-23)0.80
182"Kælderen"
"The Basement"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe & Marie Østerbye23 March 2015 (2015-03-23)0.87
193"Sponsorbarnet"
"The Sponsor Child"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe & Marie Østerbye & Simon Odid Weil30 March 2015 (2015-03-30)0.70
204"Aftenskole"
"Evening School"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe & Marie Østerbye6 April 2015 (2015-04-06)0.77
215"Lus"
"Lice"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe & Simon Odid Weil13 April 2015 (2015-04-13)0.76
226"Frit fald"
"Freefall"
Mogens HagedornChristian Torpe & Jenny Lund Madsen20 April 2015 (2015-04-20)0.76
237"Lederen"
"The Head"
Mogens HagedornChristian Torpe & Marie Østerbye27 April 2015 (2015-04-27)0.72
248"Testen"
"The Test"
Mogens HagedornChristian Torpe11 May 2015 (2015-05-11)0.74

Season 4 (2017)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateDanish viewers
(millions)
251"Nutid/datid"
"Present/past"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe & Jannik Tai Mosholt21 August 2017 (2017-08-21)0.77
262"Du bliver, hvad du spiser"
"You Become What You Eat"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe & Jannik Tai Mosholt28 August 2017 (2017-08-28)0.68
273"Tøbrud"
"Thaw"
Lars KaalundChristian Torpe, Jannik Tai Mosholt & Simon Oded Weil4 September 2017 (2017-09-04)0.56
284"Rigtige Venner"
"Real Friends"
Natasha ArthyJannik Tai Mosholt, Christian Torpe & Jenny Lund Madsen11 September 2017 (2017-09-11)0.66
295"Dig og mig"
"You and I"
Natasha ArthyJannik Tai Mosholt, Christian Torpe & Ina Bruhn18 September 2017 (2017-09-18)0.60
306"Barndommens gade"
"Childhood Streets"
Lars KaalundJannik Tai Mosholt, Christian Torpe & Simon Oded Weil25 September 2017 (2017-09-25)0.59
317"Familie"
"Family"
Lars KaalundJannik Tai Mosholt, Christian Torpe & Ina Bruhn2 October 2017 (2017-10-02)0.63
328"Hjemme"
"Home"
Lars KaalundJannik Tai Mosholt, Christian Torpe & Marie Østerbye9 October 2017 (2017-10-09)0.63

Season 5 (2020)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byOriginal air dateDanish viewers
(millions)
331"Fake News"
"Fake News"
Lars Kaalund1 June 2020 (2020-06-01)0.76
342"Hurlumhejhus"
"Hullabaloo House"
Lars Kaalund8 June 2020 (2020-06-08)0.62
353"Udflugten"
"The Outing"
Lars Kaalund15 June 2020 (2020-06-15)0.48
364"Do You Speak English?"
"Do You Speak English?"
Lars Kaalund22 June 2020 (2020-06-22)0.56
375"Hedetur"
"Hot Flash"
Lars Kaalund29 June 2020 (2020-06-29)0.56
386"Grænser"
"Boundaries"
Lars Kaalund6 July 2020 (2020-07-06)0.53
397"Søen"
"The Lake"
Lars Kaalund13 July 2020 (2020-07-13)0.44
408"Kaos"
"Chaos"
Lars Kaalund20 July 2020 (2020-07-20)0.44

Adaptations

A US remake was planned with a pilot episode filmed in 2013, starring Anna Gunn, but it was not picked up as a series.[12][13] In 2019, American premium cable network Showtime commissioned a pilot order for a remake starring Lena Headey. The series will be a joint production between Showtime Networks and Platform One Media. Torpe will serve as showrunner and write the pilot episode while Headey will also act as executive producer.[14]

A Dutch remake called Tessa was made, airing in November 2015 on NPO 1, lasting only one season. The lead role was played by Thekla Reuten, following the storyline of Rita Season one, with only a few changes. The series has also been remade in France by TF1 as Sam, starring Mathilde Seigner in the title role, with the show spanning 3 seasons to date. The second season of Sam entered production in 2017 with Natacha Lindinger replacing Seigner in the title role.[15]

References

  1. "Denmark's TV 2 and Netflix Team On Third Season Of Rita". Netflix Media Center. Copenhagen, Denmark: Netflix. 12 January 2015. Archived from the original (Press Release) on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  2. "Netflix Partners SF Production, TV2 On Rita 3". www.nordiskfilmogtvfond.com. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  3. "'Rita' vender tilbage for sidste gang: 'Hold kæft, jeg kommer til at savne dig!'". B.T. (in Danish). Berlingske Media. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  4. "Rita Season 5 is to Premiere on Netflix on August 15, 2020". Premier Date. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  5. Palle, Henrik. "Palle om ny tv-serie: »Rita, du, har ramt mig nu«" (in Danish). Politiken. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  6. Oh Land & Lily Pads, Popservations, February 9, 2012
  7. "Hjørdis". 1 January 2000. Retrieved 14 January 2017 via IMDb.
  8. "Hjørdis fra "Rita" får sin egen TV-serie" (in Danish). Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  9. "Naive Hjørdis fra 'Rita' får sin egen tv-serie" (in Danish). Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  10. Braagaard, Natali. "Dinesen vinder pris for "Rita"". TV2 Nyheder (in Danish). Denmark: TV2 (Denmark). Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  11. Hansen, Stine (23 September 2012). "'Rita' nomineret til flere store priser" (in Danish). Copenhagen, Denmark: BT. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  12. Boesen, Steffen (10 December 2012). "Populær TV 2-serie bliver genindspillet i USA" (in Danish). Copenhagen, Denmark: Politiken. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  13. Andreeva, Nellie (2013-07-26). "UPDATE: Pilot 'Rita' Gets A Pass At Bravo, Other Networks Interested". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  14. Petski, Denise (June 27, 2019). "Lena Headey To Star In & Executive Produce Dramedy Pilot 'Rita' Based On Danish Series At Showtime". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  15. "Sam : la saison 2 en tournage dès le mois de mai". hd1 (in French). 2017-03-03. Retrieved 2017-08-26.
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