Series Mania’s winning series has set history as the first Norwegian show ever to do better online than on linear TV for NRK.

Exit which won Series Mania’s International Panorama Award in March, was a buzzed about series even before it reached Norwegian viewers, and it had many ingredients to make it big at home.

The first original scripted drama produced by Fremantle Norway reunites successful writer/director Øysten Karlsen (Dag, One Night) and an A-list Scandinavian cast including Pål Sverre Hagen (Valkyrien) Tobias Santelmann (The Last Kingdom), Jon Øigarden (Mammon), Agnes Kittelsen (Happy, Happy), Ine Marie Wilmann (Sonja-the White Swan) and Swedish-born Simon J. Berger (Hidden). The dark drama is based on true stories from Norway's exclusive financial world.

It follows four friends in their 30s, from the wealthy west side of Oslo, who try to escape from the everyday pressure and obligations by using drugs, prostitutes, challenging their own sets of moral values.

Carried by heavy media coverage, the 8x32’ series premiered on NRK September 27. All episodes were shown simultaneously on NRK’s streaming platform NRK TV, and then two +two episodes went on linear every subsequent Friday after the 23 o’clock news.

After one week, TSR hit the roof more than one million viewers, of which 690,000 via NRK TV and 353,000 on traditional TV. Average TSR were 754,000 after a week, with more than double viewers online (622,000 vs 266,000). 

Commenting on the record viewers, NRK’s Head of Drama Ivar Køhn told nordifilmandtvnews.com: “Exit shows how important streaming has become for drama in Norway. It’s a fantastic Norwegian success, with hundreds of media articles about the financial business, the show and the actors. It will go wider than Home Ground,” claims Køhn.

Fremantle Norway CEO and executive producer Petter Testmann-Koch added: “Every since we got the idea for the show, we imaged we would create a bit of noise if we got it commissioned, but this kind of buzz and such a big audience is just overwhelming, and nothing we could foresee. A huge accolade to the team!”

Asked if a second season was in development, Testmann-Koch said: “Absolutely. We have stories for another season or two. After a potential three season run, we believe we will come to an end.”

Exit is introduced for the first time by Fremantle International at this week’s MIPCOM in Cannes; according to Testmann-Koch, interest on the international market is already very strong. The series was acquired by Nordvision’s Nordic 12 alliance and will also air on SVT, Yle, DR and RÚV.