Netflix’s Billionaire Island brings a mix of shady dealings, sex and salmon, as the streamer returns with a new Nordic series to get embroiled in. This one is special too, marking the return of creators Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin, who were behind one of Netflix’s early Norwegian originals, Lilyhammer.
This time, there are no ageing gangsters from The Sopranos. Instead, we’re thrown into the cut-throat world of the Norwegian salmon industry. While Succession sucked us into the lives of billionaire tech families, Billionaire Island splashes into much fishier waters. (For context, last year the Norwegian salmon industry exported over $9 billion worth of salmon.)
The series opens with a high-stakes merger, where two competing companies are vying to become one of the richest salmon empires in the world. But things quickly get tangled as family fallouts, K-pop bands, protesters and all sorts of other mayhem unfold.
The cast clearly have a lot of fun with this, particularly the main characters, rival CEOs Gjert Meyer (Svein Roger Karlsen) and Julie Lange (Trine Wiggen). Wiggen, especially, excels as the stone-cold leader determined to win it all.
The supporting cast features plenty of new faces, which is refreshing, but it also makes it a little harder to connect at first. Axel Boyum, with his bleached eyebrows, adds some quirky energy, while Norwegian legend Bjørn Sundquist enters later on in a storyline that, although not the strongest, still plays an important role.
The series standout, however, has to be Hanne Skille Reitan. She plays Gjert Meyer’s daughter, whose unhinged behaviour provides some of the series’ most comedic and shocking moments.
What makes Billionaire Island both entertaining (and a little frustrating) is that it never seems entirely sure of what it wants to be. Does it want to be dark and serious, or light and fluffy? Comedic or dramatic? A lot is packed into the six episodes, and while it may seem a bit silly at times, it’s undeniably entertaining.
If you’re a fan of other slightly irreverent Nordic series, you’ll know what to expect, but Billionaire Island does bring something fresh by leaning into its more outrageous moments. After watching, you may never look at salmon the same way again.
With the series ending on several unresolved storylines, we might find ourselves back in these chaotic waters for more salmon-shaped drama soon – and I can’t wait to see how this all develops.
Billionaire Island is showing on Netflix from the 12th September and will be available worldwide on the platform.
