Culture

When it first aired in 2010, Borgen (a nickname the Danes call Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court and the PM’s office) made waves internationally as a sort of European West Wing. 

Created by the producers of the highly-acclaimed The Killing, Borgen is centred around politician Birgitte Nyborg (played by Sidse Babett Knudsen) who becomes Denmark’s first female prime minister and of the political machinations that goes on behind closed doors at Borgen. 

But one of the series’ strongest traits that probably made it so relevant to audiences the world over, are the charismatic and complex cast of characters, each one as multi-dimensional as the next. The series’ narrative goes beyond the politics to touch on each character’s unique storylines, touching on themes such as family, career, democracy and integrity. 

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until 2022 for the fourth season to air, but in the meantime Netflix Malaysia is currently streaming all three seasons and now is the perfect time to get acquainted with the series. 

To prove what a hit the series has been overseas, many of the main cast members have since been given Hollywood roles including Knudsen who starred in HBO’s Westworld and Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, who plays star reporter and journalist Katrine Fønsmark has since starred in Pitch Perfect 2 as well as Pilou Asbaek, who plays Nyborg’s spin doctor, has landed himself a role in Game of Thrones.