📺 Detective Hole (2026)

Netflix's "Detective Hole" marks a significant milestone as the first screen adaptation to directly tackle Jo Nesbø's labyrinthine 2003 novel "The Devil's Star," bringing the author himself on board as showrunner to shepherd his own work to the screen. Rather than a straightforward page-to-screen translation, the series reimagines the source material's timeline, opening with a devastating prologue in which Harry Hole, driving under the influence, causes a car crash that kills his partner Lars — an event that haunts him five years later when the main narrative unfolds. This structural shift adds fresh psychological weight to Harry's guilt and sobriety struggles, while also deepening the personal stakes between him and his nemesis Tom Waaler, who is revealed to have been Lars's secret boyfriend, transforming their antagonism from professional corruption into something far more intimate and vengeful.

The adaptation preserves the novel's core elements — the serial killer leaving a devil's star-shaped diamond at crime scenes, the occult-tinged murders of young women, and the dual investigation into both the killings and Waaler's criminal empire — but expands the world considerably. The secret society that Waaler belongs to is fleshed out into a shadowy, cult-like organization whose masked members hold positions of power across Oslo's institutions, giving the conspiracy a broader, more sinister reach than in the book. The series also introduces new characters and subplots, weaving Harry's personal obsession with a five-year-old bank robbery into the present-day murder investigation, creating a denser narrative tapestry that rewards attentive viewing across its nine episodes.

Visually, "Detective Hole" embraces the icy, atmospheric aesthetic of Nordic noir, using Oslo's winter landscapes — snowy streets, frozen waterways, and stark modernist architecture — as more than mere backdrop. The city becomes a character in itself, its cold silences and long shadows mirroring Harry's internal desolation. Tobias Santelmann's portrayal of the titular detective leans into the character's hard-boiled melancholy, a man who has learned to live with his demons rather than conquer them, while Joel Kinnaman's Tom Waaler is a standout, playing the corrupt cop with a chilling composure that masks genuine rot. The production itself made history as the largest shoot ever undertaken in Oslo, spanning 113 days across more than 160 locations, and represents Working Title's first non-English language television production.

Critical reception has noted that while the series doesn't necessarily reinvent the serial killer thriller, its execution is masterful — kinetic pacing, jaw-dropping twists, and a commitment to character-driven suspense elevate it above standard genre fare. Nesbø's intimate involvement ensures the adaptation captures the novel's moral complexity, particularly its exploration of how the pursuit of justice can corrode the pursuer. The decision to title the series "Detective Hole" internationally (while retaining "Harry Hole" in Scandinavia) signals Netflix's ambition to build a franchise around the character, with the post-credits scene hinting at future installments drawn from Nesbø's extensive bibliography.