Jo Nesbø, although he is one of the leading lights in the Nordic Noir movement, has seen his work struggle to be adapted to the screen. There has been success, with Headhunters becoming an international hit, but The Snowman, which should have been the breakout moment for his character Harry Hole, ended up a mess due to creative differences and budget troubles. Now Nesbø is taking a leaf out of Michael Connolly’s book, who has had great success on streaming with L.A. noir character Harry Bosch, by being involved in adapting his own work into a series.
Detective Hole is an adaptation of the fifth book in the series The Devil’s Star but don’t worry if this your first exposure to this world as the first episode plays as a Harry Hole greatest hits. Key events and characters from previous books are woven into the narrative so by the time the story from the source material begins you are up to speed on world of Oslo’s most tormented detective.
Tobias Santelmann steps into the role of Harry Hole looking scarily like the author himself. Five years after a traumatic incident during a bank robbery chase that claimed his partner’s life, Harry, an alcoholic, is a man haunted by his own demons. We find him shirtless in a sweltering Oslo apartment, thanks to an oppressive heat wave, obsessively rewatching security footage from that fateful day. Santelmann captures Harry’s haunted intensity without tipping into caricature. His performance is layered: quiet moments of vulnerability where he interacts with his girlfriend Rakel’s teenage son, Oleg, contrast sharply with the raw drive he exhibits when a new lead surfaces. There’s a physicality to the role that Santelmann nails—the slight hunch of a man carrying invisible weight, the piercing gaze that suggests he’s always one step ahead yet perpetually unraveling. He is help by a script that honours the source material’s psychological depth. Harry’s ability to immerse himself in crime scenes, almost envisioning events from the victim’s perspective, adds a haunting, semi-supernatural edge that elevates it beyond standard cop drama.
The episode follows the investigation into the ownership of a gun recovered in a raid that matches a weapon from the bank heist. this unfolds with procedural authenticity of interrogations, chases, and forensic connections, that feels lived-in rather than rushed. The discovery propels him and his partner Ellen through a series of underworld interactions toward a remote cabin and a suspect tied to a larger smuggling operation. What unfolds there is the episode’s standout sequence: tense, visceral, and unexpectedly brutal. Without spoilers, the climax delivers a gut-punch death that redefines the stakes early on, blending personal loss with institutional betrayal. It’s the kind of bold narrative choice that Nesbø made his name with and signals that this isn’t your standard TV cop show.
Santelmann is back by a strong supporting cast. Ingrid Bolsø Berdal’s Ellen, Harry’s partner, brings a grounded warmth that humanises him, making her involvement in the investigation feel earned and tragic. Joel Kinnaman, the biggest name in the cast with the juicest role, as the rival officer Tom Waaler, injects a slick menace that’s instantly compelling. Waaler’s smirking confidence and underlying corruption create an electric dynamic with Harry from their limited shared scenes. You can sense the rivalry simmering, rooted in old grudges and differing approaches to justice.
As with all true noirs, the city is also a character. Here we get a fictionalised version of Oslo, bathed in a hazy, sun-drenched glare that feels oppressive, mirroring Harry’s internal state. The heat wave isn’t just set dressing; it amplifies tension, with the sweat and sticky interiors amping up the discomfort of both the characters and the unfolding mystery. The score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis also adds to the feeling of unease.
This isn’t sanitized entertainment; the violence, when it hits, lands with impact, and the moral ambiguities surrounding the police force itself, although heightened for dramatic effect, feel timely and complex. Corruption isn’t abstract, it’s in your face, embodied in characters like Waaler. It’s not hidden and used as a final episode twist, it’s out front from the start. Yet the episode avoids nihilism by grounding Harry’s pursuit in a quiet sense of duty, however self-destructive. His interactions with Oleg, bonding with the boy at a diving pool, provide rare moments of levity and humanity, hinting at stakes in Harry’s life beyond the case.
The only real flaw of this first episode is that the main story of The Devil’s Star is pushed so far into the background that the interludes involving it feel out of place and forced. Newcomers to the Harry Hole universe might appreciate the context on past events, but fans of the book will be waiting for the story to kick in.
Overall, 36 Seconds serves as an excellent entry point to what will hopefully to a great series. It establishes a world of flawed heroes, hidden threats, and atmospheric dread with the shock twist planting seeds for escalating tension, corruption probes, and deeper personal reckonings. The chemistry between Santelmann and Kinnaman alone makes it worth watching, as their opposing forces threaten to collide in explosive ways.
This is a taut, engaging thriller that finally introduces audiences to a Harry Hole that’s worth following through his demons and Oslo’s underbelly. With strong performances, stylish direction, and a willingness to surprise, it’s an effective hook to get you to come back for more.
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