Borgen () is a Danish political drama television series. Adam Price is the co-writer and developer of the series, together with Jeppe Gjervig Gram and Tobias Lindholm. The first three seasons were produced by the Danish public broadcaster DR, while season 4, Power & Glory, was produced by SAM Productions on behalf of DR, which previously produced The Killing. In Denmark, "Borgen" () is the informal name of Christiansborg Palace where all three branches of Danish government reside: the Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme Court, and is often used as a stand in term for the Danish Parliament ().
The programme tells how, against all the odds, Birgitte Nyborg Christensen (Sidse Babett Knudsen)—a minor centrist politician—becomes the first female prime minister of Denmark. Other main characters are Birgitte Hjort Sørensen as Katrine Fønsmark, a TV1 news anchor; Pilou Asbæk as Kasper Juul, a spin doctor; Søren Malling as Torben Friis, news editor for TV1; Mikael Birkkjær as Birgitte's husband, Phillip; and Benedikte Hansen as Hanne Holm, a journalist.
The first season of Borgen premiered in Denmark on 26 September 2010. Two more seasons, each also ten episodes long, followed in September 2011 and January 2013. Nine years later, in February 2022, the eight-episode fourth season (subtitled Power & Glory) was released in collaboration with Netflix.
Birgitte Nyborg Adam Price, the creator of the series, has stated, "I definitely want you to believe there is a shred of idealism in Birgitte Nyborg that is real. She's also become a very professional political being, but there is definitely that idealism, and that's important.""Borgen creator Adam Price on what's next for Birgitte Nyborg in the show's third and final series", The Guardian, 14 November 2013. Accessed 20 December 2013
Sidse Babett Knudsen plays Nyborg. In describing her relationship with the character, she said, "They liked to see a woman feeling guilty and I didn't like that ... I think [Nyborg] should be responsible for her feelings. And when she has to make unsympathetic decisions, she should stand by them. I don't want her to feel sorry for herself or suddenly become a soppy mess in her private life, because you wouldn't believe her as a prime minister if she did that.""Borgen: Sidse Babett Knudsen interview", The Telegraph, 27 Jan 2012. Accessed 20 December 2013
In the first episode, Birgitte is the leader of a minority political party, the "Moderates" (which corresponds with the Danish party of the Center-Left, as one of the Radical Parties of Western European nations, the Danish party known in English as the Danish Social Liberal Party and in Danish as "Radikale Venstre", or "Radikale B"). However, as a result of a sequence of events following a closely fought general election, she finds herself a compromise candidate for the role of prime minister and wins, juggling a variety of interests among her collaborators. She learns on the job and serves in this position until the end of the second series. In the first series, she is known as Birgitte Nyborg Christensen. She and her husband Philip Christensen separate, in part because of tensions arising from her job responsibilities and how it affects her family, including two children. The couple divorce at the end of the first episode of series two, and she uses the name Birgitte Nyborg.
In the elapsed time between the second and third series, Nyborg loses her position. She leaves the government and becomes a businesswoman and public speaker. She returns in the third series to form a new political party, the "New Democrats". The series ends with Nyborg taking up the position of the Danish foreign minister."Clive James: Losing sleep over beautiful Birgitte", The Telegraph, 20 November 2013. Accessed 20 December 2013
In the fourth season, titled Riget, Magten, og Æren (Power & Glory), Nyborg remains as foreign minister. She has to navigate the implication of oil being found in Greenland, which threatens to derail her party's green agenda, sparks an international crisis with the US, China, and Russia; and pushes the government to the brink of collapse."Jasper Rees: Borgen: Power & Glory, review: the seminal Scandi series makes a triumphant return", The Telegraph, 02 June 2022. Accessed 05 June 2022
The series ended with Nyborg having resigned as leader of the New Democrats and foreign minister. It also hints that Nyborg will become the next Danish Commissioner of the European Commission.
Cast Actor Character Role Sidse Babett Knudsen Birgitte Nyborg Moderate party leader and prime minister (season 1 & 2)New Democrats party leader (season 3 & 4)Foreign Minister (season 3 & 4) Nyborg-Christensen family Mikael Birkkjær Phillip Christensen Birgitte Nyborg's husbandlecturer at Copenhagen Business School Freja Riemann Laura Christensen Birgitte Nyborg-Christensen and Phillip Christensen's daughter Emil Poulsen (season 1, 2 & 3)Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen (season 4) Magnus Christensen Birgitte Nyborg-Christensen and Phillip Christensen's son Birgitte Nyborg's staff Pilou Asbæk Kasper Juul Communications chief for Birgitte Nyborg (season 1 & 2)Journalist (season 3) Morten Kirkskov Niels Erik Lund Prime Minister's Office permanent secretary Iben Dorner Sanne Prime Minister's Office personal assistant Hanne Hedelund Jytte Prime Minister's Office secretary Mikkel Boe Følsgaard Asger Holm Kirkegaard Deputy ambassador to the Arctic Simon Bennebjerg Oliver Hjorth Ministry of Foreign Affairs personal assistant Magnus Millang Rasmus Gren Lundbæk Ministry of Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Channel TV1 Birgitte Hjort Sørensen Katrine Fønsmark TV1/Ekspres journalist (season 1 & 2)New Democrats Campaign Manager (season 3)TV1 Head of News (season 4) Benedikte Hansen Hanne Holm Journalist on TV1 (season 1 & 3)Ekspres journalist (season 2) Søren Malling Torben Friis TV1 news editor Lisbeth Wulff Pia Munk TV1 editor Thomas Levin Ulrik Mørch TV1 news anchor Christian Tafdrup Alexander 'Alex' Hjort TV1 programme director Anders Juul Simon Bech TV1 news anchor Özlem Saglanmak Narciza Aydin TV1 news anchor Nyborg's government Lars Knutzon Bent Sejrø Finance minister (season 1), later Birgitte's advisor (seasons 2, 3 and 4) Dar Salim Amir Diwan Green Party leader, Energy and Climate minister Stine Stengade Henriette Klitgaard Business minister (Moderate Party) Jens Jacob Tychsen Jacob Kruse EU Minister (Moderate Party), later EU Commissioner, later Moderate Party leader New Democrats Kristian Halken Erik Hoffmann Former vice-chairman of the New Right party Julie Agnete Vang Nete Buch Former Moderate member of parliament Jens Albinus Jon Berthelsen Former Moderate member of parliamentMinister of Justice (season 4) Laura Allen Müller Nadia Barazani New Democrats member of parliamentMinister of Climate and Energy (season 4) Lars Mikkelsen Søren Ravn New Democrats economics consultant Labour Party Peter Mygind Michael Laugesen Labour leaderEkspres newspaper editor Flemming Sørensen Bjørn Marrot Foreign minister, Labour leader (replacing Laugesen) Lars Brygmann Troels Höxenhaven Justice minister and Labour deputy leader,later Foreign minister and Labour leader (replacing Marrot) Bjarne Henriksen Hans Christian Thorsen Defence minister, later Foreign minister and Labour leader (replacing Höxenhaven) Petrine Ager Pernille Madsen Equality minister, later Finance minister and Labour deputy leader Johanne Louise Schmidt Signe Kragh Prime minister (season 4) Party leaders Søren Spanning Lars Hesselboe Liberal leaderPrime Minister (seasons 1 & 3) Ole Thestrup Svend Åge Saltum Freedom leader Marie Askehave Benedikte Nedergaard Freedom deputy leader Jannie Faurschou Yvonne Kjær New Right leader Signe Egholm Olsen Anne Sophie Lindenkrone Solidarity Party leader Members of the Danish Parliament Fadime Turan Aicha Nagrawi Solidarity Claus Bue Parly Petersen Labour Mette Kolding Inger Hansen Liberal Greenlandic government Angunnguaq Larsen Jens Enok Berthelsen Prime Minister for Greenland (seasons 1 & 2) / MP for Greenland (season 4) Svend Hardenberg Hans Eliassen Resource minister Nivi Pedersen Emmy Rasmussen Premier's office head of department Other characters Alastair Mackenzie Jeremy Welsh Birgitte Nyborg's boyfriend (season 3) Claus Riis Østergaard Ole Dahl Communications chief for Lars Hesselboe (season 1) Mille Dinesen Cecilie Toft Phillip Christensen's girlfriendPaediatrician (season 2)
Political parties and media
While the political parties in the series are fictional, they may be recognisable as their real-life equivalents."Revealed: the real Borgen", The Radio Times, 4 February 2012 The Moderates (De Moderate), Birgitte Nyborg's centrist party in the first two series, is based on the Danish Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre) The centre-left Labour Party (Arbejderpartiet) is based on the Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne) The left-wing environmentalist Green Party (Miljøpartiet) is similar to the Socialist People's Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti) The far-left Solidarity Collective (Solidarisk Samling) is similar to the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) The New Democrats (Nye Demokrater), Birgitte Nyborg's new centrist party in the third season is based on the New Alliance (Ny Alliance) The centre-right Liberal Party (De Liberale) is based on Venstre New Right (Ny Højre) is similar to the conservative Conservative People's Party (Konservative Folkeparti) The national-conservative Freedom Party (Frihedspartiet) is stated by party leader Svend Åge Saltum to be a successor party to Mogens Glistrup's Progress Party (Fremskridtspartiet), just like its real-life successor Danish People's Party (Dansk Folkeparti) The fictional broadcasters and newspapers also have their real-life equivalents: the public broadcaster TV1 is based on DR1, the tabloid newspaper Ekspres is inspired by Ekstra Bladet, and the commercial 2'eren is similar to TV 2.
Election results Season 1 starts with a general election that leads to a multi-party government that includes the Moderates, Labour and the Greens, supported by the Solidarity Collective. This continues into Season 2, with the Greens leaving government towards the end of that season.
Season 3 follows an election where the Liberals are back in power with the New Right, supported by the Freedom Party and the Moderates. The finale includes a snap election that ends with the Liberals forming a centre ground coalition with the New Right and the New Democrats, supported by the Moderates, with no involvement from the Freedom Party.
Season 4 begins with the Labour Party (the largest party) and the New Democrats (with 14 seats) in coalition, supported by the Greens, Solidarity and Greenlandic representatives. The government only has a majority of one based on this support. It is stated that the opposition includes the Liberals with 42 seats, the Freedom Party with 27 seats and the New Right with 18 seats.
Episodes
Reception The series has been well received by critics and audiences alike. It became a hit in Denmark as well as Australia, the UK and the US (via Netflix), becoming one of several Danish series to do so in recent years. Maggie Brown of The Guardian cited the strong female characters, originality and an ability to "uncannily forecast actual developments in Danish politics" as reasons for its success. Jane Merrick of The Independent published a list of similarities from Series 2 to actual events in present-day UK politics following the conclusion of the series in the UK.