Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole: Everything We Know About Netflix’s New Crime Drama

If you love Nordic Noir classics like The Bridge and The Killing, we’ve got another binge-worthy show to add to your watchlist: Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole. Dropping on Netflix this week, the series is adapted from the bestselling Harry Hole book series written by the eponymous Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø – one of the most prolific crime novelists of our time. Fans of the book need not worry about the show not doing the books justice: Nesbø is the creator and executive producer, describing Detective Hole as a ‘truly dark and twisted journey’. Intrigued? Here’s everything we know so far.

Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole: Plot, Cast, Filming Locations

The Plot

An adaptation of Nesbø’s fifth book The Devil’s Star, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole follows brilliant but tormented Oslo homicide detective Harry Hole (Tobias Santelmann) on his hunt for a serial killer. At the same time, Harry is on a mission to prove fellow detective Tom Waaler (Joel Kinnaman) – who is also put on the case – is actually corrupt and involved in serious crimes. The series becomes both a whodunnit and a moral battle between the two officers: think Line of Duty crossed with Luther. Can Harry succeed in both finding the murderer and bringing his nemesis to justice?

Director and executive producer Øystein Karlsen told Tudum: ‘It is a great mix of a fast-paced whodunit and a genuine drama with real people and lives the viewer can relate to – and it has more twists and turns than I can remember having seen in any thriller series.’

Joel Kinnaman as Tom Waaler, Tobias Santelmann as Harry Hole. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024

The Cast

Leading the cast is German-born Norwegian actor Tobias Santelmann as Harry Hole, best known for starring in the film Kon-Tiki (2012) as well as drama series Exit (2019 – 2023). He described feeling ‘incredibly humbled by the trust’ he has been given in taking on one of crime fiction’s most memorable detectives. ‘Harry Hole isn’t just another detective – he is a character readers around the world have lived with for almost 30 years, and I am grateful for the opportunity to bring him to the screen,’ said Santelmann. Harry is a classic anti-hero: he is stubborn and suffers with alcoholism, but deeply intelligent and skilled in solving murders, with a strong moral compass. ‘For me, ​it’s important to create a recognisable but also unexpected Harry.’

Waaler is played by Joel Kinnaman, who is no stranger to the genre having starred in shows like The Killing – as well as Netflix sci-fi Altered Carbon. Pia Tjelta (Made in Oslo, State of Happiness) plays Rakel Fauke – Harry’s long-term love interest in the book series, who has a key role in The Devil’s Star.

Pia Tjelta as Rakel Fauke. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024

The cast also includes:

• Danielsen Lie
• Dahl Torp
• Peter Stormare
• Anders Baasmo
• Henriette Steenstrup
• Kåre Conradi
• Eili Harboe
• Atle Antonsen
• Manish Sharma
• Henriette Steenstrup
• Jesper Christensen
• Kristoffer Joner
• Ingrid Bolsø Berdal
• Linn Skåber

Where Was Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole Filmed?

Bringing authenticity to the story, the series was filmed in different locations across Oslo, including some of Harry’s favourite haunts from the series like Restaurant Schrøder in Waldemar Thranes. We see St. Hanshaugen Park, the area surrounding Harry’s home (Sofies gate 5, a fictional apartment set beside the athletics stadium) and the Oslo Police Headquarters in Grønland.

‘Having been a fan of the books for years, I always felt that Oslo on its own is such an important character in the stories,’ says Karlsen. ‘It has the perfect mixture of rich and poor, dark and light, old and new, to balance the darkness and suspense in the universe that is Harry’s. Jo’s version of Oslo is sort of a Gotham version, and we enhance that in the series.’

Is There A Trailer?

Yes, you can watch the trailer below.

Release Date

All nine episodes will be released globally on Netflix on 26 March 2026.