Matador (1978)

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Overview

Matador is a Danish TV series produced and shown between 1978 and 1982. It is set in the fictional Danish town of Korsbæk between 1929 and 1947. It follows the lives of a range of characters from across the social spectrum, focusing specifically on the rivalry between the families of two businessmen: The banker Hans Christian Varnæs, an established local worthy, and social climber Mads Skjern, who arrives in town as the series opens. The name Matador was taken from the localised edition of the boardgame Monopoly, also the series' tentative English title. In addition, in contemporary Danish a "matador" is often used to describe a business tycoon, in the series referring to the character of Mads Skjern and his craftiness as a self-made entrepreneur.

Directed by famed Danish film maker Erik Balling, Matador was the idea of author Lise Nørgaard who wrote the bulk of the episodes alongside Karen Smith, Jens Louis Petersen and Paul Hammerich. The series is one of the most well-known and popular examples of Danish television and represents the peak of longtime development of Danish TV drama by the public service channel Danmarks Radio.

The series has become part of the modern self-understanding of Danes, partly because of its successful mix of melodrama and a distinct warm Danish humour in the depiction of characters, which were portrayed by a wide range of the most popular Danish actors at the time; but also not least because of its accurate portrayal of a turbulent Denmark from around the start of the Great Depression and through Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark in World War II.

  1. Erik Balling

    Creator

  2. Lise Nørgaard

    Creator

Series Cast

  1. Holger Juul Hansen as Hans Christian Varnæs

    Holger Juul Hansen

    Hans Christian Varnæs

    24 Episodes

  2. Malene Schwartz as Maude Varnæs

    Malene Schwartz

    Maude Varnæs

    24 Episodes

  3. Helle Virkner as Elisabeth Friis

    Helle Virkner

    Elisabeth Friis

    24 Episodes

  4. Jørgen Buckhøj as Mads Andersen-Skjern

    Jørgen Buckhøj

    Mads Andersen-Skjern

    24 Episodes

  5. Ghita Nørby as Ingeborg Skjern

    Ghita Nørby

    Ingeborg Skjern

    24 Episodes

  6. Kirsten Olesen as Agnes Jensen

    Kirsten Olesen

    Agnes Jensen

    24 Episodes

  7. Elin Reimer as Laura Larsine Sørensen

    Elin Reimer

    Laura Larsine Sørensen

    24 Episodes

  8. Jesper Langberg as Kristen Andersen-Skjern

    Jesper Langberg

    Kristen Andersen-Skjern

    24 Episodes

  9. Karin Nellemose as Misse Møhge

    Karin Nellemose

    Misse Møhge

    24 Episodes

  10. View More

Full Cast & Crew

Last Season

Season 4

1981 • 6 Episodes

Season 4 of Matador premiered on November 28, 1981.

New Look

(4x6, January 2, 1982) Season Finale

View All Seasons

Matador
Matador

Facts

Status Ended

Network

  • See more TV shows from DR1...

Type Scripted

Original Language Danish

Keywords

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Content Score 

100

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