The Legacy [DVD]

Don’t expect a Nordic noir like The Killing/ The Bridge and so on: this is a story about an unexpected inheritance and family secrets and lies! The first episode is quite slow and will lead you to believe that the whole plot is slow-paced too, but keep watching because, even so it’s all about siblings fighting for a legendary manor, the show is enjoyable and quite gripping.It all starts with the daily routine of the eccentric matron of the Grønnegaard family, Veronika, who is an internationally renowned artist. She has four adult children (from different partners) who have been affected in different ways by this strong and unconventional mother. When Veronika suddenly dies and her family gathers for the inheritance – each individual with a specific agenda, what was meant to be a smooth and fair division of the estate, becomes a more complicated process…Again, this series lacks of the sophistication of other famous Nordic products, both in terms of script and acting (and you’ll sometimes struggle with subtitles due to the speediness of conversations), but it remains a good quality show that will pleasantly entertain you. Personally, I plan to follow season two & three.

Season 1 of this dark family saga sees us meeting the eccentric artist Veronika Grønnegaard. She is doing a new exhibition and is in the middle of her own ego massage when she decides to contact a local florist and takes an unusual shine to her. She then gives her a letter telling her she is the sole beneficiary of her house - worth ten million Kroner. The thing is she has a husband -Thomas - and three children, but she then tells this florist Signe - in a scene reminiscent of Darth Vader that she is actually her daughter - mwaahh!What follows sees the other children come back to get their inheritance or whatever they felt is rightly theirs and the wheels start to come off. This is the sort of plot where there are so many skeletons in everyone's closet that you can see why they would need such a huge house just to fit the very large closet in.This then is deliciously dark with some double deals that Machiavelli would have kicked himself for not having thought of. All the players are above excellent. The cinematography is flawless and the whole thing hangs together with a style and class that the BBC used to be able to do. This is one of those addictive serials where as soon as one episode ends you just have to see the next one. And yes there is a second series - absolutely brilliant, absolutely addictive and absolutely recommended.

Acclaimed Danish artist Veronika suddenly dies, her three offspring Frederik, Gro and Emil converging to learn of their inheritance. Suddenly shocks! The valuable house to become a museum, managed by a Trust? For the brothers that is bad enough. Then revelations of an alleged deathbed will. The house instead to go to a flower shop assistant, who only a day or so earlier learned she was Veronica's daughter.Will the ever quarreling, dislikeable three siblings make mincemeat of the fourth, or will she prove a force to be reckoned with...?What great material for a no-holds-barred family drama! For much of the way it delivers too, especially as very dark secrets come to light.Ten episodes. Sadly everything seems to peak with episode seven, a gradual decline then culminating in ludicrously contrived cliffhangers which undermine the impact of what has gone before.In short? Scripts become dodgy, though acting remains fine. Although flawed, still worth a look.

This Nordic saga of a dysfunctional family, with more skeletons in its cupboard than the Paris catacombs, is a true masterpiece. When the mother, an internationally renowned artist, dies unexpectedly it emerges that she has altered her will in favour of her love child. This causes consternation among the three "legitimate" heirs, and unleashes a torrent of powerful emotions as each of them sees their expectations and dreams dashed by their mother's decision. The spectacle of wealthy people behaving badly as they struggle to acquire more (by any means, fair or foul) makes for compulsive viewing. Our sympathy may at first lie with the young step daughter, a seemingly pleasant girl who works as a florist, but as the plot progresses it becomes clear that she (like her siblings) has inherited some of the nasty genes from her eccentric mother. As a study of human frailties (lust, envy, greed, selfishness, jealousy) The Legacy will have you on the edge of your seat throughout, and... wonderful news!... a second series is on its way. You will not want to miss this superb drama with its convoluted plot, brilliant casting and profound insights into the dark side of human nature.

Ah, families. The same the world over. Only this one is a bit more dysfunctional than others. Renowned progressive artist mother dies, leaving her large expensive house unexpectedly to a daughter who didn't know she was a daughter, much to the surprise and annoyance of the other three siblings who each have different reasons for wanting it. The acting is some of the best on TV (though Signe's grungy naivety and her perennially grumpy boyfriend do grate a little). Secrets gradually leak out as the battle for the possession of the multi-million Euro legacy begins. The story hinges on the various interpretations of the deathbed will etc, but this intriguing drama it is far from dry. No explosions, no muscled men in vests and leggy blondes here, just brilliant scripts and character acting at the highest level. Watch it and then make sure your will is in good order...

From the start the characters are a bit dull , there's just nobody to like or feel a bond with although you do feel that you are not alone if you have a bickering, manipulative family. However, Gro actually grows on you and you realise that Fred is actuallly a pretty sound bloke and then it's finished and you think, blimey I better order series 2. However you have to join PRIME to get it at a decent price. So I guess I'll just have to wait and watch' Witnesses' and Midwinter of the Spirit' 'when it finally is released. Looking forward to seeing Hereford again.