13/09/2022 - Set to premiere on Viaplay next year, the show follows a primary-school teacher who keeps her husband’s highly profitable porn business a secret

Last week, Viaplay announced a new original production, an eight-episode comedy-drama series called In the Name of Love. Toplined by Maria Bonnevie (Another Round [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Trond Espen Seim (Amundsen [+see also:
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film profile]), Jakob Oftebro (Margrete – Queen of the North [+see also:
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interview: Charlotte Sieling
film profile]) and Jonas Oftebro (Ragnarok [+see also:
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series profile]), the story is set in 1970s Norway and follows Anne-Lise Bang (Bonnevie), a primary-school teacher who does everything she can to keep her husband Lars’ (Seim) highly lucrative porn business a secret. For his part, Lars sees his line of work as an act of social protest. Their two sons, played by real-life brothers Jakob and Jonas Oftebro, are caught in the middle – until a family confrontation becomes inevitable.

The show, which recently entered production in Oslo, is created and directed by Bård Breien, best known for his award-winning black comedy The Art of Negative Thinking [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2006).

Breien was inspired by his unusual childhood: “I grew up in a fantastic family who lived an increasingly wild life in the 1970s and 1980s due to the money my father earned from porn. Neither I nor my family came out unscathed. That’s why it feels extra good to finally be telling this story together with Viaplay.”

Meanwhile, Filippa Wallestam, Viaplay Group’s chief content officer, added: “In this exciting Viaplay Original, Bård Breien offers viewers a unique window into both his own life and a hidden chapter in modern Norwegian social history. In the Name of Love is a compelling, character-driven show with an incredible cast. It once again highlights Viaplay’s position as the leading producer of premium Nordic drama for a broad local and international audience.”

In the Name of Love is being produced by Rebecca Mathiesen and Finn Gjerdum for Norway’s Paradox, with Kari Moen Kristiansen serving as the executive producer for Viaplay. Viaplay Content Distribution is in charge of its global sales. The show will premiere exclusively on Viaplay in 2023.