General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Trom

Trom is a six-episode Faroese-Danish crime drama that premiered on the streaming service Viaplay on 13 February 2022, with all six episodes released at once.¹ It is the first TV drama series ever produced in and about the Faroe Islands.² The series was created by Torfinnur Jákupsson, adapted from Jógvan Isaksen's crime novels about the journalist Hannis Martinsson, and stars Ulrich Thomsen, Maria Rich, and Olaf Johannessen.³

Key fact	Detail
Format	Six-part crime drama, one season, episodes of roughly 40–45 minutes, Danish and Faroese with English subtitles¹^•⁴
Premiere	13 February 2022 on Viaplay; all six episodes released simultaneously¹
First of its kind	The first TV drama series ever produced in the Faroe Islands²
Source material	Jógvan Isaksen's crime novels about journalist Hannis Martinsson³
Lead cast	Ulrich Thomsen (Hannis Martinsson), Maria Rich (DCI Karla Mohr), Olaf Johannessen (Ragnar í Rong)¹
Directors	Kasper Barfoed and Davíð Óskar Ólafsson¹
Award	Nymphe D'or / Prix Spécial du Jury Fiction at the 61st Monte-Carlo TV Festival 2022²
Audience score	6.7/10 on IMDb from about 2,500 users⁵

Spoilers

Plot

The journalist Hannis Martinsson receives an unexpected message from Sonja á Heyggi, a young Faroese animal rights activist who claims she is his daughter and that her life is in danger. He returns to his home in the Faroe Islands to investigate her disappearance and finds her dead body in the water during a local whale hunt.⁶ His search for answers brings him into conflict with the local police, in particular Detective Chief Inspector Karla Mohr, and exposes a web of secrets and lies in the close-knit island community.⁶

The investigation points into the local fishing community, toward an activist group, and toward Ragnar í Rong, the island's powerful businessman, played by Olaf Johannessen.¹ The six episodes are titled "Goodbye and Hello", "A New Dawn", "Wall of Silence", "Defend, Conserve, Protect", "Follow the River", and "Give and Take".⁷

Production

Origins. Creator Torfinnur Jákupsson, a Faroese screenwriter, showrunner, and executive producer, conceived the project as a teenager working in a fish factory in his hometown, overlooking the mountain where the first murder occurs in Isaksen's novels. He moved to London, worked as a freelance journalist for about ten years, and in his thirties returned to the Faroe Islands to write the first draft of what became Trom.⁸ He is a graduate of the Audio Production MA course at the University of Westminster.²

The series was produced by REinvent Studios in Denmark with the Faroese company Kyk Pictures for Viaplay, then the streaming service of NENT Group, in co-production with True North and ZDF/ARTE, with Jón Hammer as Kyk Pictures' producer and Rikke Ennis producing for REinvent.³^•¹ It received support from the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, the Faroese Film Institute, and the Creative Europe Media Programme of the European Union.¹ Filming took place in the Faroe Islands in spring and summer 2021, and the landscape was treated as an integral part of the story.¹ Jákupsson has described the show as a fictional version of the Faroes that works as social commentary wrapped in a crime story, balancing foreign and Faroese perspectives in a writers' room of three nationalities.⁸

Title

"Trom" is Faroese for a cliff's edge.⁵ The Financial Times noted that the title can be translated as "edge" and is multivalent, referring to the archipelago's mountainous landscape, its position on the fringes of the globe, and the perilous situation of characters who uncover corruption in government, business, and law enforcement.⁹

Reception

Broadcast and reviews. After the Viaplay premiere, the series aired on BBC Four in the United Kingdom from 9 July 2022, two episodes per Saturday night, concluding on 23 July.⁹ The Telegraph's review was titled "Scandi noir comes to the Faroe Islands — and it's beautiful" and called the series "bold, striking and something different", noting its vivid color and Faroese scenery in contrast with the usual gray Nordic noir palette.⁹ The Financial Times wrote that viewers who relish patient storytelling and striking cinematography would find plenty to enjoy.⁹ On Rotten Tomatoes the season holds a 78% Popcornmeter average from fewer than 50 audience ratings, with one listed critic review.⁷ IMDb users give it 6.7 out of 10.⁵

Awards and festival selections. Trom won the Nymphe D'or / Prix Spécial du Jury Fiction at the 61st Monte-Carlo TV Festival in 2022, was selected for TV Drama Vision at the Göteborg Film Festival 2022, received the "Silvurgrindin" from the Faroese Film Institute in 2021, and was selected for Co-Pro Series/Drama Series Days at the Berlinale in 2019.²

Distribution. The series streams on Viaplay in Sweden and is available in the United States through MHz Choice, with rental or purchase on Amazon Video.⁶^•⁴^•¹⁰

Aftermath

Only one season was made. A Swedish premiere-date tracker lists the series as ended, with no second season forthcoming.¹¹ A review in We Are Movie Geeks reported that a second season had been ready to proceed but was delayed by an impasse in negotiations between unions and streamers in Denmark.¹² Jákupsson and producer Jón Hammer subsequently developed a new Faroese geopolitical thriller, "Tinganes", with production expected in 2023.¹³

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Crime and thriller series › Police and detective procedurals

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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