17/01/2023 - Produced by Zentropa and sold internationally by TrustNordisk, the dramedy will tell the story of “a man with his heart in the right place but whose priorities are wrong”

The Danish eight-episode dramedy series Agent will world premiere at Berlinale Series on 21 February, as part of the 53^rd edition of the Berlinale (16-26 February). The show will compete with six other international series and run for the newly established Berlinale Series Award.

The series was penned and helmed by Nikolaj Lie Kaas who has starred in productions such as Riders of Justice [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anders Thomas Jensen
film profile] (2020), the Zentropa-produced Department Q franchise series, and, more recently, Lars von Trier’s The Kingdom Exodus [+see also:
series review
trailer
interview: Asta Kamma August
interview: Hubert Toint and Mark Denes…
series profile] (2022). He previously directed the TV series Mr. Poxycat & Co. (2007).

Agent promises to be “an intense, funny and touching story about a man with his heart in the right place but whose priorities are wrong.” It focuses on Joe, an industry agent who struggles to keep his clients happy whilst also being a father. His plans rarely go as intended and Joe finds himself in awkward and funny situations as a result. According to the official press release issued yesterday, “a large number of great and well-known Scandinavian actors and personalities partly play themselves in the series.”

The Scandi A-List cast includes the EFP Shooting Star of 2017 Esben Smed (Held for Ransom [+see also:
trailer
film profile], A Fortunate Man [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bille August
film profile]) in the lead role alongside César award-winner Sidse Babett Knudsen (of TV series Borgen and Westworld), Dar Salim (Darkland [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and TV series Game of Thrones), Ulrich Thomsen (The Marco Effect [+see also:
trailer
film profile], The Commune [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Vinterberg
film profile]), and the San Sebastian Silver-Seashell-winning thesp Lars Ranthe (Another Round [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]).

The show’s cinematography was entrusted to DoP Philippe Kress (of TV series Riviera and Quicksand [+see also:
interview: Evin Ahmad
series profile]), while My Thordal (of TV series The Last Kingdom) was in charge of editing.

Commenting on the Berlinale Series selection, the director revealed: “I am honoured that Agent has been selected and I am proud and happy that they have thought of us in this distinguished context. Agent is humorous and deep in equal measure, and I hope the audience will give it a chance and not turn over to Masterchef too quickly.”

Budgeted at €5.7 million, Agent was produced by Louise Vesth of Denmark’s Zentropa Productions for TV 2. Pernille Bech Christensen served as executive producer for TV 2. The series is slated to premiere on TV 2 PLAY and TV 2 over the course of this year.

TrustNordisk is selling the series internationally. As the firm’s managing director Susan Wendt enthused: “We are incredibly proud and excited to have Agent selected for the Berlinale series at this year's festival and to be part of the official programme, which truly is evidence of the increased interest in and appreciation for the series format. We are confident that the series has what it takes to entertain audiences in many corners of the world.”