Billionaire Island! The title promises so much. A daring new reality show, perhaps, where the world’s filthiest capitalists compete to see who can survive the longest on an uninhabited Alaska islet. Episode five: an increasingly feral Richard Branson reacts poorly to the Duke of Westminster’s attempt to levy a tax on raindrops. Episode 28: the contestants vote to eat Mark Zuckerberg, only to find his innards are silicon.
Calm down, it’s not that. Billionaire Island is the English translation of Milliardærøya, which is … a Norwegian dramedy about salmon farming. It is about wealthy people – the characters are the dominant entrepreneurs on an island that is a leading player in the global fishing industry – and the story combines a struggle for corporate power with family drama. In other words, Succession with salmon. But the series, created by Lilyhammer showrunners Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin, feels very Norwegian in its outlook and humour. It is dry, wry and droll. Its rewards take time to earn.
