Better Times (2004– )
"Krøniken" (original title)

Starting in 1949, the series follows four young Danes through 25 years of history and personal developments in a story about finding yourself in a world of changes.

Stars:

Anne Louise Hassing, Anders W. Berthelsen, Maibritt Saerens

1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Anne Louise Hassing	...	Ida Nørregaard (22 episodes, 2004-2007)
Anders W. Berthelsen	...	Palle From (22 episodes, 2004-2007)
Maibritt Saerens	...	Søs Nielsen (22 episodes, 2004-2007)
Waage Sandø	...	Kaj Holger Nielsen (22 episodes, 2004-2007)
Stina Ekblad	...	Karin Nielsen (22 episodes, 2004-2007)
Pernille Højmark	...	Karen Jensen (22 episodes, 2004-2007)
Dick Kaysø	...	Børge From (22 episodes, 2004-2007)
Peter Hesse Overgaard	...	Ingeniør Funder (20 episodes, 2004-2007)
Anette Støvelbæk	...	Frøken Toft (18 episodes, 2004-2007)
Christian Mosbæk	...	Salgschef Kjeldsen (17 episodes, 2004-2007)
Ken Vedsegaard	...	Erik Nielsen (16 episodes, 2004-2007)
Michael Hasselflug	...	Personalechef Blomkvist (16 episodes, 2004-2007)
Bodil Lassen	...	Vera (15 episodes, 2004-2007)
Signe Skov	...	Emma (9 episodes, 2005-2007)
Peter Gantzler	...	Viggo Valentin (9 episodes, 2004-2006)
Lars Mikkelsen	...	Jens Otto Krag (9 episodes, 2004-2007)

Storyline

In 1949, the young Ida Nørregaard travels from Jutland to Copenhagen to enroll in a home economics school and an evening school programme. When she is told that she can't do both, she chooses the evening school. Her parents are unhappy with her choice, but Ida is decided upon making it on her own in the big city. She finds a job as a secretary at a radio factory, but when her boss's son Erik Nielsen has a crush on Ida, he causes her to lose her job. While Erik is trying to convince his father of the future of television, he also succeeds in attracting Ida's attention. Meanwhile, Erik's lively sister Søs Nielsen is engaged to a man she doesn't love. When he tries to rape her one night, she is helped by Palle From who is a working class university student and lives next door to Ida. When Søs finds him to thank him an attraction builds between them.

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Plot Keywords:

radio | factory | television | womens liberation | denmark | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Details

Official Sites:

DR [dk]

Country:

Denmark Sweden Norway Finland

Language:

Danish

Release Date:

4 January 2004 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Better Times

Filming Locations:

Attemosevej, Søllerød, Sjælland, Denmark

Box Office

Budget:

DKK 130,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Danmarks Radio (DR), Sveriges Television (SVT), Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

58 min 58 min (22 episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Technician Peter Hansen, who was among the people behind the development of Danish television, helped the filmmakers create an exact copy of the original studio facilities as they stood at Radiohuset, Copenhagen.

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Goofs

Episode 1.9: When Palle enters the new building "Bellahøj" in the 1950s, a power switch model "LK Minitangent-afbryder type 102H" is visible. This model wasn't produced until 1961.

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Connections

Featured in Bag om Krøniken - en bebudet succes (2004)

User Reviews

I cannot praise this series enough

I've seen the whole of the first series and I think it is just superb. It had been billed as a successor to " Matador" which in my view is one of the best TV series ever made.

All expectations have been fully met. Although it is fiction it gives one an insight into life in post-war Denmark , the way people lived a the attitudes that prevailed.

The series is based around a company that produced radios and then very reluctantly , had to accept that television had become a fact and had to start making televisions in order not to lose ground to it's competitors. For those who enjoyed Matador and the British series Upstairs Downstairs , Kroniken is an absolute must.