After keeping audiences entertained week after week with his unforgettable performance as the wise and loyal Silvio Dante in the groundbreaking crime dramaThe Sopranos,Steven Van Zandtcontinued his streak of small-screen success when he headlined the 2012 gangster dramedyLilyhammer. In the immersive fish-out-of-water series, Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano embarks upon an epic trek from New York City to the titular community in Norway after he testifies against his former Mafia associates and is subsequently placed in the FBI’s witness protection program.
Over the course of three seasons and 24 episodes, Frank attempts to acclimate to not only his foreign surroundings but also his new identity, though he ultimately finds that old habits die hard and leaving behind his criminal past may be easier said than done.Lilyhammeris the perfect follow-up show to watch for fans ofTulsa King,asboth former mobsters Tagliano and Sylvester Stallone’s Dwight “the General” Manfredi must reestablish themselves and build new lives after being swept up in the Mafia. Let’s take a closer look atLilyhammerand why it’s a worthy series to binge.
Lilyhammer
‘Lilyhammer’ Is a Quirky and Engrossing Fish-Out-of-Water Dramedy
After six seasons of playing Tony Soprano’s right-hand-man and loyal enforcer Silvio Dante in the trailblazing crime juggernautThe Sopranos, Steven Van Zandt continued to find success on the small screen when he headlined the criminally underratedgangster dramedyLilyhammer, in which the TV staple appears as former New York City underboss Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano.The engrossing series follows Tagliano as he is placed in the FBI’s witness protection program after he testifies against the newly-appointed Mafia head Aldo Delucci (Thomas Grube) and his associates, who had ordered a hit against him.
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Tagliano chooses to be located to rural Lillehammer and is given a new identity as Norwegian-American immigrant Giovanni “Johnny” Henriksen, hoping that no one from his old life will track him across the globe, and he can start over in peace. However, Tagliano quickly discovers that transitioning from a powerful gangster to an unemployed everyman comes with its own hurdles as he struggles to adjust to his foreign surroundings. When his revenge-seeking enemies back in New York discover his whereabouts, the reformed mobster must fight back and embrace his old ways.
‘Lilyhammer’ Becomes Netflix’s First Exclusive Original Series (Sort of)
Steven Van Zandt is in fine form as the wry and charming ex-mafioso Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano, a role that bares a striking resemblance to hisiconicSopranoscharacterSilvio Dante, though Tony’s devoted aly would never flip and turn his back on the mob; no, Silviotook careof the rats and wouldn’t have snitched against his associates. If Tagliano’s mannerisms mirror those of Silvio’s, it’s likely becauseVan Zandt himself helped write, produce, and directLilyhammer, a Norwegian production that Netflix invested in and first premiered on July 15, 2025, attracting an audience of 998,000 viewers (one-fifth of the country’s total population).
Throughout the show’s three intriguing seasons, Tagliano consistently finds himself tempted by his old criminal ways as he tries to acclimate to life in a foreign country, making friends with ex-competitive ski-jumper Torgeir Lien (Trond Fausa Aurvåg) and single mother Sigrid Haugli (Marian Saastad Ottesen) while constantly looking over his shoulder in fear of retaliation from the Mafia. The series features Tagliano going up against threats of all shapes and sizes, including hitmen, violent wolves, a hostile local biker gang, and kidnapped children, with the former fixer using hisuniqueskill set to help him gain both allies and adversaries in his new community.
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Lilyhammerspawned 24 engrossing episodes and provided a refreshing take on the fish-out-of-water trope, with the spirited and confident Van Zandt elevating the riveting dramedy, a pioneering show that would go on to become Netflix’s very first original series as a joint production. In a retrospective interview with the streaming giant, the seasoned star looked back on all the challenges of creating the innovative program, as Netflix was still trying to establish itself and its services.Van Zandt told Tudumin February 2022:
“My first promotional tour, I had to explain to the people what Netflix was. I’m like, ‘Well, it’s like Blockbuster, but they’re going to make their own content.’ Everybody thought, ‘Well, why would they do that?’ Nobody quite knew what to make of it. It was a brand new idea.”
Fans of Van Zandt and fellow crimedramas likeTulsa KingandThe Sopranosshould check out the trailblazing series, asit is sure to scratch audiences' gangster TV show itch while also providing hours of thrilling entertainment, and serving up plenty of quirky humor, spellbinding characters, and immersive storylinesall involving the ex-mobster-turned-Norwegian transplant.Lilyhammercurrently holds a 65% Rotten Tomatoes score, nabbing both an 85% Popcornmeter and a 7.9 IMDb rating based on 33,000 user reviews, more than proving that the underrated Netflix gem deserves a watch.
How To Watch ‘Lilyhammer’
For those curious to see where Netflix’s massive streaming empire first began and want to watch the platform’s first exclusive content,all three seasons ofLilyhammerare available onNetflix, while the first season is also on Prime Video. In November 2022, Netflix reached an agreement to extend the streaming arrangement and rights to the series, with the show now on the platform until November 2029.
