Netflix recently released a new series about Norwegian aquaculture, with the fictionalized drama centering on the competition between two family-run salmon-farming firms in the Scandinavian nation.
The six episodes that comprise the first season of "Billionaire Island" came out on Netflix on 12 September.
Creators Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin described their work as focusing on “one of the newer marine creatures in Norway: the salmon billionaire.”
The series follows the attempts of Julie Lange, the ambitious CEO of fictional salmon-farming firm Marlax, to force a merger with her company’s chief rival, Meyer Fjordbruck, run by Gjert Meyer. The conflict between the two CEOs aims to explore how the promise of vast wealth has transformed the country’s coastline and culture.
The show plays into the popularity of shows focused on the corporate elite, most recently epitomized by the esteemed series "Succession."
Bjørnstad and Skodvin, whose earlier Netflix show “Lilyhammer” was the first original series the streamer ever produced, said that they were “pleased to be back with Netflix again after 10 years.”
“It’s amazing that a global streaming service like Netflix has the guts to tell such a locally grounded story,” they said in a release.
Commercial fishing industry and ocean life more broadly have been successful topics for documentary-style Netflix productions in the past.
During its release week, the documentary “Seaspiracy” was one of the company’s top 10 most watched films, while the streamer’s 2020 documentary “My Octopus Teacher” won an Oscar. Both films were critical of the seafood industry and criticized by industry members.
