Netflix returns to ‘Lilyhammer’ prodco Rubicon for fishing drama ‘Salmon Island’

Anne Bjørnstad & Eilif Skodvin

Netflix has partnered up with Norwegian production firm Rubicon for a new fishing-related drama, a decade after the companies first linked on Lilyhammer, the streamer’s first scripted original.

Salmon Island (working title) follows two families in a small coastal community in Norway, who are sworn enemies in the global salmon industry. The series will “deliver a funny as well as dramatic portrait” of the fish farming business, the streamer said.

Lilyhammer

Rubicon’s Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin, who worked on Netflix’s Lilyhammer, are creators and writers, with the show set to be directed by Marit Moum Aune (Made In Oslo). The trio have previously worked together on several stage shows.

“Over the last few decades, fish farming has changed both the Norwegian coast and international food culture. The time feels right for a television drama about the operators in the industry, and it’s amazing that a global streaming service like Netflix has the guts to tell such a locally grounded story,” said Bjørnstad and Skodvin.

Gudny Hummelvoll produces and former NRK boss Ivar Køhn, who took over at Banijay-owned Rubicon last year, exec produces. He took the role of Håkon Briseid, who had initially been lined up to lead Rubicon but instead joined Netflix in early 2022.

Lilyhammer debuted locally on NRK in 2014 and became the first original drama to debut on Netflix, running for three seasons until 2015. The streamer had a decade-long licence for the show, which recently expired.