Tobias Santelmann in “Detective Hole”
The Netflix series “Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole” is a 2026 Nordic Noir thriller that adapts The Devil’s Star, the fifth installment in Nesbø’s celebrated literary saga.
The show follows Harry Hole (Tobias Santelmann), a brilliant but self-destructive detective navigating a heatwave in Oslo while hunting a ritualistic serial killer.
A central pillar of the series is the intense rivalry between Harry and the high-achieving, enigmatic detective Tom Waaler (Joel Kinnaman).
The television adaptation significantly expands the character of Tom Waaler by introducing a bisexual identity and a personal history that differs from the original source material.
In this version of the story, Waaler is depicted as a man with a complex, hidden personal life. His motivations are driven by a deep-seated grief involving a past romantic relationship with a man.
The series reveals that Harry Hole was involved in a past incident that resulted in the death of Waaler’s male partner. This transforms their conflict from a simple professional rivalry into a deeply personal, emotionally charged vendetta.
Much of the narrative tension involves Waaler’s attempt to maintain a polished, authoritative exterior in the hyper-masculine world of the Oslo Police Department while grappling with his private identity and the trauma of his loss.
The show utilizes intimate, moody flashbacks to explore Waaler’s past relationship, providing a softer, more vulnerable counterpoint to his otherwise ruthless behavior in the present day.
Streaming now on Netflix.
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