Home > About Link TV > News Room > Press Releases > Link TV Presents US Television Premiere of “BORGEN” Media contact:
Julia Pacetti
JMP Verdant
(917) 584-7846
juliapacetti@earthlink.net
Premieres Saturday, October 29 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT and repeats
Sunday, October 30 at 12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT
All 10 episodes to stream online for two weeks following broadcast
New York, NY, September 19, 2011 -- Link TV will present the U.S. television premiere of the hit European political series BORGEN (Government), to air Saturdays this fall, starting October 29 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT. An ultra-stylish and adroit drama about a female Prime Minister's rise to power, and how power changes her, BORGEN is the latest television sensation from the producers of the acclaimed Danish series The Killing. With recent elections bringing Denmark its first female Prime Minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the series could not be more timely.
Like its American cousin The West Wing, BORGEN opens to the viewer a world of liquid politics and ruthless gamesmanship that play out in the elite corridors of power. Sumptuously photographed on the streets of Copenhagen, and in the grand halls of the opulent medieval Christiansborg Palace, this sleek and sophisticated series follows the intricate public and private lives of the politicians and master media spinners who run the nation, and the reporters who traffic in predicting their triumphs and failures during the political death-match that defines a critical election season. Scheduled to air in the U.K. on the BBC and in France on ARTE, BORGEN will premiere in the U.S. exclusively on Link TV, available on DIRECTV channel 375 and Dish Network channel 9410 and on select cable stations (check local listings) on Saturdays this fall starting on October 29 at 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT, repeating each Sunday at 12:30am ET/9:30pm PT. Each of the 1-hour episodes in Season One of the BORGEN series will stream for free at LinkTV.org/Borgen for two weeks following the Saturday broadcast. The NBC television network recently announced that it will adapt BORGEN for American audiences.
BORGEN, or "The Castle," is the nickname for Denmark's Parliamentary building housed in the Christiansborg Palace in central Copenhagen. The protagonist is the sexy, sharp-witted populist Birgitte Nyborg, a poster girl for idealism and hard work. She secures her party a landslide victory only to face the most harrowing dilemma of her life: will she be forced to sacrifice the ideals that won her the election in order to gain influence and maintain her political position?
In private, Birgitte leads an idyllic life with her husband and two children. But she is a woman with a big heart and a fiery passion for politics, a combination that leaves her stretched between family and work. Will she manage to juggle her public responsibilities as a national leader while protecting her sacred home life? With its up-close-and-personal view of political rivals and allies, BORGEN lays bare the complex realities of political life today, mediated by a 24-7 news cycle that American audiences will surely recognize. Birgitte and her team tackle a universal agenda of social and economic issues that reflect the global environment that connects us all. As the saying goes, all politics is indeed local.
Lorraine Hess, Link TV's VP of Programming, says, "The series is especially timely right now as Denmark has just elected its first woman Prime Minister, not to mention the parallels to what promises to be a vicious U.S. election season. When Nyborg has to balance the national budget, amidst brutal in-fighting between the parties, the similarities won't be lost on American viewers disillusioned with debilitating partisan politics. And women will love the ballsy yet compassionate Birgitte Nyborg, who valiantly tries to balance career and private life with her eyes wide open."
"In showcasing this uniquely Danish perspective on politics, Link TV continues its commitment to bring views from around the world to American audiences," says Link TV's new CEO, Paul Mason. "Top-quality international drama and comedy is a new direction for Link TV, and it aligns perfectly with our mission of giving Americans fresh and sometimes challenging perspectives and stories from outside our own borders. The main character of BORGEN and her team tackle an agenda of social and economic issues that reflect the global political landscape which connects us all."
In Danish with English subtitles.
Click for Season 1 episode descriptions, and broadcast and streaming schedule.
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ABOUT LINK MEDIA & LINK TV
Link Media uses media and the power of stories to engage, inform and inspire its audiences to participate in transformational, sustainable change on issues of global importance. Founded in 1999, Link Media operates the Link TV national network and the websites LinkTV.org and ViewChange.org. An independent and non-commercial media company, Link Media acquires, produces and delivers global news, documentaries and cultural programming over three distribution channels: broadcast, web and mobile devices.
A pioneer in news and current affairs programming, Link TV has been recognized for its original news programs including the Peabody Award-winning daily broadcast Mosaic: World News from the Middle East, which monitors and airs unedited selections of news reports from more than 43 Middle-Eastern broadcasters. Link TV also offers original, innovative participatory programs promoting national and global citizen action.
Link TV is available as basic service on DIRECTV channel 375 and DISH Network channel 9410, reaching more than 35 million U.S. households. Select Link TV programming also airs on 220 cable outlets, including in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, reaching an additional 22 million homes. Link also streams much of its content online at LinkTV.org. For complete background information, program schedule and Internet streaming, go to LinkTV.org.
Follow on Twitter @viewchange and @linktv, and on Facebook at
www.Facebook.com/LinkTV and www.Facebook.com/ViewChange.
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10 x 1 hour
Link TV is available on DIRECTV channel 375 and Dish Network channel 9410 and on select cable stations, check local listings
All episodes will stream for free for two weeks following the initial broadcast at LinkTV.org/Borgen
Episode 1: Decency in the Middle
Premieres: Saturday, October 29 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Rebroadcast: Sunday, October 30 at 12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT
Streams free online starting Saturday, October 29 - Friday, November 11 at: LinkTV.org/Borgen
A general election has been called in Denmark. The new leader of the centrist Moderate Party, 40-year-old Birgitte Nyborg Christensen, has swiftly attained great popularity with the electorate thanks to her charming persona and heartfelt humanistic outlook. But Birgitte is under pressure. Her party has not yet declared its support for either of the two competing candidates for prime minister, Michael Laugesen of the Labour Party, or Lars Hesselboe of the Liberal Party, who has led the center-right coalition government for the past six years. In her private life, Birgitte is happily married to a businessman, Phillip, who has placed his career on hold for her political career. He teaches at Copenhagen Business School and looks after their two children, Laura (12) and Magnus (8). Birgitte and Phillip have agreed that they will trade off on family and professional commitments, and soon it will be Birgitte's turn to take a back seat.
Episode 2: Count to 90
Premieres: Saturday, November 5 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Rebroadcast: Sunday, November 6 at 12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT
Watch for free online starting Saturday, November 5 - Friday, November 18 at: LinkTV.org/Borgen
In the days following the big landslide election, Birgitte Nyborg Christensen finds herself in the eye of a political storm. Her party, the Moderates, was the principal winner of the election, and Birgitte has been appointed Royal Formateur to lead inter-party negotiations. The onus is on her to bring together a divided parliament and form a new government, a herculean task that tests Birgitte's will and political mettle.
Episode 3: The Art of the Possible
Premieres: Saturday, November 12 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Rebroadcast: Sunday, November 13 at 12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT
Watch for free online starting Saturday, November 12 - Friday, November 25 at: LinkTV.org/Borgen
Two months after Birgitte Nyborg succeeds in forming a coalition government and becoming prime minister, and now she faces her greatest challenge: the annual state budget. The budget bill must be passed by parliament, just before a well-deserved Christmas break. But in the middle of an official press conference, Birgitte is confronted with the news that two members of the Labour Party are refusing to vote for the bill. An embarrassing defeat for Birgitte, who is now forced to re-open budget negotiations amidst a political snake pit.
Episode 4: 100 Days
Premieres: Saturday, November 19 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Rebroadcast: Sunday, November 20 at 12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT
Watch for free online starting Saturday, November 19 - Friday, December 2 at: LinkTV.org/Borgen
Journalist Katrine Fønsmark gets the greatest scoop of her reporting career when she is contacted by an anonymous source in the Defense Intelligence Service. He shows her pictures of CIA detainees leaving an aircraft at Thule Air Base in Greenland -- proof that the U.S. has conducted prisoner renditions on Danish soil. The revelations come at a bad time for Birgitte, who has now been in office for almost 100 days and finds herself and her party in desperate need of a positive story and some concrete political results. Instead, she now has to clean up a mess left behind by the previous administration.
Episode 5: Men Who Love Women
Premieres: Saturday, November 26 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Rebroadcast: Sunday, November 27 at 12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT
Watch for free online starting Saturday, November 26 - Friday, December 9 at: LinkTV.org/Borgen
Together with her Minister of Economic Affairs, the esteemed Henriette Klitgaard, Birgitte introduces a historic bill, under which it will be compulsory for the boards of Danish companies to have a composition of fifty percent female membership. The controversial proposal doesn’t exactly receive a warm welcome within the ranks of government. Birgitte's Minister of Finance, Bent Sejrø, fears the reaction of the biggest companies, who are strongly opposed to gender quotas -- mostly because they have almost no women on their richly ensconced, male-dominate boards.
Episode 6: State Visit
Premieres: Saturday, December 3 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Rebroadcast: Sunday, December 4 at 12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT
Watch for free online starting Saturday, December 3 - Friday, December 16 at: LinkTV.org/Borgen
The president of the former Soviet state of Turgisia, Alexander Grozin, is making a visit to Denmark to take over the chairmanship of the international Organization for Security, Democracy and Development, the OSDD. At the same time, Grozin announces that Turgisia intends to invest one billion Euros in Danish wind turbine technology, thereby opening up the possibility of a Danish export venture in the former eastern bloc. In a potential shake-up to the deal, Turgisian poet and dissident Vladimir Bayanov arrives in Copenhagen at the same time as Grozin. The two are mortal enemies. Grozin labels Bayanov as a terrorist, and Bayanov views Grozin as an undemocratic tyrant.
Episode 7: See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil
Premieres: Saturday, December 10 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Rebroadcast: Sunday, December 11 at 12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT
Watch for free online starting Saturday, December 10 - Friday, December 23 at: LinkTV.org/Borgen
Just as life seems to return to normal at "the Castle" after the Bayanov case, a startling discovery is made at the headquarters of the Social Solidarity party. State-of-the-art surveillance equipment, installed by the Police Intelligence Service, is discovered at the headquarters of the Social Solidarity Party. Bugging a political party is a serious matter, so trusted advisor Kasper Juul recommends that Birgitte stay out of the affair and let the Minister of Justice, Troels Höxenhaven, handle it.
Episode 8: The Silly Season
Premieres: Saturday, December 17 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Rebroadcast: Sunday, December 18 at 12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT
Watch for free online starting Saturday, December 17 - Friday, December 30: LinkTV.org/Borgen
It's summer, and like the rest of the country, things are quiet at "the Castle." The only real news that the papers seem to report is the release of Michael Laugesen's new book, which promises to reveal everything from his time at the Castle. This worries Birgitte's trusted advisor Kasper Juul, because he was the one who leaked revealing documents to Laugesen that lost the election for both the running incumbent and his opponent Lars Hesselboe. Kasper doesn’t receive much support from Birgitte, who makes an awkward attempt to take a holiday with her family - but there is precious little time for fun with the children or marital togetherness when Mom is the prime minister of Denmark.
Episode 9: Divide and Rule
Premieres: Saturday, December 24 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Rebroadcast: Sunday, December 25 at 12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT
Watch for free online starting Saturday, December 24 - Friday, January 6 at: LinkTV.org/Borgen
Denmark needs a new fighter aircraft, and Minister of Defense Hans Christian Thorsen has been looking forward to announcing his choice of the F-26 Defender as its future solution. But Birgitte has stipulated that all such decisions from the ministries must be cleared with her, and she becomes suspicious when Thorsen, a former businessman with industry connections, selects a pricey model which will ensure big paychecks for Danish defense companies.
Episode 10: The First Tuesday in October
Premieres: Saturday, December 31 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Rebroadcast: Sunday, January 1 at 12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT
Watch for free online starting Saturday, December 31 – Friday, January 13 at: LinkTV.org/Borgen
Birgitte Nyborg's government is facing a severe test shortly before the annual commencement of the Parliamentary session. The opinion poll ratings for the Moderates are the worst in ages, while the Labour Party is surging forward, thus pushing Birgitte to make a play to expand her influence. Meanwhile, her family is breaking up -- she and Phillip put on a happy public face, but behind closed doors it's the silent treatment.
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