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Viewers should choose the Netflix’s Neubauer Studios latest book-to-television adaptation. Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole is based on author Jo Nesbø‘s bestselling crime novels, specifically the fifth installment, The Devil’s Star. The new Netflix noir series follows Detective Harry Hole (Tobias Santelmann) as he investigates a series of femicides while grappling with another unsolved case. While the murders almost take on a character of their own, with a distinct modus operandi, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole hooks audiences with a complicated protagonist that’s neither good nor bad.
What is ‘Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole’ About?
Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole centers on Detective Harry Hole (Santelmann), a dedicated investigator in the Oslo Crime Squad. Recognized as one of the team’s best, Hole is gifted with a strong sense of intuition, often thinking like a serial killer as part of his investigative approach. However, he also struggles with alcoholism, a major setback that shapes the show’s overall tone. Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole opens with an intoxicated Hole involved in a car chase following a violent bank robbery. Under the influence, he crashes his car into an oncoming tram. While Hole survives the accident, his younger colleague in the passenger seat dies at the scene.
Five years later, Hole is still with the Crime Squad, but with a tainted reputation. The guilt from the night hasn’t gone away, and his negligence not only caused the crash but also allowed the bank robber to escape, leading to another murder. While making efforts to stay sober, Hole decides to reopen the case when he encounters a new lead. However, Hole’s investigation also catches the attention of Captain Tom Waaler (Joel Kinnaman), who is secretly involved in illegal arms dealings. While Hole tracks down the owner of the gun used in the robbery, Waaler attempts to tie up loose ends by any means necessary, including murder, to dispose of any incriminating evidence.
Detective Harry Hole and Jack Reacher Share a Lot in Common
If viewers loved the grit and brute force of Prime Video’s Reacher, starring Alan Ritchson as the titular character, they should cross the Atlantic for Netflix’s latest book-to-television adaptation. Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole is based on author Jo Nesbø‘s bestselling crime novels, specifically the fifth installment, The Devil’s Star. The new Netflix noir series follows Detective Harry Hole (Tobias Santelmann) as he investigates a series of femicides while grappling with another unsolved case. While the murders almost take on a character of their own, with a distinct modus operandi, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole hooks audiences with a complicated protagonist that’s neither good nor bad.
Detective Harry Hole and Jack Reacher Share a Lot in Common
Reacher and Hole aren’t exactly two peas in a pod, but they’re more similar than they first appear. For one, they’re both lone-wolf investigators. Reacher takes that idea more literally, introduced as a drifter who travels all over the country with nothing but his toothbrush and the clothes on his back. As an Army veteran, he’s used to teamwork, but he prefers operating on his own. The same goes for Hole. Although he remains part of the Crime Squad, he doesn’t have any partners due to his tarnished reputation.
On the more obvious front, the two characters share razor-sharp investigative skills. Reacher is great at spotting inconsistencies and reading body language, while Hole excels at piecing together crime scenes and connecting psychological and behavioral clues to establish a larger narrative. Most importantly, the two are very anti-authoritarian. Since he’s out of the military, Reacher chooses to work outside the law. Hole, though technically part of the force, is often frowned upon for his lack of bureaucratic ambition within the department, but is driven solely by the need to fix his past mistakes.
What makes Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole stand out within the crime genre on streaming is its lack of a picture-perfect protagonist. Jack Reacher is easy to like because, despite his initial stubbornness and gruffness, he stands for a kind of justice that still feels hopeful in today’s bleak political and social climate. He’s the kind of character who proves that genuine good guys still exist; even if he’s not the easiest person to get along with, people eventually warm up to him. It’s a sharp contrast to the frustratingly self-destructive Hole.
Television often gives detectives flaws to make them feel human, but there’s a line — and Hole frequently crosses it. However, whether that makes him a bad person is up to the audience to decide. Hole may have his setbacks, but he still has a moral compass — unlike the celebrated Waaler, who is secretly a criminal mastermind. It’s this series of contradictions, central to Nordic noir, combined with complex characters, that skillfully exposes the darker underbelly beneath Oslo’s calm, almost eerily peaceful exterior, making for a gripping crime binge perfect for viewers who want an even more complicated investigator leading the story than Jack Reacher.
