History Series / Riget

* ICannotSelfTerminate: [[spoiler:Little Brother begs his mother, Judith, to kill him by cutting the support beams for his body to prevent his father, Aage Krüger, from succeeding in his plan of using him to be reborn]].

* AntiAntichrist: Lillebror.

* ChewToy: Bulder especially - the poor guy can't catch a break. Overall, pretty much half the cast.

* FetusTerrible: Judith Petersen's unborn child.

* TheGrotesque: Little Brother

* ICannotSelfTerminate: [[spoiler: Little Brother]].
* JerkAss: Mogge was clearly very immature from the beginning, but he really starts to come out as this in the second series.

* LittleOldLadyInvestigates: It's really hard to [[strike: fake your way]] get into the neurology ward, you know.

* MyBelovedSmother: Mrs. Drusse. She still haven't forgiven her adult son, Bulder, for moving out. Even though it was about 30 years ago, and he moved back in with her after just two weeks on his own.

* NeverMessWithGranny: Also Mrs. Drusse. Not technically a granny, poor Bulder having been [[MyBelovedSmother smothered]] too far to stand a chance at such things. He once [[OnceDoneNeverForgotten tried to move out]], you know. For about a day. Decades ago.

* NoEnding: After a massive cliffhanger, there will likely never be a third and final season.
** The cliffhanger is so complex, it qualifies for an involuntary GainaxEnding.

* PoisonedChaliceSwitcheroo: Partly subverted.

* AuthorAvatar: Trier himself always appears doing the credits to give a closing monologue, in which he usually recaps the plot, delivers some ScriptWank and reminds everyone to: "Take the good with the bad."

->''Should you wish to spend more time with us here at TV Tropes, you'd better be prepared to take the good with the bad.''

The series ran for two seasons, respectively in 1994 and 1997. It was never officially cancelled, but the deaths of the actors playing three significant characters prevented any continuation. In December 2020, however, Trier made the surprise announcement that he was going to make a third season consisting of five episodes, titled ''Riget Exodus'', which will act as the GrandFinale to the show. Trier expects to start filming the new season in 2021, and for the finished product to be released at some point in 2022. An American adaptation, developed by Creator/StephenKing and called ''Series/KingdomHospital'', was created in 2004.

The series ran for two seasons, respectively in 1994 and 1997. It was never officially cancelled, but the deaths of the actors playing three significant characters prevented any continuation. In December 2020, however, Trier made the surprise announcement that he was going to make a third season, titled ''Riget Exodus'', which will act as the GrandFinale to the show. Trier expects to start filming the new season in 2021, and for the finished product to be released at some point in 2022. An American adaptation, developed by Creator/StephenKing and called ''Series/KingdomHospital'', was created in 2004.

* LeftHanging: And HOW! Not only are four plotlines stopped on a massive CliffHanger, but thanks to the death of three vital actors it is highly unlikely that the series will ever get a proper ending.

-->--'''The OpeningNarration'''

->"''DANSKJÄVLAR!''"
-->--'''Dr. Stig Helmer'''

''Riget'' (''The Realm'') is a Danish TV-series created and co-directed by the avant-garde filmaker, Creator/LarsVonTrier. It roots in the MedicalDrama genre, but it also contains copious amounts of [[SurrealHorror surreal]] and ReligiousHorror, dark humor and supernatural events. Entirely filmed on location with hand-held cameras and grimy, sepia-tinted pictures, it has been described by critics as "Series/TwinPeaks meets Series/{{MASH}}".

The setting for the series is the eponymous ''Rigshospitalet'' (The National Hospital) in Copenhagen, with focus on the neurosurgical ward and its employees and their somewhat mundane everyday life. But, as the OpeningNarration expains, something strange is slowly infesting the old building, and it is growing stronger.

Mrs. Sigrid Drusse, an elderly lady with a keen interest in spiritualism, is trailing the source of the disturbances, begrudgingly helped by her son Bulder, who works as a porter at the hospital. Meanwhile war is brewing in the neurosurgical ward between the new, arrogant Dr. Helmer and the more down-to-earth Dr. Krogshøj (AKA Krogen (The Hook)). Helmer has recently botched a brain operation on a young girl and is trying to hide the evidence, which will give Krogshøj the advantage. The Head of Department, Dr. Moesgaard is blissfully ignorant of all this as he is busy planning his great reform of the department "Operation Morning Air". Meanwhile his immature son Mogge runs afoul of his professor, the (madly) idealistic Dr. Bondo, after having stolen a head from the morgue and used it for a prank. Dr. Bondo wants to get his hands on a rare tumor in dying Mr. Zakariassen's liver. And when Mr. Zakariassen's family says no, the good doctor is driven to desperate action.

And there is something strange about the pregnancy of Dr. Petersen ...

The series ran for two seasons, respectively in 1994 and 1997. It was never officially cancelled, but the deaths of the actors playing three significant characters prevented any continuation. In a surprise announcement in December 2020, however, Trier announced that he was going to make a third season, titled ''Riget Exodus'', which is meant to be the GrandFinale to the show. Trier expects to start filming the new season in 2021, and for the finished product to be released at some point in 2022. An American adaptation, developed by Creator/StephenKing and called ''Series/KingdomHospital'', was created in 2004.

The series ran for two seasons, respectively in 1994 and 1997. It was never officially cancelled, but the deaths of the actors playing three significant characters prevented any continuation. In a surprise announcement in December 2020, however, Trier announced that he was going to make a third season, titled ''Riget Exodus'', which is meant to be the GrandFinale to the show. Trier expects the new season to be released at some point in 2022.

An American adaptation, developed by Creator/StephenKing and called ''Series/KingdomHospital'', was created in 2004.

The series ran for two seasons, respectively in 1994 and 1997. It was never officially cancelled, but the deaths of the actors playing three significant characters prevented any continuation. In a surprise announcement in December 2020, however, Trier announced that he was going to make a third season, titled ''Riget Exodus'', which is meant to be the GrandFinale to the show.

The series ran for two seasons, respectively in 1994 and 1997. It was never officially cancelled, but the deaths of the actors playing three significant characters prevented any continuation.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Stig Helmer is a deconstruction. He's a LargeHam and narcissist Jerkass, but he's also a highly competent surgeon and rarely makes mistakes. Deconstruced since his personality makes him insufferable for vast parts of the hospital staff and patient. When he makes a mistake, like with Mona or when he [[spoiler:tries to poison Krogshøj]], his Jerkass traits lead to SerialEscalation.

* WorldGoneMad: The whole hospital, pretty much from the get go.

* NeverMessWithGranny: Also Mrs. Drusse. Not technically a granny, poor Bulder having been [[MyBelovedSmother smothered]] too far to stand a chance at such things. He once [[NeverLiveItDown tried to move out]], you know. For about a day. Decades ago.

* BlindDriving

* {{Cameo}}: For StellanSkarsgard who appears in a sole scene and playes a Swedish lawyer

* CastingGag: There is some suspicion that Lars Von Trier intended to cast as many actors from Series/Matador1978 as he could possibly find. Regulars in both Matador and Riget counts Holger Juul Hansen (Varnæs in Matador, Doctor Moesgaard in Riget) and Ghita Nørby (Ingeborg Skjern / Rigmor) were regulars in Matador, while Kirsten Rolfes (Mrs. Drusse in Riget) appeared in a single episode of Matador. Other actors from Matador play various bit parts throughout Riget.

* Cameo: For StellanSkarsgard who appears in a sole scene and playes a Swedish lawyer

* AlmightyJanitor: Krogshøj might be a low ranking doctor, but he also the hospital's resident KnowledgeBroker who knows the dirty secrets of pretty much every staffmember, giving him quite a bit of political weight to throw around as he can call favors from pretty everyone.

* AlmightyJanitor: Krogshøj

* AntiAntichrist: Lillebro

''Riget'' (''The Realm'') is a Danish TV-series created and co-directed by the avant-garde filmaker, Creator/LarsVonTrier. It roots in the MedicalDrama genre, but it also contains copious amounts of [[SurrealHorror surreal]] and ReligiousHorror, dark humor and supernatural events. Entirely filmed on location with hand-held cameras and grimy, sepia-tinted pictures, it has been described by critics as "Series/TwinPeaks meets Series/{{Mash}}".

''Riget'' (''The Realm'') is a Danish TV-series created and co-directed by the avant-garde filmaker, Creator/LarsVonTrier. It roots in the MedicalDrama genre, but it also contains copious amounts of [[SurrealHorror surreal]] and ReligiousHorror, dark humor and supernatural events. Entirely filmed on location with hand-held cameras and grimy, sepia-tinted pictures, it has been described by critics as "TwinPeaks meets Series/{{Mash}}".

Mrs. Sigrid Drusse, an elderly lady with a keen interest in spiritualism, is trailing the source of the disturbances, begrudgingly helped by her son Bulder, who works as a porter at the hospital. Meanwhile war is brewing in the neurosurgical ward between the new, arrogant Dr. Helmer and the more down-to-earth Dr. Krogshøj (AKA Krogen (The Hook)). Helmer has recently botched an operation and is trying to hide the evidence, which will give Krogshøj the advantage. The Head of Department, Dr. Moesgaard is blissfully ignorant of all this as he is busy planning his great reform of the department "Operation Morning Air". Meanwhile his immature son Mogge runs afoul of his professor, the (madly) idealistic Dr. Bondo, after having stolen a head from the morgue and used it for a prank. Dr. Bondo wants to get his hands on a rare tumor in dying Mr. Zakariassen's liver. And when Mr. Zakariassen's family says no, the good doctor is driven to desperate action.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Bergman regular Ernst-Hugo Järegård (Stig Helmer), Euro-arthouse fixture Udo Kier, and (if you grew up anywhere in the region) a whole lot of others.
** Lars von Trier actively tried to recruit as many Danish actors as possible from [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/Matador Matador]], probably the most popular Danish television series ever. This includes the actors playing Mrs. Drusse, Moesgaard, Rigmor, and a lot of the supporting cast.

Riget ("The Realm") is a Danish TV-series created and co-directed by the avant-garde filmaker, Creator/LarsVonTrier. It roots in the MedicalDrama genre, but it also contains copious amounts of [[SurrealHorror surreal]] and ReligiousHorror, dark humor and supernatural events. Entirely filmed on location with hand-held cameras and grimy, sepia-tinted pictures, it has been described by critics as "TwinPeaks meets Series/{{Mash}}".

* TitleDrop: In the OpeningMonologue. Look at the quote at the top of the page.

The series ran for two seasons, respectively in 1994 and 1997. It was never officially cancelled, but the deaths of the actors playing three significant characters prevented any continuation.