''Atlantic Crossing'' is a

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

in the form of a

television miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

set in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The series is wide-ranging but pays special attention to interactions between Crown Princess Martha of Norway and President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

during the period when Martha was a

war refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

in the United States after fleeing the 1940 Nazi Invasion of Norway. Some portions with Norwegian, Danish or Swedish spoken dialogue are subtitled in English. It premiered on 25 October 2020 on

NRK NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...

in Norway. The series premiered 4 April 2021 on

Masterpiece Theatre ''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH-TV, WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaim ...

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

Production

The eight part series was co-produced by the Norwegian independent production company Cinenord, Norway’s public broadcaster NRK and the US Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Most of the series was filmed in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and Norway.

Reception

The series created controversy in Norway by repeatedly portraying the President and the Crown Princess as romantically involved, a claim that is not supported by historical evidence.

Main cast

Sofia Helin Sofia Margareta Götschenhjelm-Helin (born 25 April 1972) is a Swedish actress. She was nominated for a Guldbagge Award for her role in ''Dalecarlians'', and stars as Saga Norén in the Danish/Swedish co-produced TV series '' The Bridge'' (Danish ...

as Crown Princess Märtha of Norway *

Tobias Santelmann Tobias Santelmann (born August 8, 1980) is a German-born Norwegian actor. He is best known for starring in the Academy Award-nominated film ''Kon-Tiki'' (2012). He has also had supporting roles in the films ''Hercules'' (2014) and ''Point Break' ...

as Crown Prince Olav of Norway *

Kyle MacLachlan Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dale Cooper in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), as well as roles ...

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, President of the United States *

Søren Pilmark Søren Louis Pilmark (born 16 October 1955) is a Danish actor. Pilmark has worked as a film and theatrical actor, a director, and as an author. Career Theater Pilmark graduated from the School of Acting at Aarhus Theater in 1977, where he ...

King Haakon VII of Norway Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick V ...

Anneke von der Lippe Anneke von der Lippe (born 22 July 1964) is a Norwegian actress. She made history as the first Norwegian actress – and Nordic - to win an International Emmy Award. Biography Von der Lippe graduated from the Norwegian National Academy of Thea ...

as Ragni Østgaard, Crown Princess Märtha's lady-in-waiting

Recurring

Harriet Sansom Harris Harriet Sansom Harris (born January 8, 1955) is an American actress known for her theater performances and for her portrayals of Bebe Glazer on ''Frasier'' and Felicia Tilman on ''Desperate Housewives''. Harris won a Tony Award in 2002 as a Fe ...

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

, First Lady of the United States *

Daniel Betts Daniel Alexander Betts (born 10 December 1971) is a British film, television, stage and voiceover actor. Life Born in West Sussex, Betts trained at the Drama Centre London. As well as appearing in films and television programmes, he has been ...

Harry Hopkins Harry Lloyd Hopkins (August 17, 1890 – January 29, 1946) was an American statesman, public administrator, and presidential advisor. A trusted deputy to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Hopkins directed New Deal relief programs before servi ...

, Roosevelt's closest advisor on foreign policy affairs during the war * Lucy Russell as

Missy LeHand Marguerite Alice "Missy" LeHand (September 13, 1896 – July 31, 1944) was a private secretary to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) for 21 years. According to LeHand's biographer Kathryn Smith in ''The Gatekeeper'', she eventually ...

, Roosevelt's private secretary *

Suzanne Bertish Suzanne Bertish (born 7 August 1951, Hammersmith, London) is an English actress. Educated at Woldingham School, Bertish joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in many of its productions, including its marathon eight-and-a-half-hour ...

as Florence Harriman, U.S. ambassador to Norway * Leonora Eik as

Princess Ragnhild of Norway Princess Ragnhild, Mrs Lorentzen (Ragnhild Alexandra; 9 June 1930 – 16 September 2012), was the eldest child of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. She was the older sister of King Harald V and Princess Astrid. She was the fi ...

* Amathea Eik as

Princess Astrid of Norway Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner (Astrid Maud Ingeborg; born 12 February 1932) is the second daughter of King Olav V and his wife, Princess Märtha of Sweden. She is the older sister of King Harald V of Norway and younger sister of the late Princ ...

* Justýna Brozková as Prince Harald of Norway * Michael Pitthan as

King George VI of the United Kingdom George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Indi ...

* Abigail Rice as Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom *

Lasse Kolsrud Lasse Kolsrud (born March 27, 1959) is a Norwegian actor and director. He has performed at the Trøndelag Theater, the Norwegian Theater, and on film. He has also directed the theater version of Frode Grytten's novel ''Bikubesong'' at the Norwe ...

as Nikolai Ramm-Østgaard, Olav's aide-de-camp * Petr Meissel as Oswald Nordlie, King Haakon's aide-de-camp * Terje Ranes as Johan Nygaardsvoll, Prime Minister of Norway * Stig Ryste Amdam as General Carl Gustav Fleischer, commander of the Norwegian infantry brigade based in Scotland * Trond Teigen as Wilhelm Morgenstierne, Norwegian Ambassador to the United States

Guest

Erik Hivju Erik Hivju (born 24 September 1947) is a Norwegian actor. Hivju has appeared in more than a dozen television series, as well as several films. He is the father of the Norwegian actor Kristofer Hivju. Selected filmography * '' Lukket avdeling'' ...

as General Otto Ruge, Commander-in-chief of the Royal Norwegian Armed Forces * Marianne Høgsbro as Princess Ingeborg, Duchess of Västergötland, Crown Princess Märtha's mother * Jan Tiselius as

Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland Prince Carl of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Västergötland (27 February 1861 – 24 October 1951) was a Swedish prince. Through his daughters, for whom he arranged excellent dynastic marriages, he is an ancestor of several members of European roy ...

, Crown Princess Märtha's father * Carl-Magnus Dellow as King Gustaf V of Sweden, Crown Princess Märtha's uncle * Oscar Töringe as

Prince Carl Bernadotte Carl Gustaf Oscar Fredrik Christian, Prince Bernadotte (10 January 1911 – 27 June 2003), originally Prince Carl, Duke of Östergötland, was the youngest child and only son of Prince Carl of Sweden and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark and eventua ...

, Crown Princess Märtha's brother *

Fredrik Dolk Gustav Fredrik Dolk (born 14 December 1961) is a Swedish actor. He is a noted voice actor and has delivered the Swedish voice of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story, Splinter in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987), Superman in Superman: The Animated Ser ...

Per-Albin Hansson Per Albin Hansson (28 October 1885 – 6 October 1946) was a Swedish politician, chairman of the Social Democrats from 1925 and two-time Prime Minister in four governments between 1932 and 1946, governing all that period save for a short-lived ...

, Prime Minister of Sweden * Hartmut Krug as Victor Prinz zu Wied, German Ambassador to Sweden *

Fridtjov Såheim Fridtjov Såheim (born 2 July 1968) is a Norwegian stage director, stage actor and film actor. He has worked for the theatres Den Nationale Scene, Rogaland Teater and Nationaltheatret. Among his characters is the title role in ''Woyzeck'', and t ...

as Alfred Isaksen, a double amputee and survivor of the

Arctic convoys The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys ...

* Dan Cade as Private Joseph L. Lockard, a soldier manning the radar station at a hilltop at Opana Point, Oahu * Stanislav Callas as Private George R. Elliot Jr., Lockard's colleague and fellow radio operator

References

External links

*
Rabinowitz, Dorothy. 'Atlantic Crossing' Review: Harboring Royals and Passions, wsj, March 31, 2021

"Norway’s crown princess fled the Nazis with her children and lived in Maryland" ''The Washington Post''
{{InternationalEmmyAward TV Movie or Miniseries Cultural depictions of Eleanor Roosevelt Cultural depictions of Franklin D. Roosevelt Masterpiece Theatre NRK original programming 2020 Norwegian television series debuts 2020 Norwegian television series endings 2020s Norwegian television series Television shows set in Norway Television shows set in Washington, D.C. World War II television series Television shows set in Finland Television shows set in London Television shows set in Stockholm Television shows filmed in the Czech Republic Television shows filmed in Norway