''Krøniken'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

: ''Better Times'') is a Danish

television drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

which aired on Sunday evenings between January 2004 and January 2007. The 22-episode series relates the lives of two fictional families during the historical development of the

Danmarks Radio DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...

television network from the 1950s to the 1970s. Created by Stig Thorsbøe for the DR

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid ...

, the series debuted on 4 January 2004. The program's first season set popularity records. Five of the episodes were listed among the ten most watched television programs since records began in Denmark in 1992. The first-season finale topped the list with 2,717,000 viewers. In 2004, the program was nominated for the

International Emmy Award The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sci ...

for Best Drama but lost to Waking the Dead. The series concluded with the 22nd episode airing on 1 January 2007 and watched by 2.4 million viewers.

Plot

In 1949, the young Ida Nørregaard travels from

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

to enroll in a home-economics school and an evening-school programme. When she is told that she can not do both, she chooses the evening school. Her parents are unhappy with her choice, but Ida is determined on making it on her own in the big city. She finds a job as a secretary at a radio factory. Erik Nielsen, the director's son, soon starts developing feelings towards Ida, which causes her to lose her job. While Erik is trying to convince his father of the future of television, he also succeeds in attracting Ida's attention. Meanwhile, Søs Nielsen, Erik's lively sister, is engaged to a man she does not love. When he tries to rape her one night, she is helped by Palle From who is a

working-class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

university student and lives next door to Ida. When Søs approaches him to thank him for his deed, an attraction starts to grow between them.

Cast

Anne Louise Hassing Anne Louise Hassing (born 17 September 1967) is a Danish actress. She is best known for her roles in the films '' Pain of Love'' (1992) and ''The Idiots'' (1998). Career Anne Louise Hassing was born in Horsens, Denmark, on 17 September 1967. ...

as Ida Nørregaard * Ken Vedsegaard as Erik Nielsen (2004–2005) *

Anders W. Berthelsen Anders W. Berthelsen (born 28 September 1969) is a Danish actor. He has appeared in more than 40 films and television shows since 1994. Selected filmography References External links * 1969 births Living people Danish male film act ...

as Palle From * Maibritt Saerens as Søs From (Søs From Nielsen since 2005) *

Waage Sandø Waage Sandø (born May 8, 1943) is a Danish theatre, film and television actor. He is known to international audiences mainly for his appearances in the TV series ''Bedrag'' (''Follow the Money'') Sandø, son of a tavern owner in Copenhagen, was ...

as Kaj Holger Nielsen *

Stina Ekblad Stina Åsa Maria Ekblad (born 26 February 1954 in Solf, Ostrobothnia, Finland) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish actress. Living in Stockholm, she has appeared mostly in Swedish productions. She received a Guldbagge Award for Best Actress in 198 ...

as Karin Nielsen *

Dick Kaysø Dick Kaysø, (born 13 February 1947) is a Danish actor. Filmography * '' Mafiaen, det er osse mig'' (1974) * '' Piger i trøjen'' (1975) * ''Strømer'' (1976) * '' Julefrokosten'' (1976) * '' Affæren i Mølleby'' (1976) * ' (1976) * ' (1976 ...

as Børge From * Pernille Højmark as Karen Jensen * Klaus Bondam as Lærer Arne Dupont

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kroniken 2000s Danish television series 2004 Danish television series debuts Danish drama television series 2007 Danish television series endings Danish-language television shows DR TV original programming