State of Happiness Review: I love it and find it the perfect antidote to I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here….

Like many things in life, I have an eclectic taste in television. I am by no means averse to reality TV and am a fan of shows such as Love is Blind. However, I grew up watching Hollywood movies from yesteryear and particularly enjoyed movies starring the likes of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn.

If I am being honest, long before the whole world seemed to fall in love with all things Scandi, I was a fan of their fashion when I first visited Copenhagen as a teenager. When it comes to their television, I have recently become bored of British period dramas and British TV in general and have seen myself fall in love with Scandi television.

Before I move on to discuss State of Happiness, I would also recommend you watch Midsummer Night on Netflix. In the series starring, as the matriarch of the family Carina brings her family to celebrate a traditional Swedish midsummer, the viewer watches as the family's secrets not only come to light but start to unfold.

Now onto the State of Happiness. I came across the series which is available to watch on BBC iPlayer by chance. The synopsis for the show read: “When a small Norwegian fishing village becomes part of the 70s oil boom, everything changes but how much are the lives of family and friends worth?”

Before you think I am going to spoil the series, do not fear, as I am only just about to start the fourth episode and I have no intention of giving too much away! On the contrary, I wanted to give you the perspective of someone who has only just started watching the series.

I have to admit that before I started watching State of Happiness, I did have some reservations. I didn’t mind that it was set in the 1960s, it is specifically set in the summer of 1969 in the small coastal town of Stavanger in Norway. I was more concerned if I would be interested in the storyline of oil drilling, but it is so much more than this.

From almost the minute I began viewing State of Happiness, I was not only invested in many of the characters, but I was equally intrigued in many of them, rather than just one or two. One of the pivotal characters in the first series (remember I am only at the start of it) is secretary Anna Kellevik, played by Anne Regine Ellingsaeter. She is described as ‘a secretary at the town hall,’ but it is pretty obvious from the state just how ambitious and bright she is.

The character of Toril Torstensen played by Malene Wadel is the antithesis of Anna Kellevik, but is equally as intriguing. She comes from a deeply religious background and becomes involved with an American man who works for Shell. Don’t worry, no spoilers here, but she is magnetising to watch.

Another of my favourite characters (so far) is Ingrid Nyman played by Pia Tjelta. She is described as ‘Frederik’s wife and Christian’s mother,’ but she is so much more than this and I am so far thoroughly enjoying how the actress Pia Tjelta is portraying the many layered Ingrid.

I am not deliberately ignoring the male characters of the series (I promise!). There is of course the character of Christian Nyman (the actor Amund Harbo plays him), who is engaged to Anna Kellevik and comes from a family that is initially perceived to be incredibly privileged and wealthy. His father Fredrik Nyman, played by Per Kjerstad, is also intriguing to me and I can’t wait to see how his character develops.

I of course can’t mention State of Happiness without writing about Jonathan Kay, played by Bart Edwards. He is from Texas and is a lawyer who is sent over to Stavanger by his employer Phillips Petroleum to attempt to negotiate an end to the company’s agreement with the Norwegian government. However, when he arrives there, things take an unexpected twist.

Hopefully I have given you an insight into State of Happiness and encouraged you to give it a try. If you were to ask me how I would rate it out of five, I would say five, which is very unlike me as I rarely would give such a high score to a drama series.

If you want to watch State of Happiness, it is available to view on BBC iPlayer.