| Image Alt: | Logo text of RYKTER |
| Alt Name: | Rumors |
| Genre: | Teen drama |
| Creator: | Christoffer V. Ebbesen |
| Developer: | Christoffer V. Ebbesen |
| Music: | Askjell Solstrand |
| Country: | Norway |
| Language: | Norwegian |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 30 |
| Executive Producer: | Eldar Nakken |
| Runtime: | 8-12 minutes |
| Network: | NRK3 |
| Last Aired: | present |
Rykter (English: Rumours) is a Norwegian teen drama television series about the life of Erik Nielsen, who had to move to the fictional island Vesterøy. It was produced by NRK3, which is part of the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.
Rykter revolves around Erik Nielsen who needed to leave Bergen because he beat up one of his football teammates and was caught by the police. He moves to the fictional island Vesterøy to live with his mother where he tries to hide the reason why he had to move before his new friends.[1]
The first season covers the problems Erik faces with integrating into the small community as well as the relationship between Mathias and Sara. Problems arise when Mathias plan for his future doesn't align anymore with the plan of Sara, which leads to Mathias and Sara growing apart while Sara and Erik grow closer together. This leads to multiple problems including Sara's relationship with Thea, her best friend, who tries to take revenge on Erik with Mathias together.[2] [3]
The second season continues seamlessly with the story line. Mathias now tries to befriend Erik and tries to integrate him into his friend group but faces backlash from Felix his best friend. At the end of the season Felix forces Mathias to choose between Erik and him.
The series deals with the influence of rumours (Norwegian: Rykter) on mental health and social standing. The impact of the beforementioned social standing is also addressed. Alcohol and drug consumption are also addressed throughout the series.
Rykter is produced by the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK3 in cooperation with Mothership Entertainment AS. After the first seasons success the German public broadcaster NDR joined as co-producer with the goal to distribute the show internationally.[5] The show has been granted a subsidy of 2,750,000 NOK from the Nordisk Film & TV Fond and has a total budget of 18,061,936 NOK.[6] [7]
The series takes place on a fictional island named Vesterøy. The show was filmed in the sea gap in Øygarden in Western Norway west of Bergen, where also some scenes where shot.
The series premiered on September 22, 2022, on NRK TV, the streaming service of NRK, as well as on NRK Super in live television. After the success of the first season the second season premiered on the 24th of February 2023 again on NRK TV and NRK Super. It was premiered in Italian on RaiPlay on July 14, 2023.
The main audience for Rykter is Norway, where it landed a success. After the release of the first season it achieved high viewership ratings on NRK which lead to the production of a third season. It was well received in Norway and gained some reputation.[8]
The series has received international attention even though it is specifically targeted at a Norwegian audience. This has led to its distribution on RaiPlay, the Streaming service of the Italian public broadcaster RAI. It is the first Norwegian program to achieve the top spot ranking on RaiPlay for multiple weeks.