{{Short description|Danish television series}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Infobox television | image = Rigettitle.jpg | image_upright = | image_size = | image_alt = | caption = The title screen for ''Riget'' | alt_name = ''The Kingdom II''<br />''The Kingdom: Exodus'' | native_name = {{Infobox name module|Danish|Riget, Riget II, Riget: Exodus}} | genre = Absurdist comedy<br />Black comedy<br />Medical drama<br />Paranormal<br />Psychological drama<br />Supernatural horror | creator = Lars von Trier and Tómas Gislason | based_on = <!-- {{Based on|work|author}} --> | developer = | writer = Lars von Trier (seasons 1-3)<br />Niels Vørsel (seasons 1-3)<br />Tómas Gislason (season 1) | screenplay = | story = | director = Lars von Trier (seasons 1-3)<br />Morten Arnfred (seasons 1-2) | creative_director = | presenter = <!-- Organized by broadcast credit order, with new main cast added to the end of the list --> | starring = {{plainlist| * Ernst-Hugo Järegård * Kirsten Rolffes * Holger Juul Hansen * Søren Pilmark * Ghita Nørby * Jens Okking * Birthe Neumann * Otto Brandenburg * Erik Wedersøe * Annevig Schelde Ebbe * Baard Owe * Birgitte Raaberg * John Hahn-Petersen * Peter Mygind * Vita Jensen * {{ill|Henning Jensen (actor)|lt=Henning Jensen|af|Henning Jensen (akteur)|ar|هينينج ينسن|da|Henning Jensen (skuespiller)|de|Henning Jensen (Schauspieler)|sv|Henning Jensen (skådespelare)}} * Morten Rotne Leffers * Solbjørg Højfeldt * Udo Kier}} <!-- Organized by broadcast credit order, with new main cast added to the end of the list --> | judges = <!-- Organized by broadcast credit order, with new main cast added to the end of the list --> | voices = <!-- Organized by broadcast credit order, with new main cast added to the end of the list --> | narrated = | theme_music_composer = | opentheme = | endtheme = | composer = | country = Denmark | language = Danish<br />Swedish | num_seasons = 3 | num_episodes = 13 | list_episodes = | executive_producer = Svend Abrahamsen (season 1–2)<br />Peter Aalbæk Jensen (season 1)<br />Vibeke Windeløv (season 2) | producer = Ole Reim (season 1)<br />Bosse Lindquist (season 2)<br />Louise Vesth (season 3) | news_editor = <!-- Content editor or editors of a current affairs/political show such as Newsnight. --> | location = | cinematography = Eric Kress | animator = | editor = Molly Malene Stensgaard<br />Jacob Thuesen<br />Pernille Bech Christensen | camera = Multi-camera | runtime = 58–78 minutes | company = ARTE<br />Danmarks Radio (DR) | budget = | network = Danmarks Radio | network2 = Viaplay | first_aired = {{Start date|1994|11|24|df=y}} | last_aired = {{End date|1997|10|31|df=y}} | first_aired2 = {{Start date|2022|10|09|df=y}} | last_aired2 = {{End date|2022|10|30|df=y}} | related = ''Kingdom Hospital''<!-- To be used only for remakes, spin-offs, and adaptations --> }}
'''''The Kingdom''''' ({{langx|da|'''Riget'''}}) is a Danish absurdist supernatural horror miniseries trilogy created by Lars von Trier and Tómas Gislason. Set in the neurosurgical ward of Copenhagen's Rigshospitalet ({{lit|The National Hospital}}, nicknamed "Riget", {{lit|the realm|the kingdom}}), each episode of the show follows the hospital's eccentric staff and patients as they encounter bizarre and sometimes supernatural phenomena. The series is notable for its wry humor, its muted sepia colour scheme, and the appearance of a chorus of dishwashers with Down syndrome, who discuss in intimate detail the strange occurrences in the hospital. The main theme's song was written by von Trier himself.
The first series of four episodes premiered from DR in November to December 1994, and was followed by a second series, '''''Riget II''''', which aired in November 1997. A belated third and final series of five episodes, directed by von Trier and written by von Trier with Niels Vørsel, entitled '''''Exodus''''', began filming in 2021<ref>{{cite news |last=Pham |first=Annika |date=17 December 2020 |title=Lars von Trier prepares The Kingdom Exodus for Viaplay/DR |work=Nordisk Film & TV Fond |url=https://www.nordiskfilmogtvfond.com/news/stories/lars-von-trier-prepares-the-kingdom-exodus-for-viaplay-dr |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Møller Hansen |first=Lars |date=17 December 2020 |title='Riget' vender tilbage |work=DR |url=https://www.dr.dk/om-dr/nyheder/riget-vender-tilbage |access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref> and was screened out of competition at the Venice Film Festival and at the Serial Killer festival in September 2022,<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Macnab |first=Geoffrey |date=2022-09-05 |title=Lars von Trier talks 'The Kingdom: Exodus', cancel culture and teasing Sweden |url=https://www.screendaily.com/features/lars-von-trier-talks-the-kingdom-exodus-cancel-culture-and-teasing-sweden/5174095.article |access-date=2022-09-16 |website=Screen |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brizi |first=Ilaria |date=2022-09-05 |title=5th Serial Killer Festival Brings Exclusive Previews of Major TV Series To Brno Screens |url=https://brnodaily.com/2022/09/05/events-in-brno/5th-serial-killer-festival-brings-exclusive-previews-of-major-tv-series-to-brno-screens/ |access-date=2022-10-06 |website=Brno Daily |language=en-US}}</ref> and premiered on Nordic streaming platform Viaplay with the first two episodes on 9 October. The series premiered in select regions between 27 November and 25 December on streaming platform MUBI.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Lattanzio |first=Ryan |date=2022-09-29 |title='The Kingdom Exodus' Trailer: Lars von Trier Is Up to His Old Tricks Again |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/09/the-kingdom-exodus-trailer-lars-von-trier-1234768025/ |access-date=2022-10-01 |website=IndieWire |language=en}}</ref>
Von Trier has credited David Lynch's 1990 television series ''Twin Peaks'' and the 1965 French miniseries ''Belphegor'' as inspirations for the series.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mars-Jones |first=Adam |date=28 December 1995 |title=All stitched up – well, nearly |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/all-stitched-up-well-nearly-1527519.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=23 October 2017 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/all-stitched-up-well-nearly-1527519.html |archive-date=18 June 2022}}</ref> ''The Kingdom'' itself inspired an American series, ''Kingdom Hospital'', developed by novelist Stephen King; the American version aired on ABC between March and July 2004, and was cancelled after a single season.
== Plot synopsis == {{cleanup rewrite|the section's poor development|date=December 2015}} Each episode of all three series opens with the same prologue, detailing how the hospital, Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, was built on the site of the "bleaching ponds", which recur in the name of the street of the hospital's official address, Blegdamsvej, although the exact significance of the reference is never explicitly discussed in the series.
{{Anchor|Drusse}}The show begins with the admission of a spiritualist patient, Sigrid Drusse (Kirsten Rolffes), who hears the sound of a girl crying in the elevator shaft. Upon investigation, Drusse discovers that the girl had died decades earlier, having been killed by her father to hide her illegitimacy. In order to put the spirit to rest, Drusse searches for the girl's body and ultimately finds it preserved in a specimen jar in the office of the hospital's professor of pathology, Professor Bondo (Baard Owe).
Meanwhile, neurosurgeon Stig Helmer (Ernst-Hugo Järegård), a recent appointee from Sweden to the neurosurgery department, tries to cover up his responsibility for a botched operation which left a young girl in a persistent vegetative state.
Pathologist Dr. Palle Bondo (Baard Owe) attempts to convince the family of a man dying from liver cancer to donate his liver to the hospital for Bondo's research. (In fact, Bondo wants it as a trophy, as it is the second largest hepatosarcoma ever recorded.) When denied, Bondo has the cancerous liver transplanted into his own body (as the patient signed an organ donor form), so that the cancer will become his personal property and can be kept within the hospital.
Amongst other plotlines, a young medical student becomes attracted to the nurse in charge of the sleep research laboratory, a ghostly ambulance appears and disappears every night, a junior doctor runs a black market in medical supplies, and a neurosurgeon discovers that she was impregnated by a ghost and that the baby in her womb is developing abnormally rapidly. In every episode, two dishwashers (each with Down syndrome) in the cellar discuss the strange happenings at Riget, and Helmer screams his famous catchphrase: ''"Danskjävlar!"'' (subtitled as "Danish scum", but literally "Danish devils").
In the third series, ''Exodus'', sleepwalker Karen Svensson finds herself at Rigshospitalet, investigating the fallout of the fatal power outage at the end of the second series. ''Exodus'' also introduces Dr. Helmer, Jr. (Mikael Persbrandt), the neurotic son of the late Stig Helmer, and a new addition to the staff of Riget.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Debruge |first=Peter |date=2022-09-01 |title='The Kingdom Exodus' Review: Lars von Trier Is Back to His Old Tricks, Unleashing Hell on a Danish Hospital |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/reviews/the-kingdom-exodus-review-lars-von-trier-1235356627/ |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> Helmer Jr. is threatened with a lawsuit after making sexual advances to a female colleague in the hospital, has to consult a Swedish lawyer (Alexander Skarsgard), son of the lawyer from season 2.<ref name=":1" />
== Cast == [[File:Ernst-Hugo Järegård (Guido) i NINE, bakom scen.jpg|thumb|248x248px|Ernst-Hugo Järegård as Stig Helmer, a Dane-hating Swedish doctor]] [[File:Udo Kier-1331.jpg|thumb|255x255px|German actor Udo Kier (pictured in 2018) appears in a dual role as the antagonist Åge Krüger, and his infant son Little Brother]] {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |- ! rowspan="2" style="width:180px;" |Actor ! rowspan="2" style="width:180px;" |Character ! colspan="3"|Season |- ! style="width:80px;"|''I'' ! style="width:80px;"|''II'' ! style="width:80px;"|''Exodus'' |- | Søren Pilmark || Jørgen 'Hook' Krogshøj || colspan="3" {{cMain|Main}} |- | Ghita Nørby || Rigmor Mortensen || colspan="3" {{cMain|Main}} |- | Birgitte Raaberg || Judith Petersen || colspan="3" {{cMain|Main}} |- | Peter Mygind || Morten 'Mogge' Moesgaard || colspan="3" {{cMain|Main}} |- | Ernst-Hugo Järegård || Stig Helmer || colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}} || {{cGuest|Archive}} |- | Kirsten Rolffes || Sigrid Drusse || colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}} || {{cGuest|Archive}} |- | Holger Juul Hansen || Einar Moesgaard || colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}} || {{cGuest|Archive}} |- | Jens Okking || Bulder Harly Drusse || colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}} || {{cGuest|Archive}} |- | Baard Owe || Palle Bondo || colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}} || {{cGuest|Archive}} |- | Bodil Jørgensen || Karen Svensson || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cMain|Main}} |- | Nicolas Bro || Balder 'Bulder' || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cMain|Main}} |- | Nikolaj Lie Kaas || Filip Naver || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cMain|Main}} |- | Lars Mikkelsen || Pontopidan || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cMain|Main}} |- | Mikael Persbrandt || Stig Helmer Jr. || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cMain|Main}} |- | Tuva Novotny || Anna || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cMain|Main}} |- | Ida Engvoll || Kalle || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cMain|Main}} |- | Otto Brandenburg || Hansen || colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}} || {{cNone}} |- | Annevig Schelde Ebbe || Mary Krüger || colspan="1" {{cMain|Main}} || {{cRecurring|Recurring}} || {{cGuest|Archive}} |- | Udo Kier || Åge Krüger / Little Brother / Frederik / Big Brother || colspan="3" {{cMain|Main}} |- | Vita Jensen || Female dishwasher || colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}} || {{cNone}} |- | {{ill|Morten Rotne Leffers|da}} || Male dishwasher || colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}} || {{cNone}} |- | Jasmine Junker || Female dishwasher || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cMain|Main}} |- | Jesper Sørensen || Male dishwasher || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cMain|Main}} |- | Solbjørg Højfeldt || Camilla || colspan="1" {{cMain|Main}} || {{cRecurring|Recurring}} || {{cMain|Main}} |- | Birthe Neumann || Fru Svendsen || {{cNone}} || colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}} |- | Erik Wedersøe || Ole || {{cNone}} || {{cMain|Main}} || {{cNone}} |- | John Hahn-Petersen || Secretary Nivesen || {{cNone}} || {{cMain|Main}} || {{cNone}} |- | {{ill|Henning Jensen (actor)|lt=Henning Jensen|af|Henning Jensen (akteur)|ar|هينينج ينسن|da|Henning Jensen (skuespiller)|de|Henning Jensen (Schauspieler)|sv|Henning Jensen (skådespelare)}} || Director Bob || colspan="1" {{cRecurring|Recurring}} || colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}} |- | Laura Christensen || Mona Jensen || colspan="2" {{cRecurring|Recurring}} || {{cMain|Main}} |- | Vera Gebuhr || Gerda || {{cNone}} || {{cGuest|Guest}} || {{cNone}} |- | {{ill|Ole Boisen|af|Ole Gorter Boisen|da|Ole Gorter Boisen}} || Christian || colspan="2" {{cRecurring|Recurring}} || {{cNone}} |- | Louise Fribo || Sanne Jeppesen || colspan="2" {{cRecurring|Recurring}} || {{cNone}} |- | {{ill|Nis Bank-Mikkelsen|af||da||de||sv}} || Chaplain || colspan="2" {{cGuest|Guest}} || {{cNone}} |- | Thomas Bo Larsen || Falkon || {{cNone}} || {{cGuest|Guest}} || {{cNone}} |- | Henrik Koefoed || Radiologist || {{cGuest|Guest}} || colspan="2" {{cNone}} |- | Paul Hüttel || Steenbæk || colspan="3" {{cGuest|Guest}} |- | Helle Virkner || Emma Mogensen || colspan="2" {{cGuest|Guest}} || {{cNone}} |- | Stellan Skarsgård || The Swedish Lawyer || {{cNone}} || {{cGuest|Guest}} || {{cNone}} |- | Alexander Skarsgård || The Swedish Lawyer's Son || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cGuest|Guest}} |- | David Dencik || Bosse || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cGuest|Guest}} |- | Willem Dafoe || Grand Duc || colspan="2" {{cNone}} || {{cGuest|Guest}} |- | Lars von Trier || Himself<br />Satan || colspan="3" {{cAlso starring|Uncredited}} |}
== Production == {{expand section|date=October 2022}}
=== ''Riget: Exodus'' (2022) === In December 2020, Danmarks Radio announced that a third and final season, consisting of five episodes directed by von Trier and co-written by von Trier alongside original series co-writer Niels Vørsel, would begin filming in 2021 under the title ''Riget: Exodus''.<ref name=":0" /> The same year, von Trier began showing symptoms of Parkinson's disease during an interview with Christian Lund of Louisiana Channel;<ref>{{Citation |title=Lars von Trier: The Burden From Donald Duck |date=2020-12-23 |url=https://channel.louisiana.dk/video/lars-von-trier-the-burden-from-donald-duck |language=en-US |access-date=2022-10-16}}</ref> afterwards, he continued to work while taking medication. Von Trier did not watch "all the old ones" before beginning work on ''Riget: Exodus'', and had tried "to get rid of the ties from the old stuff", with the focus being on the characters.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=2022-09-01 |title=Danish director Von Trier getting used to life with Parkinson's |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/danish-director-von-trier-getting-used-life-with-parkinsons-2022-09-01/ |access-date=2022-10-02}}</ref>
Returning cast members Ghita Nørby, Søren Pilmark, Peter Mygind, Birgitte Raaberg, Laura Christensen and Udo Kier are joined by newcomers Bodil Jørgensen, Nicolas Bro, Lars Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Mikael Persbrandt, Tuva Novotny, Ida Engvoll, Asta Kamma August, David Dencik, Alexander Skarsgard and Willem Dafoe.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stiesen |first=Henriette |date=17 May 2021 |title=Von Triers kultserie 'Riget' vender tilbage: Nu løftes sløret for stjernespækket rolleliste |work=DR |url=https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/kultur/film/von-triers-kultserie-riget-vender-tilbage-nu-loeftes-sloeret-stjernespaekket |access-date=17 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Keslassy |first=Elsa |date=2 June 2021 |title=Lars Von Trier's 'The Kingdom' Adds Danish Stars Lars Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas to Cast |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/lars-von-trier-the-kingdom-lars-mikkelsen-nikolaj-lie-kaas-1234986379/ |access-date=2 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bjerre |first=Britta |date=12 July 2021 |title=Birgitte Raaberg: Jeg tror aldrig, jeg bliver træt af det |work=Femina |url=https://www.femina.dk/kultur/underholdning/birgitte-raaberg-jeg-tror-aldrig-jeg-bliver-traet-af-det |access-date=26 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Feder |first=Michael |date=11 August 2021 |title=Mona og Lillebror er tilbage i Lars von Triers RIGET EXODUS |work=Zentropa |url=https://zentropa.dk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PM-Mona-tilbage-i-RIGET-og-lillebror-bliver-storebror_z-web.pdf |access-date=11 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Roxburgh |first=Scott |date=9 September 2021 |title=Alexander Skarsgard to Guest-Star in Lars Von Trier's 'The Kingdom Exodus' |work=Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/alexander-skarsgard-to-guest-star-in-lars-von-trier-tv-series-the-kingdom-exodus-1235010315/ |access-date=10 September 2021}}</ref> Von Trier had a "rotten time" filming the series, as he suffered from the effects of Parkinson's disease during the shoot, but hoped the actors "didn't notice".<ref name=":2" />
In September 2022, ''Exodus'' (presented as a "five hour feature-length film")<ref name=":2" /> screened out of competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, alongside Nicolas Winding Refn's miniseries ''Copenhagen Cowboy''.<ref name=":1" />
== Episodes == {{Series overview
| color1 = #5C5938 | link1 = #Riget (1994) | episodes1 = 4 | start1 = 24 November 1994 | end1 = 15 December 1994
| color2 = #512733 | link2 = #Riget II (1997) | episodes2 = 4 | start2 = 10 October 1997 | end2 = 31 October 1997
| color3 = #743C2F | link3 = #Riget: Exodus (2022) 2 | episodes3 = 5 | start3 = 9 October 2022 | end3 = 30 October 2022 }}
=== ''Riget'' (1994) === {{Episode table |total_width= |background=#5C5938 |overall= |title= |director= |writer= 35|airdate= |episodes= {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=1 |Title=Den hvide flok (The Unheavenly Host) |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, Tómas Gislason |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1994|11|24|df=y}} |ShortSummary=Mrs Drusse, a hypochondriac psychic, gets herself admitted to the Kingdom because she believes the hospital is haunted. Meanwhile, Dr Helmer, a Dane-hating Swede under investigation for malpractice, joins the hospital's secret brethren. |LineColor=5C5938 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=2 |Title=Alliancen kalder (Thy Kingdom Come) |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, Tómas Gislason |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1994|12|1 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=Mrs Drusse continues her investigation, Krogshøj steals the severed head from Mogge and uses it to blackmail him, while Bondo is at his wits' end when a patient's relative refuses to hand over his liver, which is infected with a rare cancer. |LineColor=5C5938 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=3 |Title=Et fremmed legeme (A Foreign Body) |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, Tómas Gislason |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1994|12|8 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=Dr Helmer decides to steal the incriminating report but unbeknownst to him, Krogshøj has the same plan, Bondo wants to transplant the cancerous liver into himself, and Mrs Drusse finds out Mary didn't die of tuberculosis as reported. |LineColor=5C5938 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=4 |Title=De levende døde (The Living Dead) |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, Tómas Gislason |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1994|12|15 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=Helmer goes to Haiti which angers his gun-wielding girlfriend, Judith may be pregnant with a ghost, Mrs Drusse reburies Mary's remains but her troubles are only just beginning, and Operation Morning Breeze turns into a farcical disaster. |LineColor=5C5938 }} }}
=== ''Riget II'' (1997) === {{Episode table |total_width= |background=#512733 |overall= |title= |director= |writer= 35|airdate= |episodes= {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=5 |Title=Mors in Tabula (Death on the Operation Table) |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1997|10|10 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=Helmer returns from Haiti with the zombie poison, but has trouble administering it, Mrs Drusse is back in the Kingdom after being struck by a van, and Judith has to learn to love her deformed son. |LineColor=512733 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=6 |Title=Trækfuglene (Birds of Passage) |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1997|10|17 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=Mrs Drusse has a new spiritual mystery to solve, and Judith continues to care for her deformed son, now named Little Brother. Meanwhile, Helmer attempts to administer the antidote for the poison to Kroshgøj before it’s too late, as to avoid another legal conundrum. |LineColor=512733 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=7 |Title=Gargantua |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1997|10|24 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=Krogshøj is revived but different than before, Christian becomes the new Falcon, the Little Brother wants to die, and Mrs Drusse learns of Age Krüger’s form as a demon. Inspired by her son's dream, she takes a flight around the hospital. |LineColor=512733 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=8 |Title=Pandæmonium |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1997|10|31 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=Helmer, blackmailed into marriage by Rigmor, kidnaps Mona, Krogshøj considers eugenics, Mrs Drusse discovers a satanic sect beneath the hospital, Judith won't let her son die, Bondo finds his half-brother, and Christian races blind. |LineColor=512733 }} }}
=== ''Riget: Exodus'' (2022) === {{Episode table |total_width= |background=#743C2F |overall= |title= |director= |writer= 35|airdate= |episodes= {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=9 |Title=Halmar |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2022|10|09 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=A mysterious voice calls upon the sleep walker, Karen, during a nightmare. The Kingdom is in need of her assistance, and at the hospital, she finds an ally in the porter, Bulder. |LineColor=743C2F }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=10 |Title=The Congress Dances |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2022|10|09 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=Karen has a new vision that could possibly aid her in locating the voice. At The Kingdom, preparations are being made for the annual pain congress, but it seems that the demon, Grand Duc, is on the guest list. |LineColor=743C2F }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=11 |Title=Big Brother |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2022|10|16 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=Karen locates the spiritual core of The Kingdom. Helmer discovers what he was looking for at the hospital, but after a violent clash with Naver, he realizes that things do not always proceed according to plan. |LineColor=743C2F }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=12 |Title=Barbarossa |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2022|10|23 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=Karen attempts to solve the task that was given to her, but evil forces work against her and Bulder. Helmer has had it with the Danish stupidity and plans an act of terrorism against the Danes and The Kingdom itself. |LineColor=743C2F }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=13 |Title=Exodus |DirectedBy=Lars von Trier |WrittenBy=Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2022|10|30 |df=y}} |ShortSummary=Karen, Krogen and Bulder are fighting against the clock. The time has come to clean The Kingdom of all evil spirits once and for all, but much can still go wrong. |LineColor=743C2F }} }}
== Release == {{expand section|date=August 2017}} The four-episode first series of ''Riget'' was aired by Danish broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR) from 24 November to 15 December 1994. The English subtitled version ''The Kingdom'' aired in the United Kingdom on BBC Two from 1 to 9 April 1997.
The four-episode second series, ''Riget II'', aired on DR between 10 and 31 October 1997. The English subtitled version ''The Kingdom II'' aired in the United Kingdom on BBC Two from 28 July to 1 September 2001.
The five-episode third series, ''Riget: Exodus'', premiered on streaming platform Viaplay on 9 October 2022.
=== Home media === The series was edited into a five-hour, two-part film, which received some theatrical exhibition, and was released on home video in America and the United Kingdom.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Devine |first=James |date=2017-06-24 |title=The Graveyard: Digging up Stephen King's 'Kingdom Hospital' |url=https://1428elm.com/2017/06/24/graveyard-digging-stephen-kings-kingdom-hospital/ |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=1428 Elm |language=en-US}}</ref> It is available on DVD in Australia and New Zealand on Madman Entertainment's Directors Suite label, in the UK from Second Sight, and in the US from Koch-Lorber Films.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.secondsightfilms.co.uk/cat.php?a=167&p=-889 |title=Classic Films on DVD, Blu-Ray and On Demand |website=Second Site Films |location=UK}}</ref> Following their restoration of the first two series using original film negatives, Mubi released all three series to Blu-ray in April 2024 as part of a 7-disc box set.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wilkins |first1=Budd |title=Review: Lars von Trier’s TV Miniseries ''The Kingdom'' Trilogy on MUBI Blu-ray |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-kingdom-trilogy-blu-ray-review-lars-von-trier/ |date=7 May 2024}}</ref>
=== Streaming === Newly restored HD{{cn|date=January 2024}} editions of the first two series premiered on MUBI on 13 November and 20 November 2022, respectively; the debut of the restored series was followed by the premiere of ''Exodus'' on the platform on 27 November, with its fifth and final episode premiering on Christmas Day.<ref name=":6" />
== Reception == {{expand section|date=August 2017}}
=== Critical reception === On Metacritic, all three seasons has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Kingdom (Riget) |url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-kingdom-riget |access-date=2022-10-16}}</ref>
==== ''I'' and ''II'' ==== Film critic Leonard Maltin, who reviewed the two-part theatrical version, awarded it three and a half out of a possible four stars, calling it "a must-see for those who think they've seen everything".<ref name="Maltin2013">{{cite book |author=Leonard Maltin |title=Leonard Maltin's 2014 Movie Guide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sfw2AgAAQBAJ |date=3 September 2013 |publisher=Penguin Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-101-60955-2 |page=760}}</ref>
Despite being a miniseries, ''The Kingdom'' appears in the best-selling book ''1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die'', where it is called "a medical horror epic", with its supernatural elements described as being both eerie and magical.<ref name="Schneider">{{cite book |author=Stephen Jay Schneider |title=1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 6th edition |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GTzcCgAAQBAJ |isbn=978-1-4380-6814-5}}</ref>
==== ''Exodus'' ==== [[File:Lars von Trier 2014 (cropped).jpg|thumb|278x278px|Lars von Trier at the Berlin Film Festival in 2014.]] On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 87% of 23 reviews are positive and the average rating is 6.80/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "An acquired taste for newcomers and comfort weirdness for Lars von Trier's devotees, ''The Kingdom: Exodus'' is a cheeky delicacy infused with cosmic horror that reaches biblically insane proportions."<ref>{{Citation |title=The Kingdom Exodus |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_kingdom_exodus/s03 |language=en |access-date=2022-11-05}}</ref> On Metacritic, it has a weighted average of 77 out of 100 from nine reviews, indicating a generally positive reception.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Kingdom (Riget) season 3 |url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-kingdom-riget/season-3/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=Metacritic |language=en}}</ref>
''Exodus'' was well received by critics following its premiere at the Venice in September 2022, with ''Variety'' calling it "over-the-top" and "fun",<ref name=":3" /> and the Italian Post praised the series, saying it "amuses and disturbs", and comparing it positively to ''Twin Peaks''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ItalianPostNews |date=2022-09-01 |title=RIget Exodus, the review of the TV series by Lars Von Trier out of competition in Venice 79 |url=https://www.italianpost.news/riget-exodus-the-review-of-the-tv-series-by-lars-von-trier-out-of-competition-in-venice-79/ |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=Italian Post |language=en-US}}</ref> ''The Upcoming'' gave the series 3/5, praising its "dark humour" and noting that it feels like a "tribute to Lars von Trier's career, a revisiting of his early work... filled with the wobbly handheld shots that distinguished the Dogme 95 movement".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sondermann |first=Selina |title=Venice Film Festival 2022: The Kingdom: Exodus (Riget: Exodus) {{!}} Review |url=https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2022/09/05/venice-film-festival-2022-the-kingdom-exodus-riget-exodus-review/ |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=The Upcoming}}</ref> Giving it 3/5 stars, ''The Guardian'' called the series "a nightmarish revue, peppered with familiar faces in brief walk-on roles", and said that it is "fun to a point and richly textured to a fault, with a plot that’s entirely driven by what has gone before".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-01 |title=The Kingdom: Exodus review – return of Lars von Trier's cult hospital horror |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/01/the-kingdom-exodus-review-lars-von-trier-venice-film-festival |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>
=== Accolades === {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! scope="col"| Award ! scope="col"| Category ! scope="col"| Recipient(s) ! scope="col"| Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |- | rowspan="4" | 1995 Bodil Awards | Best Danish Film | ''Riget'' | {{won}} | rowspan="4" | <ref name="Piil 2008 p. 469">{{cite book |last=Piil |first=M. |authorlink=Morten Piil |title=Gyldendals danske filmguide |publisher=Gyldendal |year=2008 |isbn=978-87-02-06669-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=caRYl94i7xUC&pg=PP469 |language=da |access-date=14 June 2021 |page=469}}</ref> |- | Best Actor | Ernst-Hugo Järegård | {{won}} |- | Best Actress | Kirsten Rolffes | {{won}} |- | Best Supporting Actor | Holger Juul Hansen | {{won}} |- | rowspan="3" | 30th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | Crystal Globe | ''Riget'' | {{nom}} | rowspan="3" | <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kviff.com/en/history/1995 |title=History – 30th festival |work=kviff.com |access-date=23 March 2018}}</ref> |- | Best Director Award | Lars von Trier | {{won}} |- | Best Actor Award | rowspan="2" | Ernst-Hugo Järegård | {{won}} |- | rowspan="6" | 12th Robert Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | {{won}} | rowspan="6" | <ref name="Piil 2008 p. 469" /> |- | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Kirsten Rolffes | {{won}} |- | Best Screenplay | Lars von Trier, {{Interlanguage link|Niels Vørsel|da}} | {{won}} |- | Best Cinematography | Eric Kress | {{won}} |- | Best Score | {{Interlanguage link|Joachim Holbek|da}} | {{won}} |- | Best Sound Design | Per Streit | {{won}} |- | Seattle International Film Festival | Golden Space Needle Award for Best Film | ''Riget'' | {{won}} | {{citation needed|date=January 2016}} |- | 1996 Adolf Grimme Awards | Series/Miniseries | rowspan="2" | Lars von Trier | {{won}} | {{citation needed|date=January 2016}} |- | 1996 Golden Cable Awards | Bronze Cable for Innovation | {{won}} | {{citation needed|date=December 2022}} |- | rowspan="2" | 1996 Bodil Awards | Best Actor | Holger Juul Hansen | {{won}} | rowspan="2"|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bodil Awards (1998) |url=http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000107/1998/1/ |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=IMDb}}</ref> |- | Best Supporting Actress | Birgitte Raaberg | {{won}} |- | rowspan="2" | 1999 Fantasporto | Best Screenplay | Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred | {{won}} | rowspan="2" | <ref>{{Cite web |title=Fantasporto (1999) |url=http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000236/1999/1/ |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=IMDb}}</ref> |- | Best Director | Lars von Trier | {{won}} |- | rowspan="5" | 40th Robert Awards |Best TV Series |Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, and Louise Vesth (producer) | {{nom}} | rowspan="5" | <ref>{{Cite web |title=Danish Film Awards (Robert) (2023) |url=http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000564/2023/1/ |access-date=2023-02-11 |website=IMDb}}</ref> |- |Best Actor in a Leading Role - TV series |Mikael Persbrandt | {{nom}} |- |Best Actress in a Leading Role - TV series |Bodil Jørgensen | {{nom}} |- |Best Supporting Actor in a Leading Role - TV series |Lars Mikkelsen | {{nom}} |- |Best Supporting Actress in a Leading Role - TV series |Tuva Novotny | {{nom}} |}
== American adaptation == {{Main|Kingdom Hospital}} Horror novelist Stephen King discovered the five-hour theatrical edit of ''Riget'' in a video store during production of the 1997 TV miniseries adaptation of ''The Shining'',<ref name=":4" /> and, finding it "both funny and scary",<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=King |first=Stephen |date=1 February 2007 |title=Stephen King on the failure of ''Kingdom Hospital'' |url=https://ew.com/article/2007/02/01/stephen-king-failure-kingdom-hospital/ |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref> promptly set out to obtain the rights to the series for an American adaptation. At that time, the rights were owned by Columbia Pictures, who had intended to adapt the series as a two-hour theatrical film. King negotiated with Columbia for the rights, ultimately exchanging them for the option to his novella "Secret Window, Secret Garden" (which Columbia adapted in 2004 as the feature film ''Secret Window'').<ref name=":4" />
King's thirteen episode television adaptation, titled ''Kingdom Hospital'', broadcast between March and July 2004 on ABC. Often directly adapting storylines from the original series, ''Kingdom Hospital'' was set in a hospital in Lewiston, Maine, which was on the site of a mill built before the Civil War. Many character names were derived from their Danish equivalents, e.g., Sigrid Drusse became Sally Druse and Stig Helmer became Dr. Stegman. In a departure from the plot of ''Riget'', the American series introduces a new protagonist, a comatose patient, Peter Rickman, inspired by King's own experience of being hit by a minivan,<ref name=":4" /> and a talking giant anteater, the spirit guide Anubis/Antubis.{{fact|date=November 2025}}
Although King and co-writer Richard Dooling developed an outline for a second series, ratings dropped throughout the season. ''Kingdom Hospital'' was placed on indefinite hiatus following a "major network shake-up", and was never picked up for a second series.<ref name=":5" />
== See also == {{Portal|Film|Denmark}} * List of ghost films
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb title|id=0108906|title=The Kingdom (1994)}} * {{Rotten Tomatoes|the-kingdom1994X|The Kingdom (1994)}}
{{Lars von Trier}} {{Bodil Award for Best Danish Film}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingdom (miniseries), The}} Category:1990s Danish television series Category:1994 Danish television series debuts Category:1994 films Category:1994 horror films Category:1997 Danish television series endings Category:Danish drama television series Category:Danish-language television shows Category:Down syndrome in television Category:DR television dramas Category:Fictional hospitals Category:Healthcare in Denmark Category:Horror fiction television series Category:Works by Lars von Trier Category:Medical television series Category:Zentropa films Category:Psychological television series