BBC Brings Thomas Vinterberg’s Acclaimed Drama Families Like Ours to UK Audiences

Image: Per Arnesen and BBC Press

By Jon Donnis

The BBC has acquired Families Like Ours, the debut TV drama series from Oscar and BAFTA-winning director Thomas Vinterberg, bringing this powerful and emotional story to BBC iPlayer and BBC Four. Written by Vinterberg (Another Round, The Hunt) and Bo Hr. Hansen (Department Q: Journal 64, The Art of Crying), the seven-part series unfolds in a fictional near-future Denmark where rising sea levels force the nation's evacuation, changing lives forever.

As the waters rise, families are torn apart. Wealthier citizens escape to more prosperous countries, while others are relocated to uncertain futures through government programmes. Communities fracture, fortunes disappear, and the fabric of society is tested in unimaginable ways. Amid this chaos, the series centres on Laura, a teenager on the verge of adulthood, who finds herself facing an impossible decision. As her family's evacuation looms, Laura must choose between the three people she loves most, knowing that any choice will leave someone behind.

Filmed across Denmark, Sweden, France, Romania and the Czech Republic, the series boasts a stellar ensemble cast including Amaryllis August, Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen, and Helene Reingaard Neumann. Its visually striking portrayal of a world reshaped by an imagined climate disaster, paired with intimate human stories, has already earned acclaim at the 2024 Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals.

Vinterberg, reflecting on the series' UK release, shared his gratitude to the BBC. "I have a deepfelt connection with the UK and as you will see, it also plays a part in this series. Therefore, it is with eager anticipation that I now await how a new audience will receive Families Like Ours, and I am very thankful to the BBC for delivering this story to a nation I feel such a close kinship with."

Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, praised the drama's impact. "Families Like Ours is a beautifully constructed, thought-provoking drama about what happens when people are confronted by the inconceivable, and forced to make seemingly impossible choices."

Produced by Zentropa Entertainments for TV 2 Denmark, STUDIOCANAL and Canal+, the series was co-funded by the Danish Film Institute, the European Union and Nordisk Film & TV Fond. With support from multiple international production partners, Families Like Ours stands as a testament to the power of global collaboration in storytelling.