When a Danish period dramedy about a coastal inn draws more than 1.6 million viewers in a country of 5.8 million, it is worth understanding why. The Seaside Hotel — Badehotellet in Danish — has become one of the most-watched fiction series on Danish television, with ten seasons spanning from 2013 into 2025. This guide covers the story, seasons, filming location, critical reception, and international availability, so you can decide whether to add it to your watchlist.
Last checked: 2026-07-18
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Official title: The Seaside Hotel (Badehotellet) · Genre: Drama comedy · Country of origin: Denmark · Original language: Danish · First aired: 2013 · Seasons: 10
How we researched this article
Last checked: 2026-07-18.
Sources reviewed: Official Danish Film Institute database, TV 2 Play listing, Nordisk Film & TV Fond industry report, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes audience reviews, English and Scandinavian Wikipedia entries, Eurodrama blog review, A Green Man Review, Google People Also Ask results, Reddit user forums.
We did not conduct on-site visits to the filming location or interview cast or crew. Viewer ratings and audience figures rely on publicly available industry and platform data.
The Seaside Hotel at a glance
- The series premiered on TV 2 on December 30, 2013 (Danish Film Institute).
- 10 seasons totalling 64 episodes, each approximately 50 minutes (Danish Wikipedia).
- The finale drew 1,623,000 viewers, a 67% share of active TV households (Nordisk Film & TV Fond).
- Available on Netflix in select markets and on Channel 4 in the UK; first nine seasons released via PBS/Walter Presents in 2023 (A Green Man Review).
| Official title | The Seaside Hotel (Badehotellet) |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama comedy |
| Country of origin | Denmark |
| Original language | Danish |
| First aired | 2013 |
| Seasons | 10 |
| Episodes | 56 (as of 2025 per some sources; 64 per Danish Wikipedia) |
| Setting | Seaside hotel by Skagerrak, northwest Denmark |
| Time period | 1928–1945 |
| Available on | Netflix, Channel 4 (UK), PBS/Walter Presents (US) |
What is the story of The Seaside Hotel?
The series follows guests and staff at a seaside hotel in Denmark from the late 1920s through the end of the Second World War. The first five seasons cover summers from 1928 to 1932, as the inn becomes a meeting place for Copenhagen’s bourgeoisie, local servants, and a rotating cast of romantic and comic entanglements. According to the English Wikipedia entry, the story begins in mid-1928.
Later seasons shift dramatically. Seasons 6 through 8 jump ahead to 1939–1941, placing the characters against the backdrop of the German occupation of Denmark. Season 9 takes place in 1945, with the first episode set just after liberation in May of that year, as detailed by the Italian Wikipedia and corroborated by A Green Man Review.
Main characters
Creators Hanna Lundblad and Stig Thorsboe built an ensemble that rotates between wealthy regulars — the Fjeldsø family and their friends — and the working-class staff who run the hotel. Amanda, the sharp-tongued maid, and Madsen, the waiter, anchor the employees’ perspective, while Mrs. Fjeldsø and her daughter Molly represent the patrons’ world. The class contrast is a recurring engine of both comedy and drama.
The pattern: The time jump from the carefree 1920s to the war years is the show’s boldest structural move, transforming a light ensemble piece into a meditation on occupation, loyalty, and survival. Viewers who invest in the early seasons are rewarded with an increasingly weighty narrative.
How many series and episodes are there of The Seaside Hotel?
Ten seasons have aired as of early 2025. The production company SF Production handled the series for TV 2. Episode counts vary slightly by source: the Danish Wikipedia lists 64 episodes, while other databases count 56. The discrepancy likely stems from how two-part episodes are catalogued. Each episode runs approximately 50 minutes, with the first episode clocking 49 minutes on TV 2 Play.
| Season | Premiere date | Setting period |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 30, 2013 | 1928 |
| 2 | 2014 | Late 1920s |
| 3 | 2015 | Early 1930s |
| 4 | 2016 | Early 1930s |
| 5 | February 12, 2018 | 1932 |
| 6 | 2019 | 1939 |
| 7 | 2020 | 1940 |
| 8 | 2021 | 1941 |
| 9 | February 7, 2022 | 1945 |
| 10 | March 3, 2024 | 1945 (post-war) |
Current status
The tenth season premiered on March 3, 2024, per Danish Wikipedia. As of 2025, no official announcement regarding an eleventh season has been made by TV 2. Given the series’ strong audience — the finale attracted 1,623,000 viewers and captured 67% of active TV households, as reported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond — a continuation is plausible but unconfirmed.
“It has become the most successful episode of a fiction series on TV2 since 1997’s Strisser på Samsø.”
— Nordisk Film & TV Fond, on the series finale ratings
Where is the TV series The Seaside Hotel filmed?
The fictional hotel is set along the Skagerrak coast in northwest Denmark, but the actual filming location is a real seaside hotel that stands in for the on-screen inn. The Danish Wikipedia entry confirms the setting as a seaside hotel by the Skagerrak. Production used the property as the primary filming location for exterior and interior scenes throughout all ten seasons.
The building itself, a traditional Danish beach hotel, lends authenticity to the period setting. No major set-rebuilding was needed between time jumps — the hotel’s architecture remained plausible for the 1928–1945 era, allowing the production to focus on costumes, props, and historical detail.
The bottom line: The filming location is a real, operating seaside hotel, not a studio backlot. This decision grounds the show in a tangible sense of place that reviewers consistently praise.
Is The Seaside Hotel worth watching?
Critical and audience reception suggests the series delivers consistent quality, especially for fans of period drama with a Nordic sensibility. On IMDb, the series holds a rating of 8.1/10 based on user reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, audience comments describe the show as “charming, beautiful to look at, even paced, heartwarming and amusing,” and praise it as “a keen portrayal of contrast of class in 20th century Denmark.”
Pros and cons of watching The Seaside Hotel
Pros
- Strong ensemble cast with clear character arcs across a decade of storytelling
- Rich historical setting from the interwar period through WWII occupation
- High production values and authentic Danish coastal atmosphere
- Available subtitled in English via Channel 4, Netflix, and PBS/Walter Presents
Cons
- Pacing can feel slow for viewers accustomed to faster plot-driven series
- Some later-season storylines received mixed audience reactions — a Rotten Tomatoes thread noted that the wartime pivot lost certain fans of the early light comedy
- Danish-language with subtitles only; no English dub is widely available
What the comparisons tell us
Multiple reviewers position The Seaside Hotel as a Danish cousin to Downton Abbey. The Eurodrama blog called it a “Downton Abbey style show” that “mixes romance, tragedy and comedy.” The comparison holds for the class dynamics and ensemble format, but the Danish series is more intimate — a single hotel versus a sprawling estate — and runs a tighter historical arc from 1928 to 1945, whereas Downton spans 1912 to 1925.
Audience numbers as a signal
The show’s domestic popularity is unambiguous. The same Eurodrama review noted that at the time of writing, the series was seen by 57 percent of the Danish TV audience. Nordisk Film & TV Fond reports that Danes gave the show a quality rating of 4.54 out of 6. In international markets, the series has been carried by PBS via Walter Presents in the U.S. and by broadcasters in Sweden (TV4, spring 2014), Norway (TV 2, 2015), and Portugal (RTP2, May 2024).
“A warm, witty, and moving series.”
— Eurodrama blog reviewer
Our pick: should you watch The Seaside Hotel?
For fans of period dramas, especially those who enjoy Nordic television or series with a strong sense of place, The Seaside Hotel is an easy recommendation. The first season establishes the tone and characters efficiently; if you enjoy the 1928 summer setting, the remaining nine seasons deepen the world considerably. The wartime pivot from Season 6 adds real stakes without losing the ensemble charm.
For viewers seeking fast-paced thriller or crime narratives, the deliberate pacing may feel slow. But for anyone who values character development, historical depth, and atmospheric coastal cinematography, this series justifies its strong reputation. Start with Season 1 — if the balance of comedy and drama appeals, the full run will reward your time.
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Frequently asked questions about The Seaside Hotel
Was The Seaside Hotel popular in Denmark?
Yes. The finale drew 1,623,000 viewers — a 67% share of active Danish TV households — and was the most-watched fiction episode on TV 2 since 1997. Domestic audience quality ratings reached 4.54 out of 6.
Has The Seaside Hotel finished?
Ten seasons have aired as of early 2025. The final season premiered on March 3, 2024. No official announcement about an eleventh season has been made as of this writing.
Is there a season 11 for The Seaside Hotel?
TV 2 has not confirmed an 11th season. Given the series’ audience strength, renewal is possible but unannounced.
Where can I watch The Seaside Hotel?
In Denmark, it streams on TV 2 Play. Internationally, episodes are available on Netflix (selected markets), Channel 4 (UK), and PBS via Walter Presents (U.S.). Broadcasters in Sweden, Norway, and Portugal have also carried the series.
Is The Seaside Hotel available in English?
The original audio is Danish. English subtitles are available on Netflix, Channel 4, and PBS/Walter Presents. An English dub has not been widely produced.
How long is each episode of The Seaside Hotel?
Episodes run approximately 50 minutes. The first episode on TV 2 Play was listed at 49 minutes.
Sources and further reading
The research for this article drew on the following sources, all accessed and verified as of March 2025:
- Danish Film Institute — official premiere date and production metadata
- TV 2 Play — episode runtime and streaming availability
- Nordisk Film & TV Fond — finale audience figures and quality ratings
- Rotten Tomatoes — audience reviews for Season 1
- Rotten Tomatoes — Season 5 premiere date
- Rotten Tomatoes — Season 9 cast and airdate
- IMDb — series rating and user reviews
- English Wikipedia — series title and setting chronology
- Danish Wikipedia — seasons, episode count, and creator credits
- Swedish Wikipedia — regional premiere dates
- Norwegian Wikipedia — Norwegian broadcast details
- Portuguese Wikipedia — Portugal air date
- Italian Wikipedia — Season 9 setting details
- Eurodrama — critical review and audience share
- A Green Man Review — PBS availability and season chronology