Netflix signs last-minute deal to keep Lilyhammer on the streamer

After last month’s announcement that Netflix would not renew the streaming rights for its first (sort of) original series—Lilyhammer—it’s now been reported the company signed a last-minute deal to keep the show streaming. Lilyhammer will now remain on the streaming platform through 2029.

The 2012 dramedy stars The Sopranos’ Steven Van Zandt as Frank Tagliano, a former mafia boss who ends up relocated to rural Norway via the Witness Protection Program. The series follows Tagliano as he establishes a new life as the only American in a sea of Norwegians. Lilyhammer was created by Eilif Skodvin and Anne Bjørnstad, and also stars Trond Fausa, Steinar Sagen, Marian Saastad Ottesen, Tommy Karlsen, Fridtjov Såheim, Robert Skjærstad, and Nils Jørgen Kaalstad.

“I am very proud of Lilyhammer being not just the first original show on Netflix, but the first truly international show, with subtitles and a completely Norwegian cast and crew except for me, helping establish Netflix as the first truly international entertainment company,” Van Zandt said in a statement announcing the news, per IndieWire.

Netflix previously celebrated the ten-year anniversary of Lilyhammer, with co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos reflecting on the series’ impact on the company.

“Looking back, Lilyhammer was perhaps an unorthodox choice for our first show. But it worked because it was a deeply local story that we could share with the world. The jokes and references worked locally and the more universal themes of the shows traveled perfectly,” Sarandos wrote. “Thank you Lilyhammer and Stevie Van Zandt for starting this incredible ten-year journey. It’s always hard to predict what’s to come in the next ten but one thing is certain: we’ll have many more great stories from anywhere that can be loved everywhere.”

All 24 episodes of Lilyhammer are available (and will remain available) to stream on Netflix.