Normalerweize is one of my all-time favorite satire shows. It has served as a cornerstone for Danish satire for almost two decades, and unlike many other satire shows from the same era, it has aged quite well and kept its societal relevance. I found it hilarious when I first began watching it at the age of 11, and when I rewatch it today as a 24 year old, I find it even more entertaining - partly because I finally get all of the references and spoofs, I didn't get 13 years ago.
What sets Normalerweize apart from other satire shows, is the feeling of watching a show, which isn't made for the viewers, but for the cast. While other satire shows sometimes try too hard to make their spectators laugh, and end up leaving an insincere impression, Normalerweize feels like a project, where the writers have only taken their own sense of humor into consideration, creating an authenticity which is unique for a satire show. When watching the sketches, I often imagine how much Anna and Lærke have been laughing when writing and acting out the scenes, which leaves me with a feeling of laughing with them and not at them.
Normalerweize's sincerity is fundamental, not only for the individual sketches, but also for the structure of the series in general. The format of the show ended up changing completely from season 1 to season 3, with season 1 being a classical sketch show dominated by short non-recurring sketches, while season 3 ended up being dominated by two drama miniseries ("Fanget" and "Roberta+Julian") and only featured a few other recurring sketches. Even though the changes weren't received well by all of the fans, and probably played a fundamental role in the declining viewer ratings over the seasons, they are a testament to the writers' focus on staying true to themselves.
Even though Normalerweize's humor has aged well in general, some of its sketches were taken all the way to the edge at the time they were made, making them inappropriate in a contemporary context; most notably the "weather negro"-sketches, where Anna is wearing blackface. However, it is a great example of how times have changed, and how it used to be possible to create satire, without having to fear the consequences of offending somebody.
Finally, I would like to point out Normalerweize's originality. Not only was it a first mover by making fun of gluten-free people in 2004 (10 years before south park), but it also introduced one of the most beloved satirical figures in Denmark: "Snobben Fritz" along with the less famous "Stripper Jens". Moreover, the catchphrase "Ring til Camilla" ("Call Camilla") is still widely used today, even though it was invented more than 13 years ago.
All in all I think that Normalerweize is definitely still worth a watch, even though it premiered almost two decades ago.
