Aranyélet
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| Aranyélet | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by |
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| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Starring | |
| Opening theme | "Family" by Fancy Dress Party |
| Country of origin | Hungary |
| Original language | Hungarian |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 48-57 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO Hungary |
| Release | 8 November 2015 – present |
Aranyélet ([ˈɒrɒɲeːlɛt]; Golden Life) is a Hungarian crime drama television series loosely based on Finnish series Helppo elämä. The show was produced by HBO Europe and premiered on November 8, 2015 on HBO Hungary starring Szabolcs Thuróczy, Eszter Ónodi, Renátó Olasz, Laura Döbrösi and Zsolt Anger. After the commercial and critical success of the first season, HBO Europe renewed Aranyélet for a second season, which premiered on November 6, 2016.
The third and final season is set to be released on October 14, 2018.
Plot
Attila Miklósi (Szabolcs Thuróczy) provides his family a rich and easy life in the elite suburb of Budapest. Their fortune is based on his mostly low-profile criminal activities. When Attila's father dies, he decides to give up his way of living and become a decent person, however, this transformation challenges the very foundations of his family.
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Szabolcs Thuróczy as Attila Miklósi, an entrepreneur making a living from various crime-related activities
- Eszter Ónodi as Janka Miklósi, Attila's wife
- Renátó Olasz as Márk Miklósi, Janka and Attila's son
- Laura Döbrösi as Mira Miklósi, Janka and Attila's daughter
- Zsolt Anger as Endre Hollós, Attila's old-time friend and business partner in crime
- Zsolt Végh (season 2-present) as Ferenc Gál, former partner and friend of Attila and Endre
Recurring cast
- Tamás Lengyel as Tibor Miklósi, Attila's brother
- Béla Mészáros as Zsolt Komáromi, police officer
- Éva Vándor as Klári, the Miklósis' neighbour
- Sándor Lukács as Ambrus, Klári's husband
- Franciska Farkas as "Oszi", Mira's friend
Concept
Although being a remake of a Finnish series, Aranyélet is only loosely based on the original material, and from the show's second episode on the plot develops differently. The creators intended to reflect more on the Hungarian society involving new themes and characters.[1]
Reception
Critical reception
Aranyélet has received widespread critical acclaim and has been praised by many critics as the greatest Hungarian television show of all time. On IMDb, it holds a rating of 9/10, making it the highest rated television series produced by HBO Europe.
After the first season, IGN Hungary wrote "Aranyélet is not just the best Hungarian television series ever made, but it is also one of HBO's best thrillers. It is characterized by steadily high-quality acting and creative work, a great plot and perfect way of storytelling, not to mention the unforgattable characters, who are defined by our problems, our narrow-mindedness, and our country. Be very proud of them." Player.hu wrote "Without doubt, HBO's original crime family drama seems to be the best Hungarian series, every actor is a perfect choice, it looks good, and tells the story in an excellent way. What's more, it is quite addictive."
The second season met with positive critical reception as well, IGN Hungary described the season as "more exciting, crazier, darker, has more plot twists, but it is more human than the first season. In conclusion despite the exaggerations and being too action-packed sometimes, it is still a masterpiece, which makes our expectations even higher for the next round."
International broadcast
Aranyélet is produced by HBO Europe, broadcasting in several Central European countries. It premiered in 2016 on HBO Europe channels and on-demand services in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Romania and Poland and as an HBO Go exclusive in Spain, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark
The first two seasons were released in the United States on August 1, 2018 via HBO Go and HBO Now.
References
- ^ Varga, Attila (30 October 2015). "Hollywoodban is beszámoltak az Aranyélet-premierről".