Is new Netflix drama The Nurse based on a true story?

The Nurse is a shocking new thriller heading to Netflix this week. But is the Danish drama based on a true story?

Multiple thrillers set in hospitals have hit screens of late. Malpractice – about a doctor embroiled in a medical scandal – is currently airing on ITV, and receiving rave reviews.

While The Good Nurse – which told the true story of serial killer Charles Cullen, and starred Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain – hit cinema screens late last year.

Another show about a similar subject is about to drop on Netflix, but is The Nurse based on a true story?

Is The Nurse based on a true story?

Yes, The Nurse is based on a true story. One that shocked all of Denmark when it broke. The story was turned into a book which you can read about here, and now it’s a Netflix series.

Here’s the official synopsis: “In a hospital in southern Denmark where everyone knows each other and there’s little change in personnel, Pernille Kurzmann settles into her new nursing job. She befriends a charming and charismatic nurse named Christina Aistrup Hansen, who’s held in high esteem by her colleagues and incredible at her job. But as the days go by, Pernille realizes there might be more to Christina than meets the eye — and sets out to uncover the truth.”

Of turning that true story into a TV drama, director Kasper Barfoed tells Netflix: “So many people suspected something or saw something — and yet it’s the new nurse, the one who’s in her first job who not only senses something is wrong, but who actually does something about it and risks everything.

“[Making the series] became a lot about trying to be loyal to Pernille and the situation she was in. We wanted the audience to be able to feel how difficult this is. It’s not just pushing a button and then you’re a whistleblower.”

What happened to Christina Aistrup Hansen?

With the help of Pernille Kurzmann, police arrested Christina Aistrup Hansen in 2016, and she was ultimately charged with three murders and one charge of manslaughter. As well as multiple other crimes.

In May 2017 she was sentenced to life in prison. Though that was later commuted to 12 years in prison.

The show features Josephine Park as Christina and Fanny Louise Bernth as as Pernille, with the cast rounded out by Peter Zandersen, Amalie Lindegård, and Dick Kaysø.

The Nurse is heading to Netflix on April 27, 2023. For more coverage of forthcoming Netflix movies and shows, head here.