‘Badehotellet’ is serious business in Denmark.

Set at a seaside resort during the 1920s and 30s, it revolves around the lives of the staff and guests at the hotel. It’s funny, poignant – and taken very, very seriously by its devoted viewers.

Here’s some handball instead 
Some 1.546 million Danes tuned in for the screening of the episode on January 11, making it the most watched show in Denmark according to the TNS ratings  – more than even ‘X Factor’!.

It’s no wonder then that fans of the show were none too pleased when TV2 decided to replace its Monday screening with a European Championship game of handball between Denmark and Montenegro.

It’s not the 1950s any longer!
BT reports that TV2’s Facebook page has since been flooded with angry posts, with viewers making their displeasure heard loud and clear.

“Crappy handball, I was looking forward to Badehotellet,” wrote one woman, while another complained, curiously, that it wasn’t the 1950s anymore.

“I don’t know how many times popular TV shows have had to make room for sport. Now it must stop. We don’t live in the 1950s and there are a number of dedicated sports channels that could have showed the handball match instead,” she wrote.

In response, TV2 released a statement defending its unpopular decision.

“It’s the way it works when planning programs – it is impossible to please everyone at once,” it wrote.