Van der Valk (2020)

Watchseries; So the positive first, it's Amsterdam, the cinematography, production, sets, art etc are spot on. The negative, the British cast, why oh why? Yes it worked with Wallander and Kenneth Branagh (although the original was better) but this cast are not at that level. You could probably get away with the very one dimesional lead Marc Warren if he had Dutch actors around him to make it more authentic but you just are left void of caring, mind the dialogue is limp and woeful but that is no surprise. It's the 21st century folks, if you are going to make an adult drama about Dutch cops then have as much realism as possible, if you like Midsomer Murders then this should suit, if you like gritty, noir, uneasy drama then flee my friends.

So the positive first, it's Amsterdam, the cinematography, production, sets, art etc are spot on. The negative, the British cast, why oh why? Yes it worked with Wallander and Kenneth Branagh (although the original was better) but this cast are not at that level. You could probably get away with the very one dimesional lead Marc Warren if he had Dutch actors around him to make it more authentic but you just are left void of caring, mind the dialogue is limp and woeful but that is no surprise. It's the 21st century folks, if you are going to make an adult drama about Dutch cops then have as much realism as possible, if you like Midsomer Murders then this should suit, if you like gritty, noir, uneasy drama then flee my friends.

Van der Valk watchseries. I don't think there would be any complaints if this series had any other title but van der valk. Never saw the original, but this detective series is just as good as anything out there now. Amsterdam makes for a great backdrop, plus the series has your typical grumpy, main protagonist, good chemistry with the beautiful sidekick, and the secondary characters include the genius, the ladies man, and the oddball coroner. Plus any show that has a dog in it has my vote. So how is this detective show any different from Midsomer Murders? So stop complaining. Plus, my god, the previous version was a billion years ago.

Like others I was intrigued when this popped up in the schedules. Normally I love a detective drama & also Amsterdam ..so it seemed like TV Gold. Alas it was dross. The dialogue makes George Lucas seem like Shakespeare, seriously cringe. The lead character -played by normally reliable Marc Warren-is deeply unlikeable and charmless. I don't have a problem with diversity and representation..but it did feel like it was done by numbers here. The production felt cold , stilted and dull. Didn't care about the plot or characters. Shame.

An audience needs to connect with at least one of the main characters. There is neither respect nor cohesion between the investigating team and Van der Valk exudes nothing but arrogance. Plot lines aren't bad and location makes the show more interesting. Nothing like the original though.

Where to start with this whole mess of a drama? What a missed opportunity! The lead actor Marc Warren is wooden and woefully miscast, the script is laughable it's so cliched, and the overall politically correct set of characters really are an insult to our intelligence. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong with this lamentable offering. Location obviously filmed in Amsterdam, but the streets are devoid of people and traffic. The so-called Dutch police are so British it's laughable and they can't even pronounce the Dutch names properly. Either have proper Dutch actors, or at least a majority of Dutch actors, or set the thing in the uk. Van der valk as ladykiller? A drunk and vomiting coroner? A new young whizz kid (ethnic of course)? A lesbian detective? It's all so wrong on so many levels, perhaps would work as a parody.

The biggest problem with episode 1.1, Love in Amsterdam, is that it doesn't do justice to politics in Amsterdam. Only two candidates are presented, while the local government body entirely consists of leftists and the city council sees no less than 12 political parties. The biggest party and the mayor belong to Green Left, while the second party, Democrats 1966, are comparable with the British Liberal Democrats. So no, De Klerk would not be the main rival of Paul Oosterhuis. Also especially the Amsterdam electorate is not very interested in the sex lives of its politicians. This all hardly makes the political aspect of the plot credible. The final scene, with Van der Valk and Hassell sailing a tjalk on the IJ, quite a busy channel with several harbours, is simply ridiculous. Dutch police officers would have had such a chat in a local pub - like the one Van der Valk uses as his briefing room. Granted, better than almost all Dutch productions, but that doesn't set the bar high. Like fionacluck already pointed out, there's quite a lot left to desire. At the other hand I was quite entertained, so six stars it will be.