Kommissar Van der Valk

I am mystified by the awful reviews of this show. Unlike many reviewers, I watched the original series. This version is very different, but every bit as good. The team of actors playing the crime fighters led by Marc Warren do a fine job, and their various characters are well developed. The scripts are sharp and keep the action moving well, and I thought the plots were intriguing and definitely a cut above the ordinary. The episodes are well-directed, with well staged action. The personal Ives of the characters provided useful background without intruding to much, and the City of Amsterdam is used effectively as a back drop.

I hope they do a third series.

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.

This ITV series is centred on Commissaris Piet Van der Valk, a cynical detective in the Amsterdam police. Each two hour episode features a separate murder inquiry in the sort of setting that is typical of the genre; those with an interest in mediaeval erotica and the art world... in other words people not like most viewers.

I vaguely recall seeing episodes of the original version of Van der Valk but not well enough to let memories of that spoil my enjoyment of this new series. I was concerned that having an English speaking cast playing Dutch characters may seem strange in an era when subtitled continental programmes are so common... thankfully I soon forgot all about that. The cases are interesting enough with plenty of suspects and motives and the central characters are pretty good. Marc Warren is solid as our eponymous protagonist and is ably supported by a good supporting cast. For the most part the stories are self-contained but there is character development through the series and one or two questions that remain unanswered at the end of the third episode... presumably the makers are hoping further series will be commissioned. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of the murder mystery genre; it might not be the best example but it is far from the worst.

I quite enjoyed this first episode. It's entertaining, well made and quite funny at times. As an Amsterdam citizen, I was a bit suprised by the english speaking police at first. But in the end it didn't put me off at all. Political plot was interesting as well. Good acting and definitely a step up compared to recent dutch drama series on television. Looking forward to coming episodes.

For those here who are wondering why there are so many British actors in a show about Dutch police, could I point out: a) I'd be quite happy to watch a subtitled Van der Valk series made by Dutch TV, but there's no such thing; and b) Nicolas Freeling, who wrote the original books, was a Londoner. By the way, if you're in the UK and want to see the original series, at time of writing they're showing it on the mighty Talking Pictures TV channel.