Flikken

I think that the "Flikkken" series is something really excellent. The show has been running for 6 years, and with ever increasing audiences and appreciation.

Andrea has grown over the years in her role as police officer, and she is probably one of the best actresses around in Belgium.

Flikken is also popular in other countries. The series has more diverse plots then for instance "Baantjer". In "Baantjer", it is always the same: someone gets killed and they find the murderer in 40 minutes. This is boring!!!!

Andrea and colleagues: keep up the good work!

It takes a while to settle down in the first couple of series, which are a bit like a Flemish 'Hill Street Blues', but it picks up later and by series 5 has some very good script writing and acting. Series 5 has a long plot over several episodes, so a good watch if you are housebound! It is all in Dutch (Flemish dialect) with no English subtitles available as far as I know (at least not on the YouTube versions).

I watched the entire series and was captivated all the way through. The stories are good, and the character development throughout the series excellent. You felt that you really got to know the individual characters . I'm sure many viewers at the time when the series were aired thoroughly enjoyed them. Well done, I'm sorry there were only 10 seasons of this.

"Flikken" is a Flemish cop television show. You can compare it with NYPD blue, except from the fact that Andy Scipowitz is far more better in playing his role than Andrea Croonenberghs does. She doesn't have the famous 'x-factor for actresses' although she tries very hard to cover it. She's nothing compared to great Belgian actresses as Jenny Thanghe, Dora Vandergroen and Chris Lomme. She's even nothing compared to younger actresses as Ann Ceurvels, Francesca Vanthielen, Joke Devinck etc...

She is however not the only one who, in my opinion can't act. Truth spoken, Rebecca Huls is even worse than Andrea is.

What I do like about the show, is that the civil life of a Flemish person is pretty good described. There are no superheroes among the 'flikken'-team, the show also shows kind of a psychological profile of its members (what was kind of new in such a Belgian production) and the chemistry between Pasmans and Raymond is very good, often hilarious in the beginning of the show.

When the show started to get boring, the characters predictable, they gave the role of chief (every season they changed the person) to Jo De Meyere, who already showed he was outstanding in such a role (Heterdaad). The introduction of Nauwelaerts (De Meyere) and the replacement of Daeseleire by Desmedt gave the show a new elan. De Meyere is like I stated in the title the finest actor Flemish television has ever known.

Why do people like this so much? It's just another police show where some actors and actresses play the good and the bad. It's said to be realistic, but what city's got so many murders in a month? The actors (and especially the actresses!) are not that good. Their fans, who know them from "Flikken", are fan because they just like "Flikken". I don't really think people would like Andrea Croonenberghs if she wasn't in "Flikken". The whole show is about here, too, when there are way better actors and actresses in "Flikken". If you like police shows, don't watch this one, but try "Crime Scene Investigation" or even "Luifel en Luifel".