Les enquêtes du commissaire Van der Valk

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.

I watched all three episodes of this 2020 Van Der Valk and I enjoyed them. I like good police procedurals and it's a treat when I can watch one filmed in one of Europe's beautiful cities or the countryside.

Of the actors on Commissioner Van Der Valk's team, Elliot Barners-Worrell as Lt Cloovers and Luke Allen-Gale as Sgt de Vries were especially good. Warren and McCoy were good but not as strong as the above two actors.

It's a challenge to maintain viewers attention span over 90 minutes, especially so with a who-done-it and a number of characters with foreign names. Please be kinder to viewers - poor sound levels, strong regional British accents and other actors whose first language is not English, makes listening difficult. And lighting could have been better on interiors in dark old buildings and in long boats.

I'm not a big fan of flashbacks, but in this series it would have helped explain Van Der Valk's mercurial personality if we knew about his wife in Episode 1 not in Episode 3. Same with the Chief Commissioner.

I'd watch a series 2, it's good.

________________________________

I'm watching series 2 and enjoying it. The writing, the key to any successful series is very good. I also went back and re-watched series 1 and I scored it higher, the plots are very good.

Van Der Valk the commissioner, Hassell the inspector, de Vries the sergeant, Cloovers the lieutenant, Dahlman the chief commissioner and Davie the pathologist are very different personalities. There is some minor personal things but basically the characters are focused on solving the complicated crimes.

________________________________

Sadly Season 3 isn't that good, Brad de Vries (Luke Allen-Gale) and Job Cloovers (Elliot Bares-Worrell) have been replaced by two less experienced actors. Episode 2 is the best of the 3 episodes. And there is more of Emma Fielding (Julia Dahlman) and Darrell D'Silva (Henrik Davie). Luke Allen-Gale and Elliot Barnes-Worrell brought humor and acting skills their replacements ae stiff. In police dramas the top officers and pathologists come and go, New writers, this was probably farmed out by ITV, cliched episodes.. Chris Murray the creator is off writing his new series "Cannes Confidential". I dropped the rating, Season 1 & 2 were very good, Season 3 is poor.

I loved this show, was never into the original it couldn't hold my attention. this on the other hand did. great cast, well acted. To address criticism in other reviews, if you listen carefully you will hear parts of the original theme tune in the opening music, as for the accents is that really an issue. i thinks its good that they actors are a mix of British and European. i look forward to a second series

I'm shocked how many people dislike this show. I found it entertaining and well acted with interesting storylines - not to mention beautiful Amsterdam as a backdrop. For me Marc Waerren was perfectly casted as the tough and complex Van der Volk. I'd like to see much more of him in in the future.

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.