"Assisen" is a rather standard and familiar-looking television series centering around a seemingly passionate murder in an acclaimed ballet-dancing academy, and the subsequent court case to determine whether the prime suspect - the former star of the academy and mistress of the victim - is really the guilty one. There are two things that make this series stand out of the crowd, though.
#1: even for Flanders' norms, the cast is stupendous. Every tiny supportive role or insignificant brief appearance is taken up by a (locally) respectable actor/actress. Witnesses during the trial, for example, sometimes only appear for 2-3 minutes, and yet it's a familiar face for each one. Either they were all desperate for work, or everybody in the Flemish acting community wanted to be a part of this reasonably prestigious production.
#2: it's the first ever - to my knowledge, at least - Flemish fiction series with an interactive twist. How does that work? Well, it's up to the spectators to decide if Eveline Van Laecke is really guilty of the murder she's accused of in court. From episode one already, the series' script and set-up prepares the viewer for the big responsibility they have. We are supposed to be the jury, and thus the prosecutor, judge, and defense attorney often speak directly into the camera and address us as such. For six episodes we listen to testimonies and look at flashbacks of struggles and intrigues leading up to the murder, and then we choose "guilty" or "not guilty" via voting buttons on the app/website of the TV-channel. And yes, of course, the case isn't as easy and straightforward as it looks. Miss Eveline Van Laecke may seem the obvious culprit, as she was standing over the dead body of her lover, but her lawyer professionally points out that several people in his surrounding wanted dance academy CEO Samuel Indria dead, and the murder investigation never focused on any other suspects.
I don't think the interactive aspect of "Assisen" is totally new. Probably the idea already featured in other countries, but in Flanders' fields it's definitely something innovative. We certainly aren't naïve and know very well the creators arranged for two different endings to be filmed, but the moment after hearing "the jury has reached a verdict" is nevertheless very tense and nail-biting.
