Van der Valk (2020 TV series)

Van der Valk is a British television crime drama series that premiered in 2020, adapted from the eponymous series of crime thriller novels by Nicolas Freeling. Produced for the ITV network, it is a loose remake of the original Van der Valk series that ran from 1972 to 1992 on ITV. The reboot was created and written by Chris Murray, with Marc Warren starring as police detective Van der Valk. Continuity with the original series is not preserved in the remake, which introduces revised and new characters as well as new storylines.

Van der Valk premiered in the United Kingdom on 26 April 2020, the second series on 7 August 2022, and the third series on 18 June 2023.

Overview
The series is set in present-day Amsterdam, where police Commissioner Piet van der Valk investigates challenging cases with his partner Lucienne Hassell and colleagues in the National Police Force's major crimes division.

Main

 * Marc Warren as Commissaris Piet van der Valk
 * Maimie McCoy as Inspecteur Lucienne Hassell
 * Luke Allen-Gale as Brigadier (Sergeant) Brad de Vries (Series 1–2)
 * Elliot Barnes-Worrell as Job Cloovers (Series 1–2)
 * Darrell D'Silva as Hendrik Davie, a police forensic pathologist
 * Emma Fielding as Hoofdcommissaris Julia Dahlman
 * Django Chan-Reeves as Sergeant Citra Li (Series 3)
 * Azan Ahmed as Sergeant Eddie Suleman (Series 3)

Recurring

 * Loes Haverkort as Lena Linderman (Series 2–3)
 * Peter van Heeringen as Homeless Frank
 * Mike Libanon as Cliff Palache

Development
Van der Valk is produced by Company Pictures, NL Film, ARD Degeto, and PBS, with All3Media as international distributor.

In this remake, Piet is unmarried and his sidekick Lucienne Hassell is lesbian. A key riff from the original 1972 series' distinctive theme music, "Eye Level", is echoed in the new theme music.

In May 2020, Warren confirmed that the show would return for a second series, although production might be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, with actors, crew, and logistics established, filming on season 2 began with safety measures in place on 3 June 2021.

A third series was commissioned on 11 April 2022. Filming on Series 3 was completed in August 2022. With the departure of Elliot Barnes-Worrell and Luke Allen-Gale from the series, two new characters are introduced in Series 3: Sergeant Citra Li, played by Django Chan-Reeves, and Sergeant Eddie Suleman, played by Azan Ahmed.

In July 2023, it was reported that the series was preparing to commence production of a fourth series.

Locations
Season 1 was filmed entirely in Amsterdam. Locations include the American Hotel, the Rijksmuseum, Achtergracht, NDSM, the Tommy Hilfiger HQ on Danzigerkade in Houthaven, REM Eiland, Nieuwe Teertuinen, Kadijken, Scharrebiersluis bridge, Plantage, and the Prinseneilandsgracht.

Season 2 was filmed in Amsterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague. Locations include Scheveningen Pier, the Muziekgebouw, A'DAM Tower, and Café Scheltema.

Broadcast
The show premiered in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 April 2020, with series 1 consisting of three 90-minute episodes.

In the Netherlands, Van der Valk debut on NPO 1 on 1 January 2020. In Germany, the series premiered on Das Erste on 1 June 2020. In the United States, it debut on PBS on 13 September 2020. In Australia, it premiered on ABC on 4 April 2020, and in New Zealand on Vibe on 25 May 2020. In Belgium, it debut on VRT 1 on 4 September 2020.

In the UK, Van der Valk series 1 averaged 7.1 million viewers.

The second series premiered in the UK on 7 August 2022, and in the U.S. on 25 September 2022.

In 2022, distribution of Van der Valk became available in Italy on Discovery, France on France Télévisions, Norway on NRK, Sweden on TV4, Croatia on HRT, and Spain on Cosmopolitan. The series was also acquired by NHK in Japan, ViuTVsix in Hong Kong, DirecTV in Latin America and BBC Global Channels in Africa.

In June 2023, ITV announced that the third series would premiere on 18 June 2023. The series premiered first in Denmark on TV 2 Charlie 3 January 2023, then debuted on ABC in Australia on 24 March 2023, and on PBS in the US on 3 September 2023.

In July 2024, PBS announced the US premiere of the fourth series on 15 September 2024.

Home media
Season 1 was released on DVD in Region 2 by Dazzler Media on 11 May 2020, and in Region 4 by ABC on 20 May 2020. It was released in Region 1 by PBS on 13 October 2020.

The Season 2 DVD was released first in Region 4 on 13 April 2022, followed by Region 2 on 22 August 2022, and Region 1 on 11 October 2022.