User reviews

There's so much to like here -- arresting characters, evocative atmosphere, excellent acting, and an absolutely terrific start to the story. But.... given that the mystery, when solved, isn't all that interesting, there's no justification for the many hours of red herrings and silly conversations you have to get through in order to reach the end. Only recommended if you are patient, have a lot of time to spare and you really like hearing the Dutch language.

This 12-episode series was a pleasant surprise for my wife and me. Good acting and a well-constructed plot hold your attention throughout the series. There is some believable detective work throughout although progress is slow early on. The conclusion is believable. I don't know what all the negative reviews are about. We are giving it a fairly high rating and would definitely recommend it.

Murder lurks under the surface of a small Dutch town. The plot is like a classic suspense movie's and brings to my mind Ten Little Indians, The Mousetrap and Murder on The Orient Express. If you pay close attention you might suspect someone--and things are a little too neatly explained in the final episode, but there are lots of quirky personalities and possible murderers in this village with idyllic scenery where everyone knows everyone else's business. Main players do a good job of acting. Very enjoyable!

If you are not judging by some impossible standard, you will enjoy this village mystery, currently available on Acorn in the U.S. It's good to see a Dutch production of a story like this in which the characters mostly talk and act like actual Dutch people and not to some generic standard for the international market.

Yes, not many of the characters are "likable", but who the heck determined that characters in a crime or mystery story should be likable? And some of the plot twists are far-fetched, but again that's an artifact of the genre. The ending may be a bit too much like another famous story, but I'll admit I didn't see it coming.

The follow-on "Schouwendam 12" is just as good, or maybe better.

I stayed thoroughly engaged in this slow burn series with its building maze of mystery.. at first I didn't think it would be any good, too slow.. I tried it again releasing all expectations and judgements... such as what wasn't perfect etc I became engaged in a totally new storyline puzzling mystery.. as the characters developed & I observed the nature of this small town I was intrigued and found myself looking for moments in my day where I could watch a little bit more.. I loved it wasn't all faked it felt like this was real in the way this town communicates with one another and a more harsh way with family members I thought the casting of the actors was perfect I highly recommend this series if you like dark slow burn murder mystery and honestly I had no idea who was behind the murders until it was revealed.. I had no clue.. it was great ! Very entertaining I loved it!

I thought this was brilliantly done - a weird, suspenseful journey filled with twists and turns that had me baffled right through to the very end. I'm frankly shocked by the negative reviews posted here. Of course, even Beethoven had his critics: after a performance of his Symphony No. 7, he was described as being "ripe for the madhouse" and that he "must have been drunk when he wrote it." What were those critics thinking? And what were these reviewers thinking? Forget the naysayers - this is an excellent, brain-stimulating series. Bravo!

In addition to what has already been said, the entire series was overacted and histrionic. I found myself laughing in the most inappropriate scenes. Once committed, however, I had to follow through. The lead actress was so annoying, and a lead detective who would allow her the liberties she took would not be seen in a US production. I gave it 2 stars for the cinematography.

This is not a well thought out series in that the plot is full of holes, with events occurring to fit the story rather than to be logical. Watching all 12 hours will waste 12 hours of your life that you will never get back. The story drags on and on to the point of being tiresome. The acting is not great, the characters all unlikable, and there are so many subplots within the series that one almost needs a spreadsheet to keep track of who's who.

The production values are very good: cinematography, editing, audio - acting and writing are decent most of the time, aside from one character whose temper is repeatedly violent - it's hard to believe he wouldn't face consequences for that early on. I loved seeing the Dutch scenery and buildings. It's fairly involving, up to a point. I had high hopes for it.

The ending, however, is incredibly unsatisfying. Implausible and forced, it made the whole series become a waste of time. Even the ending itself is a waste of time, laboriously going back through every disappearance even though once the explanation is supplied it is totally unnecessary to do that. I certainly hope more Dutch series will make it to video streaming services available in the US, but please don't waste viewers' time again with such an abortion of a conclusion!

This is a really dumb soapy disappointing drone of a story. Why I kept going on with it I can't say except I couldn't find anything else, and watched while I ate lunch or had tea in evening. meh! I think I watched to hear Dutch and see Stuff From Europe mostly. The most fascinating moment for me, was when a large blue and white graphic poster came into view in episode 7 when the puling teen and the sleezeball therapist are talking in their house. I recognize the artist but cannot for the life of me remember who the artist is, the era, or the nationality! Anyone???

First exciting few episodes ran a bit long. Last three seemed filmed in slow motion so I had to speed through to finish. Only wish I never started to watch this interesting cast. The chaotic direction ultimately grew too boring for me and no longer could tolerate scenes that prolonged the conclusion.

Cast with chaotic direction.