Marc Warren Stars in New Series Van der Valk
Amsterdam—city of bikes, boats, and bodies. At least, that’s the way steely-eyed cop Piet van der Valk sees his murder-infested beat. Marc Warren (Beecham House, The Good Wife) stars as the title character in an all-new series based on Nicolas Freeling’s legendary crime thrillers, on Van der Valk, airing in three gripping 90-minute episodes on MASTERPIECE, Sundays, September 13-27, 2020 at 9/8c on PBS.
The wildly popular original series of Van der Valk starred Barry Foster and ran on British television from 1972 to 1992. Now Marc Warren steps into the role of the brilliant but cynical commissaris (inspector), solving baffling crimes in 21st-century Amsterdam, which is more prosperous, cosmopolitan, and crime-prone than ever.
Co-starring are Maimie McCoy (Wallander) as Van der Valk’s right-hand woman, Lucienne Hassell; Luke Allen-Gale (Dominion) as the scruffy sergeant, Brad de Vries; and Elliot Barnes-Worrell (Jericho) as the squad’s brainy new guy, Job Cloovers.
The recurring cast also features Emma Fielding (Les Misérables) as Van der Valk’s incorruptible but indulgent boss, Julia Dahlman; and Darrell D’Silva (Game of Thrones) as the team’s hard-living, virtuoso pathologist, Hendrik Davie.
Naturally, the characters have their personal issues. Most of the time Piet lives solo on an old sloop anchored in the harbor, where he wrestles with the painful memory of a lost love. Lucienne, too, has been thwarted in romance. De Vries has no ambitions beyond feeding his appetites, while Cloovers is overeager to excel at his new assignment. Chief Dahlman is recovering from a near-death experience on a previous case, and Hendrick has happily settled into Amsterdam’s guilt-free pleasures.
Together they face a trio of challenging cases that give a new slant to Amsterdam’s renowned sophistication, for it appears that the city’s stylishness and toleration go hand in hand with murder. Amid the canals, galleries, hip bars, and industrial
areas ideal for dumping bodies, Piet and his colleagues pursue a number of investigations.
