Assisen - Season 1

Assisen is an interactive court drama in which the viewer will decide as a jury whether or not the accused will disappear behind bars for years. We are all familiar with interactive television by now. For several years now, the viewer has been able to help determine who wins a certain competition or talent show. In the first years, this was largely done by telephone, later text messages were sent and nowadays you can simply vote via a website for most programs where you as a viewer can have your say. The latter is usually in combination with the older systems.

So we have been used to games that are decided interactively for a while now, but a real television series in which the viewer has the last word is new. A bold choice to let the viewer decide how your series should end. Although in the case of Assisen that is not entirely true. The series is about a trial where the viewer gets to decide whether or not the accused is guilty of the murder she is charged with. For this purpose, the makers created a double episode of which only one was shown. In the concluding episode that follows the guilty or innocent episode, what really happened is revealed and you as a viewer find out whether your personal and/or general choice was the right one.

The plot itself revolves around a celebrated dancer who is accused of murdering her lover and leader of the dance company with which she achieved success after success for years. However, she is sidelined in favor of a new, younger dancer. Still, she remains attached to the company and her relationship remains intact. The fact that the guru of the dance company is married does not immediately help her to put the investigators on a different track, with the result that she has to appear before Assisen.



During the trial, however, many secrets are revealed about the dance company and the figures that revolve around it. Slowly but surely the number of potential other killers is growing. Many people seem to have a reason to kill the dance director. One maybe more than the other.

We will not discuss guilt or innocence here. People who have not yet seen Assisen and have not followed the media about this can still form their own opinion, although they can no longer be responsible for the seventh episode in which they find out whether or not the accused is found guilty.

Personally, I think this is a successful experiment. The makers have succeeded in building up enough tension and drawing the viewer into the process. This is certainly worth repeating and it also opens perspectives for the future.