Luckily both the Netherlands and Belgium ended with a great series, which meant that we could have at least some form of excitement in deciding who will win this category. As per usual, we have decided to equally divide the amount of Flemish and Dutch series. Don't agree with our selections? Not a problem, you can always decide to use your wildcard instead.
Flikken Rotterdam
After a mediocre first season, Flikken Rotterdam has grown over the years. It has become a show, which improves with every season and has even surpassed its companion series, Flikken Maastricht.
Het geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen
There were a lot of discussions surrounding certain events from this series on Twitter. It isn't unsurprising that this series had high ratings. Many people have praised the actors of the main characters, André van Duijn and Kees Verhuist. It is understandable why this series has been nominated for the top 10.
Geub
Philippe Geubels has become one of the most famous comedians of the Netherlands. He is immensly popular in Flanders and in the Netherlands. It would only be a matter of time before he would take part in a sitcom. Everything this man touches, turns into gold. The humour of Geub is a perfect example of Geubels' humour in his other shows and television programs. Humour at its best.
Grenslanders
The second series where Flemish and Dutch cast cooperate. It results in a story of illegals, prostitution, drugs and other criminal activities. The show takes place in the border area between West and Dutch Flanders. For those who find it difficult to understand the local dialect, subtitles are a necessity. Quite an ordinary story, which is presented in such a way that it becomes interesting.
Judas
Judas is based on a true story, with a known criminal at its center. Willem Holleeder. He certainly was no petty thief and thanks to the book of his sister, Astrid, the writers of this series had an idea of how to turn his story into a series. As far as Dutch series are concerned, this is definitely a great show.
Keizersvrouwen
One of the big surprises of the end of the year is definitely Keizersvrouwen. The story revolves around an older woman, who ends up in her old life, unwillingly. As the boss of an escort agency she is confronted by her mother, who runs a criminal empire. The story is explained well and actress Karina Smulders manages to hold her own when confronted with more veteran actors, Hilde van Mieghem and Barbara Sarafian.
Over Water
A washed up popular television personality ends up in a company in a harbour, which is run by his father in law. When the father in law dies, he takes over the business. The company, however, is nearing bankruptcy and to make sure it survives, he starts to deal with some shady people. These people want to smuggle some illegal materials into the country through his company. Not an easy series, you definitely have to pay attention otherwise you have no idea what's going on.
Studio Tarara
VTM celebrated its 30 year existence with the fictional series Studio Tarara. The big question in this series is, who is the person who jumped - or was pushed - from that roof. In an intriguing manner the weeks and eventually days before the event are shown. Definitely not a show to watch in between meals.
De Twaalf
The ending of the year is great when it comes to Dutch fiction. Next to Keizersvrouwen, this Flemish court of justice series causes viewers to be on the edge of their seat week after week. Everyone wants to know if Frie is going to be found guilty of the murder of her daughter and best friend. Despite the fact that there are a lot of characters, each and everyone of them has a lot of depth and story to make sure that the viewer also gets to enjoy their private lives outside of the courtroom. My personal favourite.
Undercover
An undercover operation by Dutch and Belgian police to trap a drug criminal in a holiday resort in Limburg. Based on a true story. The show was picked up by Netflix and was thus the first Dutch Netflix original. Undercover is one of the better Dutch action series of the previous years.
