Dutch-speaking series to watch on Netflix

Entertaining productions made in Flanders and the Netherlands

Undercover (Netflix)

Ik begrijp het erg niet.

Have you ever heard someone speaking Dutch? Well, as you can notice in the first sentence I wrote, it can be a tad weird. It's as if German, French, and English had a love child that always has something stuck in their throat. Nevertheless, it has its charm.

Belgium (Flanders) is my home, and although I treasure the language, I've been struggling to learn it for some time now. I have few opportunities to practice since my job is in English and most people here can understand and speak English. I don't speak Dutch at home either, so it has been hard to overcome this barrier.

To feel more immersed, I thought reading, watching, and listening to everything in Dutch would be a reasonable solution. So, I went to Netflix and voilá! I found some enjoyable TV shows to practice my Dutch with.

Although this is a very niche topic, the shows are still entertaining, even if you aren't interested in learning the language. So be open to giving them a try.

There's a slight issue, though. Netflix's catalog varies from country to country. Although I know some of them are indeed available in countries other than Belgium, I cannot guarantee all of them are. Or that they will be subtitled in English or whatever language you wish. I'll leave the Netflix links here so you can check them yourself. A VPN can also work.

Dirty Lines (2021-)

Dirty Lines takes place in Amsterdam in the late 1980s. Psychology student Marly Salomon (Joy Delima) takes on a side job working for a brand new firm: Teledutch, Europe's first erotic telephone line. Frank and Ramon Stigter, two brothers, created the company. They are at odds with each other and continuously bring their family issues into the company's handling.

Teledutch is an enormous success, so Frank and Ramon become rich overnight, and Marly finds herself immersed in this wild and rapid transformation. It has a nostalgic vibe and is quite a fun TV show. It just reminds me of the pleasures of being an undergrad student, especially in a cool city like Amsterdam.

Undercover (2019-)

Undercover is a story inspired by real-life events, where undercover agents infiltrate a drug kingpin's operation in Limburg, a Flemish province bordering the Netherlands. Undercover agents Bob Lemmens (Tom Waes) and Kim de Rooij (Anna Drijver) pose as a couple at the camp where their target spends his weekends.

It is a co-production between Netflix and the public Belgian TV station Eén. The series began streaming on Netflix on May 3, 2019. It was renewed for a second and third season. Although only the first two are available on Netflix.

It's a compelling story and quite a thriller where you are constantly worried the undercover agents will be outed. Good characters and a great pastime.

Anne+ (2018-)

The story of Anne+ revolves around a student living in Amsterdam who runs into her ex on the street with someone else. As a result of this meeting, she begins to remember all the experiences she has had in the field of love and begins to share them with us. In season 1, every episode tells the story of a different love interest Anne has. That's why the name Anne +… Season 2 drops this idea and focuses on one of her main interests from Season 1.

The series is lbgtq+, but it's very light-hearted and just talks about relationships in the early twenties. Meeting friends for drinks, making new friends, and starting new relationships. It shows how everything is more fluid and uncomplicated in this age, although it also doesn't shun difficulties. Especially, how hard it can be to have your heart broken and figure out what you want in life.

De Ridder (2013 - 2016)

De Ridder. I'm still watching this one, but I've been quite happy with it until now. The young, ambitious public prosecutor Helena De Ridder fights her own battle for more justice. She is a little bit of a mess and not always so ethical, but she still seems to have her heart in the right place.

It is set in the city where I live, which is always fun, and I enjoy having a female anti-hero as the protagonist. Especially young women, which is not so common. I'm considerably interested in where they are going to take this character. There are four seasons, and they are all available on Netflix.

The Twelve (2019)

The Twelve. Twelve ordinary people are called for jury duty in a murder case as traumatizing as it is controversial, in which a woman stands trial for killing her own child. We are constantly facing the question: "Did she do it? Could she do it? Maybe it was someone else?” While we are following the lives and decisions of the jury members.

Another Flemish production is taking place in the city where I live, Ghent. This one barely shows any takes from it, though. (I have no idea why.)

Do you have any other suggestions to help me learn Dutch?

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What to read?

Kuifje. My Dutch is not enough to read a full novel, so a good solution is comics. I actually love comics, and Kuifje (or more broadly known as Tin Tin) is a Belgian character. It is from the beginning of the last century, so it has some issues, being sometimes a little too colonizing. But, it's the easiest and more entertaining way I found of reading in Dutch for my level.

What to watch?

Cleo. Cleo (Anna Franziska Jaeger) is trying to pick her life back up after a devastating car crash that kills her parents but spares her. She is now being raised by her grandmother with her brother in Brussels. She meets an older guy in a nightclub who seems to understand her struggle, but he is egoistically looking for some closure.

This is an ok movie. Curious, but nothing special to it. The highlight is Cloe finding her way to comfort herself through music.

What to Binge?

Soil (Grond). Ismaël and his sister Nadia are inheriting their father's business that repatriates Muslin deceased to be buried in their own countries. The problem is that Ismaël has personal grief with the trade since he wished his mom had been buried in Belgium, as was her own wish as well. He wants to change the game and brings Morrocan soil to bury here the expatriates.

Although it is mostly in Dutch, it is definitely not a series to learn. Throughout the same dialogue, the characters can switch constantly between Dutch, French, Arabic, and even some English phrases. I believe this demonstrates how rich and diverse the Belgian-Morrocan culture is.

It has some quite funny scenes, with its dark humor. It's refreshing to be able to watch new and diverse stories from minorities. The public seems to agree, it has been in the top 10 in Belgium since its release.