Smeris

After watching about two thirds of the first series, I am left wondering. What is it I am watching? Is this a serious attempt to make a Dutch detective series, based on an stereotypical American detective show or is it a parodie of one.

I finally reached the conclusion. If it's the first, it's crap. If it's the second, it's not even close to being remotely funny. So I stoped watching.

The first two seasons of "Smeris" were lighthearted fun with some decent action and suspense.

The third season however is riddled with clichés and stereotypical characters. A fat and incredibly annoying new colleague for instance, is so one-dimensional it's impossible to take him seriously. The same goes for a woolly therapist, a perky female journalist, and even Willem, one of the two main characters, with his barrage of lame jokes, cock-ups and go-to expletives like "fuksels!" whenever something goes wrong. He's the dorky type, we get it. Enough already with the constant over acting. His partner, Theo, is the cool and serious type, which is probably easier to get right.

It's all become way too much 'panto' now to be taken (relatively) serious any longer. Especially since the series is also dealing with serious issues like crime, terrorism and a cop dealing with deeply traumatic experiences. That does not sit well with (over the top) comedy. You can't do both at the same time and expect people to believe you.

Perhaps it's due to the apparently ever changing directors, as some Dutch directors tend to direct for the theatre, where everything has to be bigger. For TV and film however, smaller is better. Unfortunately, for some of them 'naturel' appears to be unattainable. Or perhaps it's due to the attempts to be contemporary with a topic like terrorism, but it does not sit well with the lighthearted tone of the show.

Also, it's rather unrealistic. Show me a copper who will comfort a criminal who just gunned down two people with an AK47 because he accidentally killed his brother too, instead of 'just' the seventeen year old girl he intended to murder. "Poor guy, you didn't know your brother was also in the car, did you? I really feel for you". Yeah, right... (!)

ISIS terrorists (on their way to a mass murder of innocent people) are frequently described as "annoyed kids who are being used" and especially Willem goes out of his way to keep the 'poor kids' out of harms way. Apparently that has priority over the safety of the general public.

Too bad it went all down hill to a comedy/panto wannabe detective series. I used to like it as a lighthearted yet entertaining and sometimes thrilling cop show. Now it's all become too ridiculous. If this is the tone from now on I won't mind if this is the last season. If they plan to go on, they'd better shape up.

Just finished season 1. top dutch show. would recommend

edit: season 2 not so much

but i heard the best seasons are yet to come

And that's sufficient. I find the tone of the show dichotomous - bantering detectives and amusing situations juxtaposed with ghastly crimes such as child abuse, murder and drug dealing.

The series gets out of control right from the first episode when Theo decides to show how "maverick" he is. It's the sort of behaviour that would get a cop a visit from internal affairs within no time but he gets away with it. Indeed, internal affairs does intervene a few times and lets our two heroes off almost immediately.

I know it's a TV series but there has to be some sort of passing nod to reality. Here holes in the plot abound, characters act out of character. Theo takes on his partner Willem's personality and action on occasion and vice versa. Both of them do things that one would have thought, for consistency's sake, the other would have done. It's sloppy script writing and directing.

I hadn't known until I alighted on this page that there are three more seasons after the two I've seen. I had guessed that there was at least one more as season two ends with a major cliffhanger.

It's just the right side of watchable but I shan't be seeing any more after this.