De troon

I am a great fan of historical TV series. I love Hornblower, Sharpe, the Tudors, Band of Brothers and many more.

Recently, I was pleasantly surprised by the new Dutch drama 'Bernhard, Schavuit van Oranje' about Holland's former prince Bernhard. Mere weeks later, another series emerged only this time telling a story about Dutch royalty in the early 19th century, a time when the Netherlands became a real monarchy after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo.

The show looks great to begin with. Decent cinematography, costumes and sets. The actors have been cast nicely and really feel authentic. There is, however, one problem with this series. I know it has been only one episode, but it feels... rushed. Many years go by without actually feeling like many years. It feels like two or three episodes, cut down to one.

But, like I said, it is merely one episode and it is supposed to launch the series on television. Unlike many countries and TV-stations, we have no pilot-episodes. Every time a series gets released, it runs for at least a whole season or is made to last only one season. The subject 'De Troon' is based upon however, should be spread out over at least two or three seasons to make for a well told and complete series.

Highly recommended so far, as good as Dutch TV gets.