Overspel (2011–2015) User Reviews

Gripping and compelling.

[pim_massink · 9/10 · 20 October 2011]

The name "overspel" (adultery) may a bit misleading. It made me suspect that this was going to be some female-oriented cliché-ridden drama. Nothing could be further from the truth.

There are many characters here all of which are equally important. The plot revolves around their relations with each other. Couwenberg is boss of a construction business, then an accident happens that puts the relationships of everyone in the series under pressure. Step by step the plot moves forward and gets more intricate and intriguing every episode. Adultery is only a small part of the problems emerging for every person in this mess. The characters are completely real and believable six episodes in and not once have I been disturbed by a stupid cliché or unreal irrational actions by the characters. They act as any sane man or woman does in their situation.

With a plot so much based on characters, the acting has to be top-notch, and I'm delighted to say that it absolutely is. Rarely have I seen such strong performances from Dutch actors. Add in the brilliant directing and grim cinematography and you've got a series that gets more compelling with every scene. The 6th and latest episode was the absolute highpoint for me. It ended with a music compilation lasting many minutes on Deep Purple's Child in Time and was absolutely masterly executed. One of the best directed pieces I've ever seen.

Overspel is gripping, compelling, well written, wonderfully acted, even better directed, and fit for every single audience, even kids if they're into this sort of thing. Perhaps watching the full season with the entire family at Christmas is a perfect family bonding activity for many.

Brilliant Dutch television series

[PGMHeuts · 9/10 · 1 December 2011]

After having watched all twelve episodes of this Dutch television series, it is obvious to me that this series is one of the best Dutch television series of the last decade: well written, very good acting (espcially by Sylvia Hoeks and Kees Prins) and beautiful cinematography. In "Overspel" the storyline and the development of the characters are more important than fast action scenes. Even though "Overspel" can't reach the extremely high level of the Danish series "The Killing" (a.k.a. Forbrydelsen), I can very much recommend it. For non Dutch readers who have become curious and would like to watch it: the DVD-release has English subtitles.

Addition after watching season 2. Season 2 of Overspel is again of very high quality and the acting is, like in season 1, on a very high level. Especially Kees Prins and Ramsey Nasr are sublime as father and son Couwenberg. Of course Sylvia Hoeks plays her character Iris very convincing too. The tension in season 2 is increasing from episode 1 until the final episode 10. I will not go into further detail, but I've enjoyed every second of this season a lot. I'm looking forward to the 3rd season, which has been filmed already (if I'm well informed), or is in the process of being filmed. Can't wait!

Enjoyable....but not without flaws

[nigelsmithson · 8/10 · 8 February 2021]

Overall I enjoyed this series. It was fast-paced and kept my interest all the way through. I particularly enjoyed the multi layered stories surrounding the two main families involved. Although I was watching on subtitles it was still easy enough to follow the plots. I binge watched series 1 and 2 (22 episodes over three days) but found it a little harder to complete series 3 (10 episodes over three days).

As with a lot of extended series, the desire to keep it going resulted in major plot weaknesses between each series, resulting in contrived and unrealistic story lines. These had to be 'mentally' overcome to enjoy series 2 and more so series 3. My main issue was with the ridiculously light or non-existent punishments and jail terms given to the two principal offenders i.e. Huub Couwenberg (bribery and corruption, kidnapping and accomplice to murder) and Pepijn (corruption by a public official, perverting the course of justice and incitement to murder). Silly concocted reasons were given to enable these characters to continue their relentless immoral activities into the next series. Mainly for this reason, I would score the individual series 9, 7 and 5 respectively. Hence, overall, I gave it an 8/10.

Series 1 could easily have been made to stand on its own without the need for the contrived plots. Even after series 2, more appropriate jail sentences would have brought the story to a more satisfying conclusion. Sadly, on top of the totally unrealistic punishments handed out to Huub and Pepijn at the end of series 2, digging up the revengeful brother and sister duo from the past to concoct a plot for series 3 really was detrimental to the overall series. Everyone in series 3 was committed to getting Huub, including his own grandchildren, who were now after his money. At the end of series two I wanted Huub to get his comeuppance, but by the end of series three I was really pushing for him to get away, and the final help from his son, Bjorn, was a really nice touch.

My other bugbear was Sylvia Hoeks (Iris). For me, her acting was atrocious, lacking any real emotion or expression. She was totally unconvincing and her character was lifeless, almost zombie-like, and extremely annoying. So much so, that by halfway through series two, I actually began disliking every scene in which she appeared.

On the plus side, the complex characters of Kees Prins (Huub Couwenberg, the psychopathic, hateful entrepreneur) and Guido Pollemans (Bjorn, the subservient brain damaged son) were brilliantly portrayed. Incidentally, in my opinion, Bjorn was the only character who was likeable throughout the entire series (and I hated the paying-off of the money-grabbing 'girlfriend').

I would thoroughly recommend watching this series, even if only the first series. And, as for icing on the cake, the soundtrack, derived from Huub's vinyl record collection in each episode was absolutely brilliant....almost worth watching just for the music.

Great Dutch series

[wendyaa-06703 · 10/10 · 13 August 2019]

Just been able to catch this in NZ. Great drama, great acting and complex story. Very stylish production and brilliant characters, every one a gem. Subtitles very eay to read and follow. After binge watching series 1 have to ration series 2 and 3 as I don't want it to finish. Definite recommend to fans of good European drama.

Outstanding!

[Gregorology · 10/10 · 8 December 2018]

One of the best I've ever seen. Fabulous story and casting. 10 Stars. I'd give it an 11 if I could. Haven't seen season 3.

I love the show hated to see it end .

[kimberdawn-08819 · 10/10 · 12 July 2020]

I really loved this series . I loved the story lines loved the cast nothing about this series I didn't love . The only thing I can say negative was why did they get rid of it after 3 seasons I have seen horrible shows that lasted 10 years or more . I wish the show could've lasted a few more seasons.

Stunning dutch series

[lauracambriani · 10/10 · 16 March 2019]

The Italian tv broadcasted the first two series in 2018, but I missed them and binge-watched the series online. I simply loved it: the plot, the characters which are extremely well depicted, every single footage was a masterpiece for the acting and directing. Frantic rhythm, compelling story which shakes your believes leading you to the last episode with constant plot twist. Every single episode was tense and intense. I sympathized with every single character and fell in love with every single scene. I am glad I run into the first episode randomly one late evening.

It's good with Prins and Huet making it fabulous

[MdlndeHond · 6/10 · 17 April 2014]

Great cast? Fedja van Huet, Kees Prins, Rifka Lodeizen...Check! Decent script? Check! It is good enough for the USA to make a remake of it so it is nothing to sneeze at. How ever, the best dutch series ever made in the same league was Pleidooi and 9Dagen van de Gier which are both hard to match. This is pretty good though. It has it all, Prins is phenomenal, Van Huet is the usual genuine for-real-guy and Nasr's part of sweet dufus with an edge. Nothing wrong with it. For 90% of the time it is a good watch. Sometimes, just sometimes, though Hoeks character Iris gets irritating with the custody situation and the nagging. I guess the adulterous relationship (which it is named after) gets kind of tedious. The reality of the court and the police investigations is superb. Just rarely there is a hint of Spijkerhoek quality twists (Yup I said it) Guns in court, overly hysterical teens and general tantrums with excessive swearing...Tsk tsk, gets old. Maybe I adjust my review after seeing season 2. Lets see. It's just not Pleidooi....

I loved this series!

[mybeloved-bb · 10/10 · 9 June 2021]

I found this series to be fascinatingly engaging on many levels.. I honestly didn't know from one moment to another what was next.. the acting was superb with a plot that is unique .. I liked getting to know these families and the individuals.. it's a great series where I found myself really bummed when it was over.. I felt like I really knew these people and all they'd been through! Don't miss it!

Very good - in some ways...

[chopperDavo · 6/10 · 6 July 2020]

The first season of this was very good.

The second a little less so, and the third even less so.

In the first season, the characters seem to show a lot of emotion. But as the series goes on, they become wooden faced, especially Iris and Willem.

Also, the bad guy never gets caught. Huub goes from being a bit of a laraken in season 1 to a hard core murderer in seasons 2 and 3. But gets away in both series. Holland TV - where the bad guys get away. They're all so reasonable and accepting of everything.

Forget the critiques: fabulous, captivating series!

[gperczak · 10/10 · 2 September 2022]

Die Overspel is one of those under publicized, gripping multi-season sleepers which turn into obsessive binge watching. Silvia Hoeks and Fedja van Huet have more chemistry than a high school Intro to Chem class; they are magic together. The plot of the first two seasons is inspired, weaving the two lovers into the complex lives of a tough and criminal real estate developer, his own twisted family, and the Dutch police and criminal court systems with their own foibles and challenges.

This show was the number 1 series in Holland when Season 1 was released, and even 10+ years later remains a popular show even in the UK and US. Hoeks is luminous throughout, playing a talented photographer with significant anxiety in crowded situations. Some observers in this thread seem critical of her acting because she doesn't engage in lengthy, Shakespearean soliloquies as the series continues. In my book, this critique misses the mark; Hoeks' character is the most normal, pragmatic, loyal and parental in the show, and her acting in this regard is top notch. The Walter writers and producers leave all the posturing, proclamations and violence to the men, who are an intriguingly self-centered, ego inflated bunch containing moral and amoral flaws as well as specific virtues. 'Nuff said: this series is a true hit, and it's a shame that the series could not continue after two strong seasons and the final, forced episodes of Season 3. It will stay with you long after you finish the series.

Ultimately unpassionate

[paul2001sw-1 · 6/10 · 9 October 2019]

In 'The Adulterer', a prosecutor's wife has an affair with a defence lawyer, who just happens to be representing a man her husband is currently prosecuting. The setup sounds cheesy, and is certainly contrived. The best thing about this drama is a credible portrayal of life within a family the foundation of whose wealth is organised crime, albeit on a relatively small scale (think corrupt family business rather than full-blown mafia). It's weakness is the one-dimensionality of many of its characters, particularly the smug prosecutor and his almost-perfect wife. Although some details of plot were nicely developed, I didn't really care how the romantic aspects of the drama worked out, or feel any of the sexual passion supposedly driving the story.

Is this really justice in Holland?

[graeme-86220 · 4/10 · 3 February 2020]

Stuck me that this is a low-key version of "The Affair" and the characters are similarly ones I can't seem to care about.

Production is ok but low budget with very few different locations and lots of lingering looks and pregnant pauses.

I know nothing of Dutch criminal system, but wire-taps at the drop of a hat, prisoners endlessly grilled with no legal representation even where clearly suffering mental issues, doctor just believing the character when he said he was normal, last-minute witnesses without any hesitation or reference to either party, no vetting of information, guns getting past security as hip pins - it all seems so wrong.

Thankfully, series 1 has an ending I can leave there (unlike The Affair) and shan't bother with season 2 or 3. All fairly predictable fare.

Excellent

[submariner-99666 · 9/10 · 19 February 2021]

I really enjoyed it , some of the episode's dragged on a little, but the series and the script was good very good,

First taste of subtitles.

[nevets-29279 · 9/10 · 31 May 2019]

Not into subtitles but after seeing 5 minutes I was gripped then 4 episodes later I had to take a break 😱👍. Only seen the first series and now trying to find out how to see the rest. Anyone got any ideas??

Overall, rather captivating with some annoyances

[GLArm · 8/10 · 21 October 2021]

I have watched 8 of the 12 episodes of the first season and I look forward to watching the last 4. The plot line of the series, along with the excellent acting and set design & cinematography, all keep me interested in this show.

The family relationships and characters are interesting and generally believable. However, the character of Iris is annoying because she just seems unbelievably stupid! Having an affair with the lawyer of a shady businessman your prosecutor husband is investigating? Not understanding how that might influence a child custody arrangement? Going to an attorney and talking about "your friend" when you are obviously talking about yourself? Not understanding that your cheating on your husband might require some real contrition and attempts on your part to allay his suspicions if you want to save your marriage as you say you do?

The other annoying thing that often crops up in romantic relationships in movies or tv: The lovers just can't stop themselves from passionately kissing and ripping their clothes off within moments every time they see each other. You are conducting an illicit affair, but just go at it in public....... nothing else matters but your overwhelming passion for this person which you must display and act on, no matter where or when. In real life, people have affairs all the time, but that doesn't mean they make out in public every time they arrange to meet!

A Little Different

[johnseegers · 7/10 · 24 December 2021]

Watched this on PBS/Walter Presents with English subtitles. In total this show runs around 30 hours. Actually an interesting approach to storytelling. Nothing is rushed but nothing feels completely out of place either. Yeah ultimately a bit of a silly story but, heck, we watched it all. Certainly worse ways to spend an evening. I'd say some solid acting by all. And Iris is just cute as a bunny.

Loved it mostly, really maybe 9.5

[bidder-70102 · 9/10 · 12 February 2024]

I am not going to go over the entire plot, just a few reasons why it doesn't get a 10.

1. Overuse of Iris's face. Sylvia Hoeks has an extremely attractive face, her other job is being a model. They seem to more and more from series 1 to 3 to linger on just showing her face. We get it, she is really pretty.

2. Elsie, the cheated-on wife, is really very attractive and seems a really good wife and mother, I am not sure what the motivation to cheat on her actually is.

3. Iris seems surprised at the collateral damage from leaving her prosecutor husband for the lawyer defending the gangster he is after and likewise the gangster-lawer didn't really think through dumping the DAUGHTER of the gangster, i.e. His father-in-law, to get with the prosecutor's wife. Can people actually be this horny and/or this dumb as adults?

4. In one scene Dutch police continuously interrogate a brain-damaged person until he breaks down with no lawyer present. Whatever they got out of him would be thrown out of a USA trial like used Kleenex.

5. Iris (ear-is in Dutch) seems happy with her job and husband and child, but for some reason will toss it all for random sex with some guy?

6. In one scene a character gets into a single-engine Piper aircraft to go from Holland to Panama. They got get about 800 miles and then have to swim a few thousand more!

I am completely unstunned

[grizzlydblair · 3/10 · 14 March 2023]

The rave reviews on here coerced me into sticking with this through five episodes, thinking that it must be my fault. But I perceived no chemistry whatsoever between the actors playing the adulterous couple;, who seemed to be going through the motions; the sexual scenes between them were colourless, evasive and tame; I found nothing interesting about the other characters and the enfolding plot, and I just gave up after trying rather than putting myself through another half dozen episodes of tedium. I guess tastes differ; this was not for me. I'm pleased for those who enjoyed it. And found it 'stunning'; it utterly failed to hold my attention.

... award-winner remains-on-top

[bjarias · 8/10 · 22 December 2023]

... watched duplicate-version-production 'Betrayal'.. wasn't very good... so when a reviewer mentioned seeing Dutch version was most interested ... differences are striking... you can tell within first episode that Overspel took prize for Best Dramatic Series at 2012 Netherlands Film Festival for a reason... it's very good, well done through first-season... second is good, just little-less-so, early episodes less weighty, ending was long time coming

... leads are perfect for their parts, chemistry between them is well evident from first they meet... for him a younger, very-attractive-stranger, longing for passion was winning a lottery (not so much for his family though... never-is)... she was captivated right from the start, learning-realizing she never had what she's now discovering with this new lover... other stories run-alongside, but theirs the glue keeps all together

... the Dutch overspel translates in English to adultery... he chats her up, sees-wants this very-alluring-attractive-younger-woman, doesn't feel as guilty as affair-sex becomes "falling-in-love"... she ever-slightly resists at first, but physical attraction very powerful draw when you are weakened feeling you're 'missing-out' on something in life... at twenty she never should have gotten married, especially not to him, and definitely not had a kid so soon... rest is all aftermath from the affair involving all other family-members

... be sure to look up the S. Scotney review at TheArtsDesk.. well written-succinct in its depiction of high-worth of this Scandinavian-production... like he depicts, it never needed a remake that was always fated to be less not-more-or-equal.

not a balance series between husband and lover

[inglev-77280 · 5/10 · 29 June 2018]

The series is good, but I am little disappointed with this series because husband never gets a chance to get his wife again. ya, I can accept that can wife fall in love with someone so dramatically, but no one can just separate them self from some someone who's living with them for a long time or from once they love.

Ok but far, far too long

[wisewebwoman · 5/10 · 9 January 2023]

I've only watched Series 1 and it held me for a while but then it became a bit of a chore watching the last 4 episodes as Iris started to get on my nerves, she just reacted to every situation. Willem didn't fare too better, much eye work from both leads and the script left a whole lot to be desired.

Both leading men, prosecutor and defence lawyer, were emotionally void, using violence and coldness to intimidate Iris and Elsie, their respective spouses who were supposedly strong independent women who wept to be with these guys.

The lovers' scenes were particularly repetitive and very unerotic in the way they ate each other's faces. Yuck.

Huub the father was the best actor in the bunch, a difficult role but he managed it beautifully, menace and devotion portrayed skillfully. He was followed closely by Elsie, the scorned one.

But none of this could save it. And the Maguffin of the accident was so ho hum as to be drivel. I don't know whether I'll be watching Series 2 if it's as stretched out like this.

Tightened to 6 episodes it would have worked much better in my opinion.

5/10.

Another woman who barely speaks

[susansundaisy · 3/10 · 25 August 2020]

Tired of smart women who seem to be autistic and barely speak. No idea why this wasn't just 10 episodes. Worst parents ever. It's boring.

Obnoxious Adulterers

[roadtocorkcity · 5/10 · 25 September 2023]

Not a bad story. Pretty good weave of marriage problems, big scale crime and corruption, and justice. I was put off by the adulterers who were entirely self-centered and ginned up an obsessive love affair out of what could as well have been a month long one-night stand. I simply could not see what so compelled them about each other. They were not exactly a dynamic duo. Flat, generic love affair at the center of a rather entertaining narrative. Further, they were not sympathetic in their insistence on elevating physical attraction over marriage, and in the woman's case, a child, We did see an increasingly unlikeable side to their rejected spouses, but they did not seem to grow more interesting or insightful with experience, not as individuals, not as a couple. I can recommend the show as it gathers intensity and the plot starts unfolding, but not as a great watch overall.