Van der Valk (1972)

Crime · Drama

Van der Valk is a British television series that was produced by Thames Television for the ITV network. It starred Barry Foster in the title role as Dutch detective Commissaris "Piet" van der Valk. Based on the characters and atmosphere of the novels of Nicolas Freeling, the first series was shown in 1972.

IMDb rating: 7.1 (629 votes)
Episode average: 7.3 +0.2 vs IMDb
Seasons: 5
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

Browse shows by rating shape → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 5 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1972)

7.02 avg 6 episodes 6.9 → 7.6 51 min avg

Big finale

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	One Herring's Not Enough	6.9	70
2	Destroying Angel	6.6	58
3	Blue Notes	7.2	52
4	Elected Silence	6.6	48
5	Thicker Than Water	7.2	46
6	The Adventurer	7.6	47

Season 2 (1973)

7.57 avg 7 episodes 8.0 → 7.6 50 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Death by the Sea	8.0	46
2	A Man of No Importance	7.7	41
3	A Rose from Mr. Reinhart	7.7	42
4	A Dangerous Point of View	7.4	39
5	Season for Love	7.1	43
6	Rich Man, Poor Man	7.5	40
7	The Rainbow Ends Here	7.6	39

Season 3 (1977)

7.39 avg 12 episodes 7.5 → 7.3 51 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Enemy	7.5	46
2	Accidental	7.0	40
3	The Runt	7.3	39
4	Wolf	8.0	40
5	Man of Iron	6.8	36
6	Everybody Does It	7.7	39
7	Face Value	7.4	33
8	Dead on Arrival	7.2	37
9	The Professor	7.6	37
10	In Hazard	7.9	37
11	Gold Plated Delinquents	7.0	45
12	Diane	7.3	38

Season 4 (1991)

6.95 avg 4 episodes 7.6 → 6.4 103 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Doctor Hoffmann's Children	7.6	64
2	Dangerous Games	7.1	53
3	A Sudden Silence	6.7	52
4	The Little Rascals	6.4	45

Season 5 (1992)

7.30 avg 3 episodes 7.0 → 7.8 103 min avg

Rising

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Ties That Bind	7.0	48
2	Proof of Life	7.1	37
3	Still Waters	7.8	50