The series is described as "scripted reality", which sounds like an oxymoron along the lines of "tiny mountain", "virgin call girl" or "flamboyant moderation".
First I thought of awarding zero stars. After some thinking I give three stars. Every now and then there is a successful joke or a charming anecdote : such moments are rare, but they exist. Besides, most of the actors bravely act their hearts out, undaunted by the sea of nonsense which surrounds them. One has to admire their professional conscience : I'm pretty sure that I would cash my paycheck and then sleepwalk through my lines, pondering the stupidity of my life choices. ("And to think that I might have become a cook in my uncle Theo's pizzeria - a steady job, a supportive family atmosphere and all the artichokes a person can eat !")
The series is bad. The writing is incompetent and sloppy, the plots are childish and the attempts at humor fall flat. The series is also devoid of any real comprehension of the frustrations and difficulties involved in actual police work. The police team to which the series is devoted solves all the crimes it sees, which is almost entirely explained by happy coincidences, serendipitous meetings or preternaturally helpful witnesses. There is no sense of intellectual effort, just as there is no sense of mystery, urgency or suspense.
Things are not exactly helped along by the portrayal of the individual officers, who are so brave, clean, polite, loyal, constant and helpful that they make the average boy scout look like a pimp terrorizing a stable of crack whores. These are not just policemen (or women) : these are ministering angels, friends to men and beasts.
Don't you worry, little boy, the Knights of the Round Table will recover your little kitten...
The series is quite popular in Flanders, to the point where the adventures of the police corps have inspired a movie. I can't explain it.
