Netflix has released the first images and an official release date for Toos: The Van der Valk Kidnapping, a new Dutch true-crime drama about one of the most notorious kidnappings in the country’s history. Starring Lies Visschedijk and Frank Lammers, the series will premiere worldwide on November 26, 2026, a date with a very deliberate connection to the real events.
Toos van der Valk seems to have it all: wealth, status, a close-knit family and a loving husband. Together with Gerrit, she helps run one of the Netherlands’ biggest hotel empires. That all changes on November 26, 1982.
Toos is kidnapped, setting off a 20-day ordeal that grips the entire country. As her family desperately tries to bring her home, the Dutch media follows every development, and with each passing day, the pressure mounts and the chances of a happy ending look increasingly uncertain.
As the search intensifies, detective Cor Mulder takes an unusual approach. He moves into Hotel Nuland, where the Van der Valk family is staying during the investigation, operating undercover as “Cousin Cor” in the hope of getting close enough to the family to uncover clues that could lead to the kidnappers.
Meanwhile, tensions behind closed doors reach breaking point. The kidnappers’ demands become increasingly difficult to meet, while the Dutch government worries about the consequences of paying a ransom. Caught in the middle is a family struggling to hold itself together, and Toos, who simply wants to make it home alive.
Who stars in Toos: The Van der Valk Kidnapping?
Lies Visschedijk leads the series as Toos, alongside Frank Lammers as her husband, Gerrit.
International Netflix viewers will likely recognize Lammers from the hit crime series Undercover and its spin-offs, while Visschedijk may be familiar from the Disney+ series Nemesis.
Joining them are Gijs Blom as Joep van den Nieuwenhuijzen, Joy Verberk as Marijke van der Valk, Richelle Plantinga as Carlita van der Valk, Jim Deddes as Harry Heinrichs, and Juda Goslinga as undercover detective Cor Mulder.
Speaking about the role, Visschedijk said:
What moves me about Toos is her incredible resilience and dignity under the most terrifying circumstances. That’s precisely why I felt such a great responsibility to tell her story with the utmost respect.
Who is behind the series?
The screenplay comes from Maaik Krijgsman (Elixer) and Carl Joos (Memory of a Killer), with Inti Calfat and Dirk Verheye (Into the Night) directing. Dutch production company Submarine is producing.
More than four decades on, the Van der Valk family has also shared its thoughts on seeing the ordeal recreated for television:
Even after all these years, the kidnapping remains a painful chapter in our lives. It’s remarkable that our story is receiving renewed attention and being brought to life in such a compelling way by such a talented cast.
When is Toos: The Van der Valk Kidnapping coming to Netflix?
Toos: The Van der Valk Kidnapping will premiere worldwide on Netflix on November 26, 2026, exactly 44 years to the day after Toos was abducted.
With a powerful true story and a cast packed with familiar Dutch faces, it’s shaping up to be one of the more intriguing Dutch Netflix releases of the year.
Will you be adding Toos: The Van der Valk Kidnapping to your list? Let us know in the comments below!
