Framed is a tense, fast-paced Dutch thriller about a man on the run and one of the more entertaining foreign TV series we have found so far on Walter Presents. Michael Bellicher – in the Netherlands, the series is known as Bellicher – is a successful communications consultant. Some of his clients are government ministers. After a coworker dies unexpectedly, Bellicher senses something is amiss. He digs deeper, but a string of events turns against him. He realizes he is being, yes, framed.
Bellicher and his sister
Though family and friends doubt his innocence, Bellicher (Daan Schuurmans) eventually forms an alliance with his newly transgender sister (Anna Drijver) and a computer hacker, Vince (Benja Bruijning). Together, they set about to uncover what is really going on.
This is a familiar premise for a TV series. In the second episode, we started to think of The Fugitive, but it also shares similarities with The Code. The idea is well worn, but the concise presentation and likable “good guy” characters help Framed to succeed. In addition, though it was filmed in 2010, part of the storyline is particularly relevant to current political issues.
The format in which Framed is shown on the Walter Presents website lists 10 episodes in season 1. As it turns out, season 1 is just the first four episodes, which in the Netherlands was titled The Power of Mr. Miller, based on a book by that name. Episodes five through 10 on Walter Presents are actually Framed season 2, known as Cell, in which the events occur two years later.
If that sounds a bit confusing, don’t let it stop you from watching Framed. This TV series has its faults, including a few too many chase scenes and convenient holes in the plot, but it’s still a lot of fun.
The Framed TV show was produced by Pupkin Films in the Netherlands. It first aired on Dutch public broadcasting, VPRO, in November, 2010. Season 2 was shown in February and March, 2013. We don’t know why Walter Presents lists a 2016 date.
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Thanks for the Walter Presents posts – looks like interesting option to consider. Being British/Foreign TV enthusiast – mystery, crime, cozy mysteries I’be been considering adding another streaming service to my Acorn service and dropping Netflix.
MHzChoice also looks good to me – $8.00 a month. http://watch.mhzchoice.com/
Remarkable all the good streaming choices viewers have.
Yes, MHz is certainly another option! At this point they have more series than Walter Presents, though that may change over time. You are right, foreign TV fans have a lot to choose from.