Nasrdin Dchar
Mardik Sardagh
Overview
Het gouden uur (2022) follows characters drawn into a defining drama crisis, where private motives collide with public stakes. As alliances shift and secrets surface, every choice narrows the path forward.
Seasons
- Status
- Returning Series
- Seasons
- 2 seasons
- Episodes
- 12 episodes
- First aired
- Oct 23, 2022
Cast
12 people
Reviews
6 min readThe Golden Hour: A Dutch Thriller That Stumbles in the Shadows of Its Own Ambition
I kept waiting for Het gouden uur to trust its own premise. The series opens with a gut-punch: a terrorist attack at Amsterdam Centraal, the kind of chaos that leaves civilians bleeding on the platform and first responders scrambling in the smoke. The "golden hour"—that critical window when the risk of a second strike is highest—isn’t just a plot device here.
It’s a ticking clock, a moral crucible, and, if the show had fully committed, a searing examination of fear, loyalty, and the way institutions treat the people they’re supposed to protect. Instead, what we get is a thriller that’s visually striking but emotionally adrift, a series that keeps raising questions it either forgets to answer or buries under procedural filler.
The hook is undeniably compelling. Mardik Sardagh (Nasrdin Dchar), an Afghan-born Dutch detective, receives a cryptic text from his childhood friend Faysal (Abbas Fasaei) just before the attack. Within hours, Mardik is both a hero—rushing into the fray to save lives—and a suspect, thanks to AIVD agent Joëlle Walters (Ellen Parren), who uncovers his past ties to Faysal.
The series thrives in these early moments of ambiguity. Is Mardik a victim of circumstance, or is there something darker lurking beneath his carefully constructed life? The show’s refusal to give a clear answer is its most interesting quality, at least at first.
As Foreign Crime Drama put it, “What makes The Golden Hour interesting is that we are never 100% sure of Mardik’s innocence.” That uncertainty is the engine of the story, and for a while, it works.
But then the series starts to unravel. The problem isn’t the premise—it’s the execution. The dual timelines, which alternate between the present-day investigation and flashbacks to Mardik and Faysal’s childhood in Afghanistan, are meant to deepen the emotional stakes.
Instead, they often feel like a distraction, a way to pad out the runtime without adding real depth. The flashbacks are visually striking, shot with a grainy, almost dreamlike quality that contrasts with the gritty realism of the present-day scenes. Yet they rarely land with the weight they should.
We see glimpses of Mardik and Faysal as boys, their bond forged in the crucible of war, but the series never fully explores what drove them apart. By the time we learn that Faysal has become a radicalized terrorist, the revelation feels hollow, as if the writers assumed the mere fact of his transformation would be enough to carry the emotional load. It isn’t.
Audience Opinions
Broad evidence
Audience 6.2/10
"A solid Dutch crime thriller that connects with genre fans through its urgent post-attack premise and detective-led story."
Het gouden uur, known as The Golden Hour, is a Dutch crime drama thriller built around the crucial hour immediately after an attack. It revolves around Afghan-Dutch detective Mardik, who leads a quiet life with his wife and child. The crowd response is modestly positive, with a 6.2/10 from 147 votes and an audience score of 74, latestnetflix.com argues, and it is listed as a returning series with 51-minute episodes.
What viewers praise
- Urgent central hook The golden-hour concept frames the story around the crucial hour immediately after an attack, giving the police thriller immediate stakes.
- Detective-led crime drama Follows Afghan-Dutch detective Mardik, who lives quietly with his wife and child, anchoring the crime and drama in a personal perspective.
- Steady audience response Holds a 6.2/10 from 147 votes and an audience score of 74, signaling modestly positive reception among those who watched.
Common complaints
- Heavy thriller tone Billed as action, crime, drama and thriller, it leans intense rather than light viewing.
- Dutch-language viewing Original language is Dutch, so many viewers will be watching with subtitles.
Recommended for
Fans of Dutch crime dramas Viewers who like police thrillers about the aftermath of an attack
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsBehind the Scenes of Het Gouden Uur: A Dutch Thriller That Blurs Fiction and Reality
Het Gouden Uur (2022), the Dutch action-thriller series, has carved out a niche for its gritty portrayal of terrorism and its aftermath. With a cast led by Nasrdin Dchar and a premise ripped from the headlines, the show has sparked conversations—not just for its plot, but for how closely it mirrors real-world tensions. latestnetflix.com's take is that here’s what we know about the making of this high-stakes drama.
A Premise That Hits Close to Home
The series revolves around a terrorist attack in Amsterdam and the chaotic "golden hour" that follows—the critical first 60 minutes after an incident where every decision can mean life or death. The title itself is a nod to this high-pressure window, a concept borrowed from emergency response terminology 
. But what makes Het Gouden Uur stand out is its unsettling proximity to reality.
Creator Simon de Waal and star Nasrdin Dchar have both acknowledged that the show’s themes have grown eerily relevant over time. In interviews, they’ve noted how real-world events have begun to echo the series’ fictional scenarios, blurring the line between drama and documentary . Whether by design or coincidence, the show’s timing has amplified its impact, making it more than just a thriller—it’s a reflection of contemporary anxieties.
Nasrdin Dchar: From Jason Bourne to Dutch Detective
Dchar, who plays lead detective Mardik, has described his role as a departure from the polished action heroes of Hollywood. In one interview, he admitted to channeling Jason Bourne at times, but with a raw, unfiltered edge. "I felt like Jason Bourne now and then," he said, though he was quick to clarify that the role demanded a grittier, more grounded performance .
The series’ violence is portrayed as messy and unpredictable, a deliberate choice by director Bobby Boermans to avoid glorifying action. "Violence is dirty, fast, and unexpected," Boermans and Dchar told Cinema.nl, emphasizing the show’s commitment to realism over spectacle . This approach extends to the character of Mardik, a detective of Afghan descent whose personal history becomes entangled with the investigation. When a childhood friend is suspected of involvement in the attack, Mardik’s professional duty collides with his past, adding layers of moral complexity to the story 
.
Behind the Scenes: A Long-Awaited Return
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7kO-klXgG0
Fans of Het Gouden Uur had to wait three years for the second season, which finally premiered on NPO Start in 2024 . The delay wasn’t explained in the available evidence, but the gap only heightened anticipation for the show’s return. The first season, which aired in 2022, set the stage for a high-stakes narrative, and recaps suggest it delivered on tension, with Mardik’s investigation spiraling into a web of conspiracy and personal betrayal .
The series’ production team, including AVROTROS and director Bobby Boermans, has kept details about future seasons under wraps. However, given the show’s critical reception—a 6.2/10 rating on SensCritique from 147 votes—it’s clear that audiences are invested in seeing where Mardik’s story goes next . The IMDb page hints at more twists, with Mardik’s investigation taking increasingly risky turns as he digs deeper into the attack .
**What’s Next for Het Gouden Uur?**
For now, the show remains a Dutch phenomenon, though its themes of terrorism, identity, and justice resonate far beyond the Netherlands. The cast, including Ellen Parren, Mohammed Azaay, and Yannick de Waal, has yet to reveal much about their experiences filming, but Dchar’s comments suggest a set where realism was prioritized over Hollywood-style polish .
Rumors about a third season are unconfirmed, but given the show’s premise and the unresolved threads from Season 2, it’s not hard to imagine Mardik’s story continuing. If it does, expect more of the same: high-stakes drama, moral ambiguity, and a relentless pace that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.