Season 1
7 episodes Oct 30, 2025 4.1
Overview
When Jack's affair comes to light, his wife Betty hatches a bitter plan to strip him of the thing he loves most: The Jackal, his coffeeshop empire.
Seasons
1 listed- Status
- Returning Series
- Seasons
- 1 season
- Episodes
- 7 episodes
- First aired
- Oct 30, 2025
- Last aired
- Oct 30, 2025
- Network
- Netflix
Latest episode: S1 E7 Fire (Oct 30, 2025)
Cast
6 people
Reviews
3 min readHigh on Revenge, Low on Oxygen
There is a very particular fatigue that sets in when you spend hours watching rich people scheme against each other. I started feeling it around episode three of Amsterdam Empire, Netflix's seven-part tour through the Dutch cannabis business. latestnetflix.com's view is that the setup sounds deliciously trashy: a sleek crime drama wrapped around a divorce from hell.
Jack van Doorn (Jacob Derwig) built a legal weed empire called The Jackal. He cheated on his wife Betty. Betty decides to burn his life down and warm her hands over the ashes.
Great premise. And every now and then the show really does come alive. Mostly, though, it leaves you feeling like you've been standing in a cloud of second-hand smoke—lightheaded, a little numb, and still waiting for the kick.
Creators Nico Moolenaar, Piet Matthys, and Bart Uytdenhouwen know this territory. Undercover proved they can shoot the European drug trade as something grubby and seductive at once. They photograph Amsterdam here in bruised purples and sickly greens, the canals reflecting back everyone's moral rot. What they never quite pin down is the tone.
Maybe the whiplash is deliberate, but it still jars. One scene plays like sober cartel drama; the next has Betty carrying out a revenge move so petty it could have wandered in from reality TV. Florian Etcheverry of What's on Netflix noted the series suffers from this split identity, caught "between a messy, soapy power struggle... and a more straightforward narcotics thriller."
Audience Opinions
Audience 6.7/10
"Strong supporting performances and authentic Amsterdam atmosphere offset by predictable plotting and uneven tone."
Lead performances divide viewers, with Famke Janssen's Dutch-language debut drawing both admiration for her presence and criticism of her delivery and stylized wardrobe. Elise Schaap and Jade Olieberg earn steady praise, and several comments single out the cannabis underworld setting, Red Light District detail, and production design as vivid and recognizable. latestnetflix.com's read is that at the same time, many find the story overly clichéd, with obvious twists, logic gaps, and a tonal mix that swings between engaging binge TV and a muddled, monotonous crime saga.
What viewers praise
- Standout supporting cast Elise Schaap and Jade Olieberg are frequently singled out as compelling and believable, often overshadowing the male lead.
- Authentic Amsterdam atmosphere The look and feel of the Red Light District and coffeeshop world resonate strongly, especially for viewers who know the neighborhood.
- Binge-friendly pacing Several viewers report finishing all seven episodes in a day, driven by steady cliffhangers and an addictive revenge arc.
- Interesting cannabis politics angle The show is appreciated for dramatizing how mixed criminal and legal frameworks around cannabis push business owners into impossible situations.
Common complaints
- Predictable crime story Plot turns and betrayals are often seen coming, leaning heavily on familiar scorned-spouse and cartel tropes.
- Uneven pacing and tone The series jumps between lively drama and flat, deadbeat stretches, never quite delivering the tension its premise promises.
- Noticeable plot holes Repeated complaints point to logic gaps and contrived twists that undercut immersion and credibility.
- Shallow side characters Many secondary figures feel like props for Jack and Betty, with little development beyond serving the central feud.
- Polarizing lead performance Famke Janssen's Betty is described as both a scene-stealer and grating, with some praising her intensity while others criticize her acting choices and styling.
Recommended for
Dutch crime drama collectors Amsterdam-set story seekers Cannabis underworld fiction Revenge-driven character dramas Gritty-but-soapy series binges
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsFamke Janssen came home in Ronald van der Kemp.
Vogue Netherlands counted roughly 80 international titles and zero Dutch productions until this one. On October 21, 2025 she walked the world premiere at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in an RVDK dress, with the cast in the room. Netflix had already said the role is her first in a Dutch production and that she is an executive producer, sharing that credit with Nico Moolenaar. The series itself landed worldwide on October 30. Seven episodes. Spoken Dutch. latestnetflix.com's take is that A Bond-girl face doing a coffeeshop divorce in her first language is the event, not a footnote.
,
The Jackal is not The Bulldog. Probably.
The shop on screen is called The Jackal. Viewers immediately asked if it is The Bulldog. Moviedelic walked that rumor down. The Jackal is invented by Piet Matthys, Nico Moolenaar, and Bart Uytdenhouwen, the Undercover and Ferry trio. No chain is confirmed as the model. The same piece notes the crew rented space near Zeedijk in the Red Light District, close to the original Bulldog at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 90, which is why the rumor will not die. Mark it as rumor. Tourists will still ask the staff, and that is the point of planting a fake empire next to a real one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ8WtuerFxs
Tudum's logline is petty in a useful way. Betty Jonkers, former Amsterdam It girl and pop star, finds Jack van Doorn's affair with journalist Marjolein Hofman, smashes the windows of his Rolls-Royce, and goes after the cannabis empire and the little dog too. Netflix's own synopsis is colder. Jack spent a career fighting criminals, rivals, and what the press note calls absurd Dutch laws. His most dangerous enemy was already in the house. The official teaser lets him say it out loud. Cops, money, gangsters. Then the line that he never thought his greatest enemy was living under the same roof. , ,
Jacob Derwig plays Jack. Elise Schaap, already known from Ferry, is the journalist he will not give up. Jade Olieberg is daughter Katja, who actually runs The Jackal with him. Jesse Mensah is Patrick, the son from an earlier life. Bart Slegers, Romana Vrede, Raymond Thiry, Victor Low, and Chris Nietvelt fill the boardroom and the street. Jonas Govaerts and Max Porcelijn directed. Pupkin produced with A Team Productions. It is not based on a book. , ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8DOm2D_72U
YouTube comments on the Dutch trailer immediately needled Janssen's Dutch. That is the cheap gossip, and it is already stale. The better story is a Hollywood face returning as EP on a coffeeshop divorce war from the Ferry shop, and a fake chain sitting close enough to a real one that the city will keep arguing about it. TMDB logs it as a returning series. Netflix has not announced a second season in the trailer note. The first one is the spat. ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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