Channel 4 viewers have just been treated to The Ring, a tense ten-part drama that initially aired in the Netherlands back in September 2024. The collection, which was released on Friday, is airing on the network as part of its Walter Presents series, which bring together some of Europe's best dramas.
The Ring, known as De Ring in its home country, went down a treat when it first aired, with fans even suggesting that the drama was better than the works of Harlan Coben, who is known for shows like Fool Me Once, Missing You and Run Away.
The show focuses on Anna Hartogh (Hannah Hoekstra), a lawyer who ends up stealing a ring from her wealthy client, Simon (Benja Bruijning), the boss of a jeans company. Simon has a hidden camera in his office and catches Anna in the act, using the footage to blackmail her, threatening to release it unless she sleeps with him.
Complicating things further for Anna is her relationship with police officer, Max (Minne Koole), who is quick to pick up on lies. The synopsis for the show teases: "When lawyer Anna steals a client's ring, a hidden camera captures everything. How far will she go to protect her secret, and can love survive when trust is built on betrayal?"
Fan response
Fans have been heaping praise on the show since it aired, with one review reading: "Beats Harlan Coben's shows. Great whodunnit series, kept me guessing till last episode. It is quite tense thriller, bordering on horror and the story is not for faint hearted. It exceeded my expectations, ended up binging the lot in one day. IMHO the actors are really good, as is production. The plot - well it is not a documentary, so we need to allow for some unlikely twists, but all good in general."
© Channel 4A second said: "You get to know their deeper thoughts and what drives them. Sometimes these things may seem to conflict with other parts of their personality, but this actually makes them way more human. People have these internal conflicts. To me this seems to be the underlying premise of 'De Ring' which makes it very intriguing and an interesting watch."
A third penned: "Just go [for] it and you'll really enjoy the characters living this wild twisted story. Each character is fully developed and make the plot believable," before adding that it was a "good Nordic mystery".
Who stars in The Ring?
Leading the cast is Hannah Hoekstra (Cocaine Bear) as Anna, and she's joined by Benja Bruijning (Heirs of the Night) as Simon and Minne Koole (Ares) as Max.
© Channel 4Rounding out the cast is Delilah van Eyck (Five Fingers) as Lilly, Eelco Smits (Feast) as Patrick and Charlie Chan Dagelet (Sweet Desire) as Roos.
