Over the last few posts in this series on things I find interesting about the Dutch, you might think that I don’t find much enjoable here. The truth is that I find the exact opposite to be true. I am thoroughly enjoying living in the Netherlands.

So, today, I will cover a topic that is a lot more positive than previous posts – Dutch TV.

The first thing that is remarkable about Dutch TV, is that due to the high level of English competency in the Netherlands, almost all English language movies and TV-series are shown in English with Dutch subtitles.

This means that I am able to watch House and not have to strain my brain understanding whati s going on. If I hopped over the border to Germany, I would find that Dr House had suddenly learnt to speak German.

Another great thing about Dutch TV, is that the Netherlands has the highest rate of digital and cable TV subscribers per capita in the world, and something like 99% of households get their TV by either one of these methods.

This means for very low monthly rates, you get 50 TV channels, with a lot of it in English. And if you really want, there are a lot more channels you can add as well.

Another thing I find about Dutch TV is that they have exceedingly long add breaks, although granted there are a lot fewer of them, so the average time spent watching ads works out to about the same as what I was used to in South Africa. You have ample time to have a bathroom break and go make a cup of tea before the show comes on again.

This was a little annoying at first, but I have grown used to this setup.

Now, there is one thing that I have still not got to grips with. That is the actual Dutch TV programs. I have yet to find a Dutch language TV program that I actually enjoy. Maybe it is the cultural differences, or maybe the fact that my Dutch skills are still less than perfect, or perhaps just a general lack of familiarity with them, but I just can’t find a decent show – except for one exception.

This is “So you think you can dance”, which Claudia has gotten me watching. Even this though is based on an international franchise, instead of being an authentic home-grown Dutch show.

If any of you reading this posts think that there are Dutch shows I definitely should watch please leave a comment.

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